Four Remain: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship 4 Title Battle Set

Friday night at Martinsville Speedway delivered everything you’d want from a playoff race: drama, heartbreak, and one heck of a finish. When the checkered flag finally flew after an overtime restart, four drivers had punched their tickets to the championship 4 showdown at Phoenix. In contrast, four other drivers were left wondering what might have been. So, what caused the shakeup, and who kissed their championship hopes goodbye?

Corey Heim Dominates His Way Into the Championship 4

Corey Heim made it look easy. The 23-year-old wheelman grabbed his 11th win of the season at the paperclip, cementing what’s already been a remarkable year. This wasn’t just any victory, either. Heim had already locked himself into the Championship 4 three weeks ago with his win at the Charlotte Roval, but he wasn’t about to coast into Phoenix.

Winning two out of three races in the Round of 8 sends a message. Heim is the guy to beat next Friday night when these four drivers square off for the title. His TRICON Garage team has been on fire all season, and they’re showing no signs of cooling off when it matters most.

Ty Majeski Keeps His Title Defense Alive

Defending series champion Ty Majeski wasn’t going to let his season slip away at Martinsville. A solid seventh-place finish was all he needed to advance, and he delivered exactly that. There’s something special about a driver who knows how to handle the pressure of a must-finish situation. Majeski’s been here before. Last year, he hoisted the championship trophy at Phoenix. Now he’s got another shot to do it again. The ThorSport Racing driver has the experience and composure to make things interesting when they line up under the desert lights.

Tyler Ankrum Sneaks Through With Ninth Place

Sometimes you don’t need to be the fastest truck on the track. You just need to be smart enough to survive. That’s exactly what Tyler Ankrum did Friday night. His ninth-place finish might not turn heads on paper, but it was good enough to grab one of those four precious spots in the Championship 4. Ankrum’s season has been about consistency and capitalizing on opportunities. He did both at Martinsville, and now he’s got a legitimate shot at winning his first Truck Series championship next week.

Kaden Honeycutt Edges Out Layne Riggs in Heartbreaking Tiebreaker

This is where things got emotional. Kaden Honeycutt finished second in that wild overtime restart, and that runner-up result put him in a tiebreaker situation with Layne Riggs. When the dust settled and NASCAR applied its tiebreaker rules, Honeycutt came out on top. He’s going to Phoenix. Riggs is going home.

You could hear the disappointment in Riggs’ voice after the race. “It all kind of started with that missed shift on that restart,” he said. “I’m not really sure what happened. I’ve never missed a shift in a truck in my whole career.”

The Mistake That Changed It All

That one mistake changed everything. Riggs is now the first driver officially eliminated from championship contention, and it hurts. He mentioned the new transmissions they’ve been running, saying he wasn’t quite used to them yet. But at this level, there’s no room for error. One missed shift can cost you a shot at a championship, and that’s exactly what happened.

The frustration didn’t stop there. Riggs reflected on the bigger picture of his Round of 8. “We do have some new transmissions, and I guess I’m just not quite used to them yet, so I’m pretty upset about that. I think things could have been a lot different, but it all started at the Roval and getting turned around on Lap 1.

“We go to Talladega and having all the issues we had. I’m definitely dejected. I would have been dejected if we were even in fourth. I just don’t like it,” he concluded.  You can’t help but feel for the guy. He gave it everything he had, but sometimes everything isn’t quite enough.

Dreams Die Hard for Grant Enfinger, Daniel Hemric, and Rajah Caruth

Three other drivers saw their championship hopes end Friday night. Grant Enfinger, Daniel Hemric, and Rajah Caruth all had their seasons end at Martinsville. Caruth’s night ended fiercely. On Lap 73, contact with Honeycutt coming off Turn 4 caused Caruth’s left-rear tire to go down. His No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet spun hard into the Turn 1 wall, and that was it. A P34  finish and a long ride back to the hauler to think about what could have been.

Championship 4 Awaits

Now all eyes turn to the Championship 4 showdown at Phoenix Raceway. Next Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, these four drivers will battle it out for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. Heim comes in as the favorite with 11 wins this season. Majeski brings championship experience. Ankrum and Honeycutt are hungry first-time title contenders. One race. Four drivers. One champion. It’s going to be a heck of a show.