Buckle Up South Carolina 200 At Darlington: Craftsman Truck Series Entry List

The Lady in Black is calling. After a long three‑week break that left fans restless, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finally fires back to life. Friday night under the lights, the field takes on the unforgiving 1.366‑mile oval of Darlington Raceway, a track that chews up tires, punishes impatience, and hands out Darlington Stripes like souvenirs.

More than eighty percent of drivers who race here end up scraping the wall at least once. With thirty‑seven trucks entered for the Buckle Up South Carolina 200, the garage is loaded with contenders, rookies, and veterans who know exactly how brutal this place can be.

Darlington: The First True Gut‑Check Of The Truck Season

Darlington doesn’t ease anyone into the weekend. The surface is so abrasive that lap times fall off more than two seconds in the first twenty‑five laps of a run. Last year’s race saw a nearly three‑second gap between early‑run speed and late‑run survival, and the spring event has averaged seven cautions over the past decade.

This is also the first race back after a long layoff, which means teams have no time to settle in. If you unload slowly, you’re buried. If you unload fast, you still have to survive two hundred miles of tire wear, strategy swings, and restarts that funnel the field into a groove barely wider than a truck. What happens Friday night will shape the next month of the season.

A Season Of Unpredictable Chaos

The 2026 season has already delivered a level of unpredictability the series hasn’t seen in years. Three races, three different winners, the first time that’s happened since 2018. Chandler Smith opened the year with a Daytona win after leading twenty‑seven laps.

Kyle Busch dominated EchoPark Speedway, pacing the field for eighty‑two percent of the race. Layne Riggs then made history by winning on the streets of St. Petersburg, the first street‑course victory in Truck Series history.

Parity has taken over the garage, and Darlington is the ultimate wild card. It’s a place where a championship run can begin or end in a single corner. You need the perfect setup, flawless pit work, and the nerve to run inches from the wall for two hundred miles. Even then, the track might still bite you.

Breaking Down The Entry List

This week’s entry list is one of the strongest of the season. TRICON Garage arrives with William Sawalich, Corey Heim, Kaden Honeycutt, Tanner Gray, and Giovanni Ruggiero. Heim has finished in the top five in two of his last three Darlington starts and enters with the second‑best average finish on high‑wear tracks among full‑timers.

Sawalich and Ruggiero bring raw speed and poise beyond their age, and Sawalich’s 7.4 average finish on intermediate tracks last season makes him a legitimate threat.McAnally Hilgemann Racing counters with Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Hemric, Kris Wright, and Christian Eckes.

Eckes has been one of the most consistent drivers in the series, scoring nine top‑tens in his last twelve starts and finishing 2025 with the third‑best average running position. Hemric’s experience is invaluable at a track where patience and tire management often decide the race.

ThorSport Racing brings Cole Butcher, Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia, and former champion Ben Rhodes. Majeski led forty‑eight laps here in 2024 and finished second, and Rhodes owns a Darlington win and more laps completed at this track than anyone else in the field.

Cup Series Intruders Ready To Spoil The Party

Truck Series regulars never enjoy seeing Cup drivers drop down into their sandbox, but the fans live for the chaos it creates. Darlington only amplifies that tension. Cup drivers have won three of the last five Truck races here, and every time one of them signs in, the entire garage feels the temperature rise.

These aren’t just guest appearances. They’re full‑tilt efforts in equipment capable of winning. With four Cup names in the field, the regulars know they’re not just racing each other. They’re racing drivers who make a living running 500‑mile marathons against the best in the world. If any of them hit the setup on Friday night, the balance of power shifts instantly.

Ross Chastain: No. 45, Niece Motorsports

Ross Chastain returns with the same relentless aggression that has defined his Cup career. He owns four Truck Series wins and a Darlington top‑five, and he’s finished inside the top ten in four of his last five Truck starts. Chastain’s willingness to run the wall and his refusal to lift make him one of the most dangerous drivers in the field. If the race gets wild late, he’ll be right in the middle of it.

Christopher Bell: No. 62, Halmar Friesen Racing

Christopher Bell brings elite car control to a race where it’s everything. His dirt‑track instincts translate perfectly to Darlington’s slick, sliding rhythm. Bell has seven Truck Series wins and the best average finish of any Cup driver entered this weekend. If the race comes down to long‑run pace, Bell’s precision could make him the class of the field.

Carson Hocevar: No. 77, Spire Motorsports

Carson Hocevar returns with something to prove. He already has three Truck Series wins and two top‑ten finishes at Darlington. His raw speed and willingness to take risks make him one of the most compelling young drivers in NASCAR. If he can keep the right‑rear quarter panel off the wall, which is never guaranteed here, he has the talent to steal the show.

Corey LaJoie: No. 25, Kaulig Racing

Corey LaJoie steps into the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram with a rare chance to show what he can do in equal equipment. LaJoie thrives on rhythm‑based tracks, and Darlington’s old‑school character fits his style. He doesn’t have many recent Truck starts, but his Cup experience on high‑wear tracks gives him an edge. If he finds the groove early, he could surprise a lot of people.

Series Regulars Looking To Make A Statement

Before the Cup Series names drop in and tilt the balance, the backbone of the Truck Series, its full‑time regulars, arrive at Darlington with something to prove. This is the first true measuring‑stick race of the season, and the regulars know it.

Darlington has a way of exposing who’s ready for a championship run and who still needs work. Five of the last seven Truck winners here finished inside the top eight in points. With three different winners in the first three races and the Triple Truck Challenge beginning, the pressure on the full‑timers is higher than it has been all year.

For Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, and Ben Rhodes, this isn’t just another stop on the schedule. It’s a chance to plant a flag and remind the garage that the road to the title still runs through them.

Corey Heim: TRICON Garage

Corey Heim enters Darlington carrying the weight of expectation. He has two top‑five finishes in his last three starts here and owns one of the strongest high‑wear track averages in the field. Heim’s long‑run pace is his greatest weapon, and Darlington rewards exactly that.

He came close to winning here in 2024 before a late caution flipped the race upside down. With TRICON showing high speed this season, Heim is one of the regulars most likely to go toe‑to‑toe with the Cup Series invaders.

Christian Eckes: McAnally Hilgemann Racing

Christian Eckes has quietly become one of the most complete drivers in the Truck Series. He scored nine top‑tens in his last twelve starts and finished 2025 with the third‑best average running position.

Eckes thrives on high‑wear tracks, and Darlington fits his strengths perfectly: disciplined throttle control, clean exits, and the ability to maintain pace deep into a run. If he avoids trouble, Eckes will be a major factor when the race tightens up in the final 40 laps.

Ty Majeski: ThorSport Racing

Ty Majeski is one of the most dangerous drivers in the field at Darlington. He led 48 laps here in 2024 and finished second, and his long‑run pace remains among the best in the series. Majeski thrives on tracks that reward finesse and tire management.

And Darlington is the ultimate test of both. If the race stretches into a long green‑flag run, and it often does, Majeski becomes the favorite among the regulars to control the pace. But can he pass the ultimate test by taming the beast that is the Lady in Black?

Ben Rhodes: ThorSport Racing

Ben Rhodes enters Darlington with more laps completed at this track than any other driver in the field. He owns a Darlington win and has finished inside the top ten in four of his last five starts here.

Rhodes’ experience and ability to adapt to changing track conditions make him a perennial threat. He understands how to survive the early chaos and position himself for a late charge, a skill that often separates contenders from pretenders at this place.

The Triple Truck Challenge Begins

This weekend also marks the start of the 2026 Triple Truck Challenge, one of the most lucrative bonus programs in NASCAR. The three‑race stretch begins at Darlington, moves to Rockingham, and ends at Bristol.

A driver who wins all three pockets $500,000, and sweeping two races earns $150,000. Only one driver, Sheldon Creed, has ever swept the Challenge in 2020. The added pressure will crank the intensity up even higher in a garage already stretched thin.

Why This Entry List Matters

This entry list matters because it blends championship contenders, powerhouse teams, and four Cup Series disruptors into one of the most competitive Truck fields of the year. Darlington has always been a separator. Five of the last seven Truck winners here finished inside the top eight in points.

With thirty‑seven trucks entered for thirty‑six starting spots, qualifying becomes a pressure test, and smaller teams face the real possibility of missing the show. For the regulars, outrunning Chastain, Bell, Hocevar, and LaJoie on a track this unforgiving is the ultimate credibility check. And with the Triple Truck Challenge beginning, every lap carries financial and championship implications.

Craftsman Truck Series At Darlington Raceway

Buckle Up South Carolina 200: Full Entry List

(i) indicates any driver ineligible for earning season and or playoff points.

1. William Sawalich (i) — No. 1 — TRICON Garage
2. Clayton Green— No. 2 — Team Reaume
3. Corey Heim — No. 5 — TRICON Garage
4. Connor Mosack — No. 7— Spire Motorsports
5. Grant Enfinger — No. 9 — CR7 Motorsports
6. A.J. Allmendinger (i) — No. 10 — Kaulig Racing
7. Kaden Honeycutt — No. 11— TRICON Garage
8. Brenden Queen — No. 12 — Kaulig Racing
9. Cole Butcher — No. 13 — ThorSport Racing
10. Mini Tyrrell — No. 14 — Kaulig Racing
11. Tanner Gray — No. 15 — TRICON Garage
12. Justin Haley — No. 16 — Kaulig Racing
13. Giovanni Ruggiero — No. 17 — TRICON Garage
14. Tyler Ankrum — No. 18 — McAnally Hilgemann Racing
15. Daniel Hemric — No. 19 — McAnally Hilgemann Racing
16. Josh Reaume — No. 22 — Team Reaume
17. Corey LaJoie (i)— No. 25 — Kaulig Racing
18. Dawson Sutton — No. 26 — Rackley W.A.R.
19. Frankie Muniz — No. 33 — Team Reaum
20. Layne Riggs — No. 34 — Front Row Motorsports
21. Chandler Smith — No. 38 — Front Row Motorsports
22. Conner Jones — No. 42 — Niece Motorsports
23. Andres Perez De Lara — No. 44 — Niece Motorsports
24. Ross Chastain (i) — No. 45 — Niece Motorsports
25. Stewart Friesen — No. 52 — Halmar Friesen Racing
26. Timmy Hill — No. 56 — Hill Motorsports
27. Christopher Bell (i) — No. 62 — Halmar Friesen Racing
28. Spencer Boyd — No. 76 — Freedom Racing Enterprises
29. Carson Hocevar (i) — No. 77 — Spire Motorsports
30. Kris Wright — No. 81 — McAnally Hilgemann Racing
31. Ty Majeski — No. 88 — ThorSport Racing
32. Justin S. Carroll — No. 90 — Terry Carroll Motorsports
33. Christian Eckes — No. 91 — McAnally HIlgemann Racing
34. Caleb Costner — No. 93 — Costner Motorsports
35. Jake Garcia — No. 98 — ThorSport Racing
36. Ben Rhodes — No. 99 — ThorSport Racing

What This Means

Survival is the priority. Darlington doesn’t care about résumés or expectations. It punishes mistakes instantly. For the regulars, this race is about protecting their championship hopes while defending their turf against Cup invaders.

Every point matters, especially with the summer stretch looming. A bad night here can derail momentum, while a strong run can launch a driver into the title conversation. The key will be balancing aggression with patience, saving tires for late‑race restarts, and avoiding the wall when it inevitably reaches out to bite.

All Eyes On Darlington

The engines rumble to life, and the lights prepare to spill across the worn, battle‑scarred asphalt of South Carolina’s most iconic oval. This week’s entry list is stacked with raw talent, hardened grit, and the kind of unfiltered stock‑car passion that only Darlington can draw out.

Cup veterans arrive hungry for extra hardware, while rookies chase the honor and sting of earning their first Darlington Stripe. When thirty‑seven trucks charge toward Turn 1 on Friday night, every driver will tighten their grip, trust their instincts, and brace for whatever the Lady in Black decides to give or take.

What’s Next

Darlington doesn’t just restart the season. It resets the balance of power. With a stacked entry list, four Cup Series disruptors, and the Triple Truck Challenge raising the stakes, Friday night becomes more than a race. It’s a proving ground.