After two weeks off, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (9 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to kick off three consecutive weeks of on-track action. The opening two races provided no shortage of story lines, so let’s get caught up before the Truck Series’ lone visit to Sin City in 2025.
RELATED: Truck Series entry list | Las Vegas schedule
Just one driver has a guaranteed playoff spot
Tricon Garage’s Corey Heim is the only driver to secure a spot in the playoffs so far, and it came in an anti-climatic, surprise fashion. Crossing the line second in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR officials declared Heim the winner after the Henderson Motorsports entry driven by Parker Kligerman was disqualified for being too low in the rear. The team appealed, but the ruling was upheld on Feb. 20.
Heim earned his 12th career victory, marking his fourth consecutive winning season in the Truck Series. Meanwhile, the disqualification denied Kligerman what would have been his fourth career victory. Kligerman is racing part-time in the Truck Series this season while he calls Xfinity Series races on The CW.
Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch won at Atlanta Motor Speedway a week later, denying Stewart Friesen a victory and playoff berth in a thrilling photo finish.
Grant Enfinger tops the standings
Riding early season consistency, Grant Enfinger has a one-point advantage over reigning series champion Ty Majeski. With a pair of top 10s — including a fourth-place finish at Daytona — Enfinger leads the series with 25 stage points, four more than Majeski and Jack Wood. His average running position of 8.4 also leads the series, an impressive number after two drafting tracks.
Majeski also has a pair of top 10s with his best finish of 3rd coming at Daytona. Chandler Smith, who’s back in the Truck Series after two Xfinity Series seasons, is third in points — just five markers back of Enfinger. Heim (minus-16) and two-time champion Ben Rhodes (minus-19) round out the top five.
It’s certainly early, but coming off consecutive Championship 4 appearances, Enfinger has shown he has the speed in 2025 to make it a trifecta.
Early season surprises
It’s hard to look beyond Gio Ruggiero as one of the most impressive story lines to begin the 2025 season. The Tricon Garage rookie has finished inside the top 11 in both races thus far, including a runner-up finish at Daytona — where he led 11 laps before ultimately falling short to Heim. Transitioning from late models, the 18-year-old has limited experience in big-bodied stock cars with just 10 ARCA Menards Series starts. He ran the full ARCA East campaign last year, but his victory at Five Flags Speedway and five top fives went under the radar to rising Xfinity Series stars William Sawalich and Connor Zilisch. So far, he’s proving his worth in the Truck Series.
While both have multiple years of experience in Trucks, Jake Garcia and Wood are off to solid starts — sitting ninth and 10th in points, respectively. Garcia, driver of the No. 13 Ford for ThorSport Racing, has two top-12 finishes but has yet to earn any stage points. Wood is on the other end of the spectrum, failing to record a top 20 so far for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Both drivers are looking for their first career playoff appearances.
RELATED: Atlanta results | Truck Series standings
Who to keep an eye on in Las Vegas
Here are some drivers to pay attention to during Friday’s 134-lapper in Las Vegas.
RAJAH CARUTH: It’s been a dismal first two races for Caruth, who wrecked out at both Daytona and Atlanta and sits 30th in points. But as the defending winner at Las Vegas, it could be a great opportunity for the Spire Motorsports driver to quickly turn his season around.
DANIEL HEMRIC: Coming off a Cup Series season with Kaulig Racing, Hemric has big expectations this season with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. In his first Truck Series campaign since 2016, Las Vegas sets up well for the 34-year-old. He finished 19th in both Cup starts last year and has eight top 10s in 11 Xfinity starts at the 1.5-mile oval.
LAYNE RIGGS: A two-time winner last year, Riggs hasn’t finished better than 13th in the first two races this season. Sitting 12th in points, intermediates are a place for improvement for the second-year driver as he had just one top 10 (second in Kansas fall race) at that type of track last year. If Riggs wants to contend for the title this year, he needs more consistency at larger tracks — and he can prove that this weekend.
MATT CRAFTON: Outside of a stage victory at Daytona, it’s been tough sledding so far for the three-time series champion. He sits 20th in points and is approaching a winless streak of nearly five years. But in 28 career races at Las Vegas, Crafton has 11 top fives and an average finish of 10.9. Friday could be a great opportunity for the 48-year-old to get back on the board for ThorSport.
CONNOR MOSACK: In his first full-time NASCAR campaign, Mosack has shown his raw talent and speed. He won the pole at Atlanta and led 30 laps before ultimately finishing 25th. He finished third at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year, and while his results at Las Vegas might not pass the eye test, Mosack — who’s often recognized as a road-course ringer — could be a driver to gamble on Friday night.
Three races, three weeks
Friday’s race at Las Vegas kicks off a stretch of three races in three weeks for the Truck Series. After a trip out west, the trucks head to Homestead-Miami Speedway — slotted in the regular season for the first time since 2021.
Kyle Larson will compete in a Spire Motorsports truck as he looks to pull off a rare tripleheader weekend, also driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the Xfinity and Cup Series. Enfinger, who clinched a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead last year, will look to defend his victory in the first of three races featured on FOX.
Afterward, the Truck Series makes its first stop at Martinsville Speedway for a Friday night duel under the lights. It’ll serve as an important test for the series regulars as Martinsville is one of just two tracks in both the regular season and postseason. William Byron will make a start for Spire, while young Modified star Luke Baldwin will make his NASCAR national series debut.
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