November 4, 2023

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Cautions, re-starts, retribution, extra laps and high-action marked Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. And that was just the final 50 laps.

In the end, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes claimed his second series championship in the last three years with a hard-earned fifth-place finish in the No. 99 Ford while McAnally Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes raced to his fourth win of the season by a slight .421-seconds over rookie teammate Jake Garcia in four dramatic overtime periods.

That’s the conclusion to an evening that featured 12 caution periods, 29 laps of overtime competition and plenty of high-stakes racing – especially among the four championship contenders that earned a chance to settle the season title.

Perhaps indicative of the night, Rhodes’ finish and ultimate trophy haul wasn’t secure until the checkered flag with championship runner-up Grant Enfinger giving it his all in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet coming off Turn 4 in an all-out pursuit to the very end.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Both Rhodes and Enfinger had survived close calls in the overtime laps. Rhodes collided with Zane Smith racing for the lead – hitting Smith’s truck when it appeared Smith missed a shift out front in the second overtime restart. Enfinger had close calls in two of the four extra-lap periods and still was able to pull off that final push forward; ultimately finishing one position behind Rhodes in the standings.

The Regular Season Champion and race polesitter Corey Heim finished 18th after contact from fellow Championship 4 driver Carson Hocevar with 30 laps of regulation remaining in the scheduled 150-lap race.

“I can’t even believe it," the 26-year-old Kentucky native Rhodes said of his dramatic title win. “It’s just so awesome, man. To go 25 laps into overtime, do you know what that feels like? It’s crazy. I didn’t think we were going to make it. I thought we were going to pop a tire, that anything that could have gone wrong was going to go wrong.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

“Grant [Enfinger] almost got me. But hats off to him, he ran a great race. I wouldn’t’ want to race against anybody else for the championship. He raced me clean, and I respect the heck out of him for it."

“I saw him," Rhodes said of Enfinger’s final push forward in the last corner. “He went for everything, but he ran me clean, and I thank him for that. That’s what these championships are all about."

Enfinger, whose GMS Racing team is closing shop at the end of the season, was especially gutted to come so very close to his first championship.

“I don’t know," Enfinger said of doing anything differently on that last lap.

“Obviously we got loose there at the end," he continued. “Maybe if he didn’t have such a good run down the backstretch, we’d be able to make that pass. It’s a shame the championship came down to a race like that with 15 green-white-checkers or whatever it was. I feel like we did everything we could to win this and just got used up."

The other two championship contenders, Heim and Hocevar had a more contentious situation on-track. Heim, whose 47 laps out front in the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota were second most laps led on the night, was actually leading the championship-eligible drivers when Hocevar hit him going into Turn 2 with 30 laps remaining. The contact sent Heim’s Toyota into Stewart Friesen’s Toyota which hit the wall and brought out a caution. Hocevar continued on and Heim had to pit for repairs and went down a lap.

Heim viewed the hit as intentional and later in the race, collided with Hocevar bringing out another caution period. Heim insisted his car just wasn’t steering properly at the time, while Hocevar said he had fully expected the payback. It was enough to sideline Hocevar’s No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet which was credited with a 29th-place finish from the garage.

“My only goal was to try slow him down," Hocevar said. “I didn’t want to do that at all. With my track record, I can’t sit here and say I didn’t mean to. I just messed up. I was trying really hard to slow him up and just messed it up.

“I feel bad I robbed him of that and feel sorry for that," an apologetic Hocevar added of Heim’s championship chances. “I just messed up."

The 21-year-old Heim had a streak of 15 consecutive top-10 finishes coming into the race and was considered the favorite by many. He had three wins on the season in only his first fulltime year of competition.

“It was a great year, a phenomenal year for us and our worst finish in like six months," a disappointed Heim said. “Really put together a good race and really hoped the guys would race clean, I have a lot of respect for everybody in the field. But clearly, I don’t anymore. It is what it is, it’s part of racing.

As for the later contact with Hocevar, Heim said it was purely coincidental, “It wasn’t retaliation. I had no side force, he put it on my door, and I wrecked [into him]."

“I’ve been racing Carson for a long time, racing since I was eight or nine years-old," Heim said later. “That’s kind of just what he does. He’ll wreck you and apologize and do it again the next week. So that’s not going to be the last time he does it and certainly the first time he’d done it. I’ve known him for a long time. … it is what it is. I completely expected it."

As for his victory, the 22-year-old Eckes tried to reconcile the championship race win with having just been eliminated from Playoff contention. He had a win (at Kansas) and a pair of runner-up finishes (Indianapolis Raceway Park and Bristol, Tenn.) during the Playoff stretch but was eliminated after finished of 19th and 20th in the two races leading into the championship finale.

“Those two races that killed the whole Playoffs pretty much and that’s just kind of the nature of it," Eckes said. “I didn’t do my job last week and really the week before either.

“That gets us out and that puts us in this situation, but it’s motivating for next year and it was motivating for this race too.

“This one kind of stings, I know it’s a win, but the stupid mistakes the last two weeks of a near perfect Playoffs cost us a championship," Eckes added.

“It’s kind of hard to be happy right now, but overall, just super proud of everybody for the year that we’ve had and just ready for 2024.

Chase Purdy, Jesse Love and Rhodes rounded out the top five. Enfinger, Dean Thompson, Kaden Honeycutt, Tanner Gray and Nick Sanchez completed the top 10. It was a career best finish for the runner-up Garcia as well as Love and Honeycutt.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Friday, November 3, 2023

                1. (8)  Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 179.

                2. (14)  Jake Garcia #, Chevrolet, 179.

                3. (5)  Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 179.

                4. (10)  Jesse Love, Toyota, 179.

                5. (6)  Ben Rhodes (P), Ford, 179.

                6. (17)  Grant Enfinger (P), Chevrolet, 179.

                7. (15)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 179.

                8. (27)  Kaden Honeycutt, Chevrolet, 179.

                9. (25)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 179.

                10. (3)  Nick Sanchez #, Chevrolet, 179.

                11. (28)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 179.

                12. (9)  Rajah Caruth #, Chevrolet, 179.

                13. (31)  Lawless Alan, Chevrolet, 179.

                14. (2)  Ty Majeski, Ford, 179.

                15. (23)  Hailie Deegan, Ford, 179.

                16. (32)  Christian Rose, Ford, 179.

                17. (34)  Spencer Davis, Ford, 179.

                18. (1)  Corey Heim (P), Toyota, 179.

                19. (35)  Nick Leitz, Chevrolet, 179.

                20. (36)  Tyler Hill, Toyota, 179.

                21. (26)  Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 179.

                22. (19)  Tyler Ankrum, Toyota, 178.

                23. (12)  Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 177.

                24. (20)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 175.

                25. (4)  Zane Smith, Ford, Accident, 172.

                26. (21)  Sean Hingorani, Chevrolet, Accident, 167.

                27. (7)  Jack Wood, Chevrolet, Accident, 162.

                28. (16)  Derek Kraus, Chevrolet, Accident, 156.

                29. (13)  Carson Hocevar (P), Chevrolet, Accident, 146.

                30. (24)  Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, Accident, 128.

                31. (11)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, Accident, 128.

                32. (22)  Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, Accident, 128.

                33. (18)  Jake Drew, Toyota, Accident, 100.

                34. (29)  Conner Jones, Ford, Accident, 100.

                35. (33)  Marco Andretti, Chevrolet, Accident, 54.

                36. (30)  Chris Hacker, Toyota, Accident, 53.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  72.797 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 27 Mins, 32 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.421 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  12 for 77 laps.

Lead Changes:  10 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   T. Majeski 1-48;C. Heim (P) 49-95;C. Eckes 96-121;N. Sanchez # 122-126;Z. Smith 127-154;C. Eckes 155;Z. Smith 156-162;C. Eckes 163-168;C. Purdy 169-176;C. Eckes 177-179.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Ty Majeski 1 time for 48 laps; Corey Heim (P) 1 time for 47 laps; Christian Eckes 4 times for 36 laps; Zane Smith 2 times for 35 laps; Chase Purdy 1 time for 8 laps; Nick Sanchez # 1 time for 5 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 98,11,38,99,2,4,19,42,23,17

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,38,98,19,17,99,4,23,35,42

NASCAR Cup Championship 4 Crew Chief Notebook

Notebook Items:

• Kyle Larson’s contact with the Phoenix wall is par for the course
• A Christopher Bell championship would be cathartic for his crew chief
• Johnathan Hassler could lead team Penske to a second straight Cup championship
• Heat for title race on Sunday is a concern for crew chief Rudy Fugle

November 3, 2023

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Kyle Larson’s contact with the Phoenix wall is par for the course

AVONDALE, Ariz. – “No big deal,” said crew chief Cliff Daniels after Kyle Larson brushed the wall lightly during Friday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix Raceway, where the series title will be decided in Sunday’s championship race (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“We have a small paint mark, which I think happened on the straightaway,” Daniels said. “Didn't even happen like going off a corner. That's no big deal, thankfully.”

Larson was 11th fastest in the 50-minute Cup practice session and fourth among the Championship 4 competitors behind Ryan Blaney (third overall), Christopher Bell (fourth) and William Byron (seventh).

Daniel’s took Larson’s slight mishap with a sense of humor.

“I want to say there's maybe been 10 times this year we've re-vinyled a right rear quarter panel,” Daniels said. “This is perfect. We will be re-vinyling our right rear quarter panel tomorrow morning—right in line where we need to be.”

In all seriousness, Daniels doesn’t mind Larson’s penchant for finding the limits of his race car.

“I've got no problem with him pushing hard again,” Daniels said. “I genuinely think this happened on the straightaway. This isn't exactly an overstepping the edge type of situation.

“Yeah, he always pushes the car really hard, especially in practice, which is great for us, right? It lets us know what kind of speed he can extract out of it, what kind of adjustments we need to make. Today was certainly the case.”

A Christopher Bell championship would be cathartic for his crew chief

On the morning of last year’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix, the driver Christopher Bell, crew chief Adam Stevens and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team learned of the death of organization co-owner Coy Gibbs, son of founder Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs’ passing in his sleep—after his son Ty Gibbs had just won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship—cast a pall over the entire team. Coy Gibbs’ nephew Jackson Gibbs was a tire changer on the No. 20 crew.   

“We got the news, and then we had to figure out if Jackson was going to be willing and able to participate,” Stevens said. “It just took him completely away from prepping for the race, focusing on changes and doing all that stuff that we do every week to worry about your teammate…”

Even as the drivers were riding in their trucks during driver introductions, the situation was uncertain. But Bell raced and finished third among the Championship 4 drivers.

“It was awful,” Stevens said. “Not just for me and my team, obviously. So that will be a big relief to kind of have a calendar year in between that and this weekend, have a little bit of healing for the Gibbs family. Hopefully, we can bring the trophy home.”

Bell is racing for the title for the second straight season. This is Stevens’ seventh trip to the Championship 4, two of which ended with titles for Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019.

Johnathan Hassler could lead team Penske to a second straight Cup championship

To borrow a famous Yogi-ism, the 2023 season could be déjà vu all over again for Team Penske—with a different driver.

Last year, Joey Logano started the season strong, suffered a slump after winning at World Wide Technology Raceway in June and finished with a victory in the championship race at Phoenix.

Logano won three times last year, including a victory at Las Vegas in the Round of 8 and closed with the championship.

This year, Ryan Blaney already has three victories to his credit, including the elimination race in the Round of 8. On Friday, he was third fastest in NASCAR Cup Series final practice—best among the Championship 4 drivers.

So, could a title be in the offing for Blaney?

There's certainly some parallels, for sure,” acknowledged Jonathan Hassler, Blaney’s crew chief. “Certainly, a lot of differences as well. If you look at the season on a whole, as a company last year we had a lot more speed. 

“Maybe not the wins, but we had a lot more speed throughout the year. We certainly had to work tooth and nail and grind it out to find speed here late in the year. Some similarities and some differences as well.”

Admittedly, the seasons would mirror each other to a greater extent if Blaney captures the championship.

Heat for title race on Sunday is a concern for crew chief Rudy Fugle

Unseasonably warm temperatures at the start time for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race could cause problems from crew chiefs and their drivers.

“Yeah, for sure, it's going to heat the tires up,” said Rudy Fugle, crew chief for Championship 4 driver William Byron. “With as much downforce on the car when the tires get hot, you're going to lose control and the cars are going to lose handling a whole lot quicker into the run.

“Tires get overheated, say Lap 40, (and with) more downforce, it's going to be Lap 25. It just speeds up the ill handling and how the cars change over the run.

“It will be pretty big, as warm as it is. It's probably seven, eight degrees ambient warmer than it normally is this time of year. We'll definitely be dealing with that.”

--30-- 

NASCAR Cup Championship 4 Crew Chief Notebook

Notebook Items:

• Kyle Larson’s contact with the Phoenix wall is par for the course
• A Christopher Bell championship would be cathartic for his crew chief
• Johnathan Hassler could lead team Penske to a second straight Cup championship
• Heat for title race on Sunday is a concern for crew chief Rudy Fugle

November 3, 2023

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Kyle Larson’s contact with the Phoenix wall is par for the course

AVONDALE, Ariz. – “No big deal,” said crew chief Cliff Daniels after Kyle Larson brushed the wall lightly during Friday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix Raceway, where the series title will be decided in Sunday’s championship race (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“We have a small paint mark, which I think happened on the straightaway,” Daniels said. “Didn't even happen like going off a corner. That's no big deal, thankfully.”

Larson was 11th fastest in the 50-minute Cup practice session and fourth among the Championship 4 competitors behind Ryan Blaney (third overall), Christopher Bell (fourth) and William Byron (seventh).

Daniel’s took Larson’s slight mishap with a sense of humor.

“I want to say there's maybe been 10 times this year we've re-vinyled a right rear quarter panel,” Daniels said. “This is perfect. We will be re-vinyling our right rear quarter panel tomorrow morning—right in line where we need to be.”

In all seriousness, Daniels doesn’t mind Larson’s penchant for finding the limits of his race car.

“I've got no problem with him pushing hard again,” Daniels said. “I genuinely think this happened on the straightaway. This isn't exactly an overstepping the edge type of situation.

“Yeah, he always pushes the car really hard, especially in practice, which is great for us, right? It lets us know what kind of speed he can extract out of it, what kind of adjustments we need to make. Today was certainly the case.”

A Christopher Bell championship would be cathartic for his crew chief

On the morning of last year’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix, the driver Christopher Bell, crew chief Adam Stevens and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team learned of the death of organization co-owner Coy Gibbs, son of founder Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs’ passing in his sleep—after his son Ty Gibbs had just won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship—cast a pall over the entire team. Coy Gibbs’ nephew Jackson Gibbs was a tire changer on the No. 20 crew.   

“We got the news, and then we had to figure out if Jackson was going to be willing and able to participate,” Stevens said. “It just took him completely away from prepping for the race, focusing on changes and doing all that stuff that we do every week to worry about your teammate…”

Even as the drivers were riding in their trucks during driver introductions, the situation was uncertain. But Bell raced and finished third among the Championship 4 drivers.

“It was awful,” Stevens said. “Not just for me and my team, obviously. So that will be a big relief to kind of have a calendar year in between that and this weekend, have a little bit of healing for the Gibbs family. Hopefully, we can bring the trophy home.”

Bell is racing for the title for the second straight season. This is Stevens’ seventh trip to the Championship 4, two of which ended with titles for Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019.

Johnathan Hassler could lead team Penske to a second straight Cup championship

To borrow a famous Yogi-ism, the 2023 season could be déjà vu all over again for Team Penske—with a different driver.

Last year, Joey Logano started the season strong, suffered a slump after winning at World Wide Technology Raceway in June and finished with a victory in the championship race at Phoenix.

Logano won three times last year, including a victory at Las Vegas in the Round of 8 and closed with the championship.

This year, Ryan Blaney already has three victories to his credit, including the elimination race in the Round of 8. On Friday, he was third fastest in NASCAR Cup Series final practice—best among the Championship 4 drivers.

So, could a title be in the offing for Blaney?

There's certainly some parallels, for sure,” acknowledged Jonathan Hassler, Blaney’s crew chief. “Certainly, a lot of differences as well. If you look at the season on a whole, as a company last year we had a lot more speed. 

“Maybe not the wins, but we had a lot more speed throughout the year. We certainly had to work tooth and nail and grind it out to find speed here late in the year. Some similarities and some differences as well.”

Admittedly, the seasons would mirror each other to a greater extent if Blaney captures the championship.

Heat for title race on Sunday is a concern for crew chief Rudy Fugle

Unseasonably warm temperatures at the start time for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race could cause problems from crew chiefs and their drivers.

“Yeah, for sure, it's going to heat the tires up,” said Rudy Fugle, crew chief for Championship 4 driver William Byron. “With as much downforce on the car when the tires get hot, you're going to lose control and the cars are going to lose handling a whole lot quicker into the run.

“Tires get overheated, say Lap 40, (and with) more downforce, it's going to be Lap 25. It just speeds up the ill handling and how the cars change over the run.

“It will be pretty big, as warm as it is. It's probably seven, eight degrees ambient warmer than it normally is this time of year. We'll definitely be dealing with that.”

--30-- 

Championship 4 Media Day: Xfinity & CRAFTSMAN Truck Notebook

Notebook Items:

• Justin Allgaier beat long odds to race for a NASCAR Xfinity Series title
• Cole Custer brings cool confidence to Xfinity Championship race
• Corey Heim hoping to turn regular-season dominance into CRAFTSMAN Truck Series title
• Carson Hocevar won’t be unprepared for Truck Series Championship race
• Jamie Little making TV history

November 2, 2023

By Holly Cain and Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Justin Allgaier beat long odds to race for a NASCAR Xfinity Series title

AVONDALE, Ariz. – As Justin Allgaier sat in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet during a 28-minute red-flag period late in last Saturday’s race at Martinsville Speedway, he calculated his odds for winning the event and qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4.

He might as well have been playing roulette, trying to hit a single number.

“Sitting under the red flag at Martinsville truly was probably the best thing that ever happened,” said Allgaier, who was fifth in the running order at the time. “I looked at the odds of making the final four. I gave myself a five-percent chance, and that’s probably being a little bit generous.”

But Allgaier hit the number when Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed took each other out of the running with a bumping-and-rubbing overtime battle for the lead. Allgaier found an opening to the inside off the final corner and beat Creed to the finish line.

“I don’t know if there’s any destiny in it, but in order to win a championship, you’ve got to be in the final four,” Allgaier said. “And if the five percent doesn’t happen last week at Martinsville, I don’t even have a shot at it, right?

“I think that’s truly something for me that does go a long way. Whether we win or we don’t win, this year has been phenomenal. We’ve had fast race cars. Shoot, I’ve made more mistakes in 2023 than I’ve made probably in entire career combined—pit road speeding penalties and just dumb stuff.

“But when I look at the cars we’ve brought to the race track, this is arguably the most speed week-in, week-out, and a lot of it just comes down to preparation for me.”

A case in point was last Saturday at Martinsville, where Allgaier did not have a winning car—until he did.

“I knew we weren’t in position to win the race,” Allgaier said. “We didn’t have the car to win the race. But my team stayed relevant. They stayed behind me, they kept pushing me, and we had a five-percent chance, and we came out with a win. 

“And the Red Sea parted—listen, at the end of the day, everything had to be exactly as it was, and it worked out in our favor, and I can’t be more thankful for that… we’re kind of playing with house money. When I sat under that red flag and I knew we didn’t have a shot at it, it kind of changed my perception of the season, and it’s all for the better. I feel like I come here with a new invigoration to be successful and to win races, and it’s good.”

Further buoying Allgaier’s confidence is the preparation of the track. Gone this year is the resin treatment that has made Phoenix top-lane dominant in recent seasons.

“We’re getting back to the old Phoenix, and I’m excited,” Allgaier said. “Hot, slick, all the things that I want it to be, so we’ve got it all.”

The 37-year-old Allgaier has two victories in 26 starts at Phoenix. Collectively, his Championship 4 competitors—John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer and Sam Mayer—are winless at the track.

“When we leave here,” Allgaier said, “I’d just like everyone else’s win column to stay zero still and ours to have one more.” 

Cole Custer brings cool confidence to Xfinity Championship race

Even at just 25-years old, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Cole Custer is used to the NASCAR championship weekend vibes and expectations. 

A two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series championship runner-up – in 2018 and 2019 – Custer brings a strong title resume into Saturday afternoon’s finale. And he earned this opportunity the hard way – on fire, rolling backwards across the finish line last week in a wild Round of 8 finale at Martinsville that was good enough to secure a title bid.

“I think if we can make it through that (Martinsville finish) as a team, we can do anything," Custer allowed with a smile.  

And as much as he likes his chances on Saturday, the two-race winner this season concedes he expects stout competition amongst himself and the other championship contenders, John Hunter Nemechek, Sam Mayer and Justin Allgaier.

Custer has finished sixth or better in four of the six races leading into Saturday’s championship contest. Twice – at Bristol and Homestead-Miami – he’s led at least 100 laps in the No. 00 SHR Ford and did not win. His 20 top-10 finishes mark the third time he’s earned at least 20 top 10s in a season. And only one other driver (Nemechek) has bettered Custer’s season-to-date 490 total laps led.

“It’s been an extremely proud year for me, just because I think we built things," Custer said of his team. “We started the year off and weren’t exactly where we wanted to be, but we were a young team with a lot of young guys and were able to really build it through the year and communicate well and through that turned ourselves into a championship team.

“I think it just comes with experience, knowing what to expect (in the title race), knowing not to get too riled up through the weekend. You’re going to be up at times, and you’re going to be down at times, but knowing that you’ve just got to put it together for that last run. I’m confident we’re going to have a fast car and should be able to compete for a win there.

“At the end of the day, it’s a pretty equal playing field," Custer added. “We’ve all been fast through the year, and all been fast in the Playoffs it just a matter of how that last run plays out.

“It seems like it’s always the top four racing each other there at the end, and I’m planning on winning it.”

Corey Heim hoping to turn regular-season dominance into CRAFTSMAN Truck Series title

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Regular Season Champion Corey Heim insisted Thursday morning there is no absolute clear-cut championship favorite among the four drivers racing for the big trophy Friday night. But of course. … he certainly likes his chances.

Despite one fewer start than the rest of the full-time field – Heim missed the Gateway race because of illness – the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota leads the series in top fives (12), top 10s (19) and stage wins (seven). He brings a streak of 15 consecutive top-10 finishes to Phoenix. And his 564 laps led is double that of any other full-time competitor.

The 21-year-old Georgia native – who is competing in his first full-time season – has only a single previous Phoenix start; leading five laps and finishing seventh last year driving for Kyle Busch. But he’s been preparing for this race since locking himself in early in the final round of the Playoffs.

“I’ve heard it go both ways, so I don’t know, but I think we’ve earned that (favorite) label," Heim said. “I guess it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day until you win it. I feel like we have just been so rock solid and consistent since the springtime. We’ve done a good job of executing every week and we show up with fast Toyota Tundra TRD Pros.

“I feel like ever since around Martinsville when our first win happened, we kind of knew that we were capable of it. It was just a matter of executing from that point."

Since his maiden national series victory at the Martinsville half-miler in April, Heim has led laps in all but one race (Talladega) and finished outside the top five only three times. It’s the kind of track record that has helped generate confidence and expectation. 

Heim said he’s got plenty of family coming in from all over the country to support him this week, and he’s been relying on other Toyota Racing Development (TRD) drivers such as John Hunter Nemechek and Christopher Bell, who have had championship experience, for tips on the sim and what to expect this weekend.

“It was nice to be able to kind of spread out some of my studying and really just sit on it and study on it for six weeks and show up and knowing what I need to do, and that has been really big for me," Heim  said. “I understand the circumstances and with this being my first fulltime season and my first Playoffs, being able to sit on it and under the circumstances and the pressure has really let me just come here and feel a lot better about it. 

“It would be a lot different if I just won my way in at (the last race) Homestead or something and had a week and a half to think about it. But I feel like I’d be more unprepared and coming in with a lot of pressure on me.

“But to be able to sit on it and study on it for six weeks and show up, kind of know what I need to do, was really big for me.”

Carson Hocevar won’t be unprepared for Truck Series Championship race

Carson Hocevar doesn’t consider his flat tire an omen. He’d prefer to think of it as bad luck that’s now behind him.

“A few days ago, I hit a curb with my truck and got a flat,” Hocevar said during a question-and-answer session with reporters during Championship 4 Media Day at Phoenix Raceway.

Hocevar wasn’t referring to the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet he’ll drive in Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship race at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert (7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 20-year-old driver was happy the flat tire happened with his personal truck and not on the race track.

“We got it out of the way, hopefully,” Hocevar said.

The incident with the truck was a minor inconvenience during a week in which Hocevar has been running simulations to prepare for Phoenix, not only for his own Truck Series effort but also for the NASCAR Cup Series teams at Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron qualified for the Championship 4 on the Cup side.

“We’ve done at least a hundred runs of sim just on Phoenix alone from the start of the Playoffs till now,” said Hocevar, who will graduate to the Cup Series in a Spire Motorsports car next year. “I’ve done hours and hours. I’ve done Cup sim these past few weeks for Phoenix, with HMS to run for the final four.

“I’ve done days with (trainer) Josh Wise where we don’t even work on the race car—we just work on myself. And obviously, with Niece, we’ve worked since the beginning of the year even, just working on Phoenix alone…

“I think we’ve gotten it a little bit better just in the last two days.”

Now, if Hocevar can just keep all four tires up, he expects to be a contender for the Truck Series title before he makes the jump to Cup.

Jamie Little making TV history

Longtime broadcaster Jamie Little will make history this weekend when she calls the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship race for FOX Sports 1 Friday night at Phoenix Raceway. The longtime racing reporter will handle the play-by-call call – capping a 12-race run in the role this season. It’s the first time a woman has called the television play-by-play for any national motor sports series. Little will be joined in the booth by two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and former NASCAR Cup Series driver Phil Parsons.