NASCAR takes top playoff trucks to R&D Center
WEST ALLIS, Wisc. — After the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff opener Sunday, NASCAR took the top three playoff trucks back to the R&D Center.
Officials selected the trucks that Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes and Corey Heim wheeled at The Milwaukee Mile for further inspection.
Majeski and Eckes dominated Sunday’s race, leading every green flag lap until Layne Riggs passed Majeski for the win with 53 laps to go. As Riggs took the checkers on lap 175, Majeski and Eckes settled for second and third.
Corey Heim was never a factor for the win after getting a pit road speeding penalty during the first stage break. Heim finished 22nd in the first stage after that penalty but rallied to 13th in the second stage and seventh at the end of a day where passing was tough for much of the field.
Last year, Ty Majeski dominated the playoff opener and won. Then, NASCAR officials confiscated their right-rear tire in inspection before the second playoff race. They also ejected crew chief Joe Shear and forced Majeski to do a pass-through penalty after starting from the rear of the field.
Majeski still recovered to finish seventh.
That week, NASCAR said his team modified the valve stem of the tire which gave them a competitive advantage. For it, they lost five playoff points and suspended Shear for four races. Majeski later missed the Championship Four and finished eighth in points.
Coming into this year’s playoffs, Majeski won at IRP and Richmond in back-to-back weeks after going winless all season – akin to what happened last season.
Majeski, Eckes and Heim have owned the Truck Series this year – Eckes especially.
Eckes has the most:
- Most Top-5 finishes – 11
- Most Top-10s – 16
- Most laps led – 833 of 2,706
- Best average finish – 5.8
Heim has the most wins (5) and playoff points (41). Meanwhile, Majeski leads the series in terms of average start (4.6).
The three drivers have combined to lead 1,719 of 2,706 laps this season. Rounding out the top-5 lap leaders are Kyle Busch (263 laps led) and Grant Enfinger (197). Altogether, Busch and Enfinger have led 460 of the 987 other laps the top three haven’t.
The next closest to them is Tyler Ankrum at 92 laps led.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com