Homestead-Miami Speedway saw its last Truck Series championship race for at least a couple of years this past Friday night. The race was delayed by a couple of hours due to rain but it was well worth the wait. The checkered flag flew shortly after 11 p.m. ET and in the end, there was a race winner, a new series champion and an owners champion. Four drivers in the Championship 4 had all the media focused on them, but what about the other drivers that were also fighting for points?
Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Ford Ecoboost 200.
- Austin Hill – Hill opened the season in Florida with a win and closed the season in Florida with a win. The Hattori Racing driver no doubt had the best Truck out of anybody throughout the night, even against the Championship 4 drivers. Hill swept both the stages, led 56 of the 134 laps and earned his fourth win of the 2019 season. He took the lead with 22 to go and never looked back. Despite not making it to the Championship 4, the Georgia native will have another chance in 2020 as he returns for a second season at Hattori Racing Enterprises.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Christian Eckes – Newly announced Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christian Eckes had a solid run after signing a full-time contract for 2020. Previously, he had already made 11 starts over the past two years with a best finish of third in Las Vegas before Homestead. Coming into Homestead, he knew the pressure was on as he and the No. 51 team were racing for an Owner’s Championship. Qualifying was washed out, therefore, Eckes inherited a second-place starting spot due to owner’s points. The New York native finished fifth in Stage 1 before finishing third overall. The third-place finish was just enough to give KBM their seventh Owner’s Championship.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Matt Crafton – Crafton got it done Friday night even though he didn’t win the race this past weekend. He most certainly didn’t have the fastest Truck early on, but later came to life on the long run. In the final stage, Crafton was the best out of the Championship 4 drivers and was at one point, leading the race. While it looked like the California native was going snap his two-year winless streak, he eventually got passed by Hill with 22 to go and ultimately had to think about the bigger picture. Crafton did so, finished second and locked up his third Truck Series championship.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Ross Chastain – In the early run of the race Friday night, Chastain was the fastest among the Championship 4 racers. He almost took the Stage 1 win before getting passed by Hill. Even though the Niece driver was passed, Chastain remained up front and consistent through at least the second stage, where he finished third. However, it was the long run that eventually hurt his chances at his first NASCAR Series title. The Truck began to go away and there was nothing he could do about it. In the end, Chastain wound up with a disappointing fourth-place finish, second in the Truck Series standings. Certainly, not the night the Florida native wanted after having a strong year.
Previous Week Ranking – Fourth - Brett Moffitt – Like Chastain, Moffitt had the chance to defend his title and become the first-ever second consecutive Truck Series champion. But the Iowa native fell short, finishing fifth after a fourth-place starting spot. The GMS team fought conditions all night in the Truck. Moffitt couldn’t quite keep up with a green track and couldn’t defend his title. It was a disappointing night for the GMS driver but he will have another chance in 2020 to add another title to his name.
Previous Week Ranking – First
Fell Out
1. Stewart Friesen – Friesen didn’t get the job done either despite being one of the favorites coming into the race. The Canadian inherited the pole when qualifying was canceled due to weather which somewhat helped Friesen’s chances of getting a championship. He finished third and fifth in both stages, respectively. After the second stage, the Halmar driver knew it was time to go and race for that championship. His Truck, though, didn’t know it was time to race. Like many others, Friesen struggled with the handling on the longer runs and couldn’t do much about it. Ultimately, he finished 11th, leading zero laps. He has no 2020 plans set for next season but if Friesen does return, you can expect the team to be even stronger than ever and fight for the title once more.
Previous Week Ranking – Second
2. Chandler Smith – Did not compete in Friday night’s race.
Previous Week Ranking – Third
3. Grant Enfinger – It was quite a night for Enfinger and the No. 98 ThorSport team as they finished seventh. The team finished ninth and sixth in both stages. Though, it’s probably what could have been for Enfinger and the team if they had been able to continue on in the Playoffs and race for a title.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
