While the Cup and Xfinity Series are just getting into the postseason mood, the playoffs are already in full swing for the Truck Series.
So much that, in fact, Las Vegas marks the end of the first round.
Two drivers will face an early cut, ending their title hopes.
Only one driver is already safely into the Round of 6.
Only six points separate the man in third place, Stewart Friesen, from Johnny Sauter, the first out of the bubble.
So the fight is wide open, and it could go anyone’s way.
Things could get absolutely wild during the closing stages of this race.
What: 2019 World of Westgate 200
Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV
When: Friday, September 13th at 9:00 PM EST
How: FS1 (TV) | Motor Racing Network (Web radio)
Brett Moffitt is on his way to a second straight trophy.
The reigning Truck Series champion won the first two playoff races from the pole.
Already through to the next round, Moffitt could go for a hat-trick in order to deny one of his competitors.
The GMS Racing driver finished second at Vegas earlier this year, and also scored a third place there in 2018.
Moffitt has four wins, 11 top 5 and 13 top 10 finishes this season.
Grant Enfinger is the defending race World of Westgate 200 race winner.
After leading the standings for most of the regular season, the former ARCA champion could face an early elimination.
Enfinger is now sixth, only two points ahead of teammate Johnny Sauter, the first driver outside the cutoff.
A repeat of 2018 would move him into the Round of 6, which definitely works as some additional motivation.
The ThorSport driver is still winless in 2019, but has eight top 5 and 14 top 10 finishes.
He finished 11th at Vegas earlier this year, and also scored a fourth place in the March 2018 race.
While he has never won at Las Vegas, Matt Crafton has always been a strong contender.
The Truck Series veteran scored three second place finishes in four years from 2009 to 2012.
Crafton also had a run of five consecutive top 5 finishes from 2008 to 2013.
The two-time champion only missed out on the top 10 twice in the last 12 races at Vegas.
The ThorSport driver finished third at the track in March.
Crafton has yet to win a race in 2019 and is currently fourth in points.
Stewart Friesen scored a top 5 in every single race at a 1.5-mile oval in 2019.
While his win came on the dirt at Eldora, the HFR driver came close to doing it at the conventional ovals.
Friesen saw a dominant run at Kansas go to waste after running out of fuel during the final laps, having won both stages.
Ironically, it ended up being his only race without a top 5 at a 1.5-mile oval this season.
The Canadian driver finished a solid fourth at Vegas in March, his second top 5 at the track in five career starts.
Friesen is third in points, but sits only six points above the cutoff.
It goes without saying that a win would be a huge help to his championship hopes.
Ross Chastain is the other driver aside from Brett Moffitt already safe into the Round of 6.
Chastain sits 28 points above the cutoff, and would only miss the next round on an unlikely combination of results.
That being said, the Niece Motorsports driver is also a solid contender for the race win.
Chastain’s first career win in one of NASCAR’s national series came at Las Vegas last year in the Xfinity Series.
He also scored a 20th place finish at Vegas in the Cup Series, which is his third-best result in the top tier competition.
Chastain has four starts at the track in the Truck Series, with two top 10 finishes and a seventh place as his best result.
After narrowly missing out on the postseason, Ben Rhodes promised to fight for race wins until the end of the year.
The ThorSport driver had two solid runs at Bristol and Mosport, finishing eighth and third respectively.
Rhodes scored his first career win in the Truck Series at Vegas back in 2017.
A 25th place in March ended a streak of three consecutive top 10 finishes at the track.
He is the best of the rest, sitting ninth in the driver’s standings.
Rhodes has five top 5 and 11 top 10 finishes this season.
The odds will be updated as they are made available by the sportsbooks.
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