Richmond Raceway -- the final race of the Craftsman Truck Series regular season. This track will serve as the site of joy and heartbreak alike for the drivers battling for the precious few playoff spots.
Friday night's race is the final opportunity for the drivers winless this season to punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win or enough points to stay above the cutline.
Before we dive into the numbers, let's look at the current Truck Series playoff standings heading into the regular-season finale.
Corey Heim clinched the regular-season championship with two races remaining. He will lock up another 15 playoff points once the series heads to Darlington Raceway to kick off the playoffs. This would put him at a whopping 60 playoff points. Although this number will only increase if he wins a stage or the race on Friday night.
Layne Riggs and Chandler Smith are just behind Heim in the standings. Both Front Row Motorsports drivers have two wins. Riggs has 16 playoff points while Smith has 11.
The other drivers in the playoffs with one win are Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum, and Rajah Caruth. Stewart Friesen has one win, but he will likely miss the rest of the season while recovering from injuries sustained in a Dirt Modified crash.
Friesen does not have a waiver that would keep him eligible for the playoffs upon his return. If this remains the case, Grant Enfinger (sixth in points) and Ty Majeski (seventh in points) would both secure spots in the playoffs on points. Kaden Honeycutt, who will drive the No. 52 in place of Friesen, would enter the regular-season finale sitting 65 points above the cutline.
This scenario would put the battle for the final playoff spot between two ThorSport Racing teammates. Jake Garcia would enter the Richmond race with an 11-point lead over two-time champion Ben Rhodes, who has not been in regular contention for race wins this season.
Tricon Garage driver Gio Ruggiero is also in contention for this final playoff spot. He enters the weekend only 21 points behind Garcia, provided Friesen does not receive a playoff waiver before the start of the race.
The battle for the final playoff spots will take place on a busy Friday. Drivers will take part in practice and qualifying at 2:05 p.m. ET (FS2). They will then set the playoff field with a race at 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1).