The Truck Series playoffs take on a different look this season as two new tracks join the schedule -- Loudon and the Charlotte Roval. This presents a unique challenge as drivers have to adapt to new environments while also preparing for chaos.
Let's look at the Truck Series schedule. The Round of 10 starts with Darlington, a familiar environment. It continues with Bristol and ends with Loudon. Eight drivers advance to the penultimate round of the playoffs, which features the Roval, Talladega, and Martinsville.
The top four drivers advance after Martinsville. They head to Phoenix to compete for the championship.
On paper, Talladega is the wild card, especially considering the number of crashes that will occur and the number of surprise winners in past seasons. However, Loudon and the Roval are more of a challenge heading into the playoffs due to the unknowns.
" Loudon is tough because we haven't been there - or the Trucks haven't been there in about six years," regular-season champion Corey Heim said on Tuesday. "I was fortunate to race there last year in Xfinity for Sam Hunt Racing.
"Loudon is just a tough one being an anomaly just as far as lack of experience, lack of laps there for most of the Truck field including drivers and teams. That will be tough for the Round of 10 for sure."
Loudon -- also known as New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- is not entirely new to the Truck schedule. Teams previously competed at the flat track 20 times, but the last trip there took place in 2017. Grant Enfinger and Daniel Hemric are the only playoff drivers with Truck experience at the track.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
The Charlotte Roval, however, is entirely new. The Truck Series teams have never competed at the part road course/part oval. Although a few drivers in the field have experience on the different configurations in either the Cup or Xfinity cars.
That doesn't necessarily mean that they will be prepared for the challenge in the Round of 8.
"The Roval is a place that just not many have been to," Hemric said. "Obviously, fortunately, I have been there a lot, but I don't necessarily know... there are little nuances that make that place kind of interesting and intriguing, even from the fans perspective.
"And there are a handful of guys within the Truck Series now that have been there, but not a lot. Yeah, it just kind of has a different feel and race and race craft to it than any other place we go to, especially road course-wise.
"...With the reconfiguration last year and really getting just that one (Cup) race on it, I feel like it does level parts of the playing field," Hemric added. "And then the guys who haven't been there really, they just don't know what they don't know yet. So there's no really, really preconceived notions of grip levels and so on and so forth."
Rajah Caruth, another playoff driver, pointed to the role that drivers will have to play at the Roval. He noted that the tall curbs and tough corners will "be harsh on the equipment" during the Round of 8 opener. Caruth said it will be up to the drivers to keep their trucks clean to kick off what will be a hectic round.
With Loudon and the Roval taking place in two different rounds, how do the drivers approach these tracks? Do they go for the outright win, or do they just try to stack points and build up their cushion to the cutline?
Said Kaden Honeycutt, "I feel like we need to rack up as many playoff points as possible because of how different the Round of 8 is to get to the Championship 4 - with having the Roval, Talladega and Martinsville.
"Three completely different races and three chaotic races."
Tyler Ankrum agreed, saying that the unique nature of this Truck Series playoff schedule could create a "mixed bag." The drivers who lock up spots in the Championship 4 may not necessarily be the expected names.
"I mean, you're just going to look to the Round of 10 just to try to get a win under your belt, get those extra five playoff points, maximize your days, and just focus for the Round of 8," Ankrum said.
"Because, I mean, it's truly, I mean, you could truly, if you can make past the Round of 10, I mean, you can easily see... like, if Corey Heim has three bad races, he's not making it to Phoenix with the racetracks that they've given us."