2024 NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series Pocono Preview
Photo: Sam Draiss/The Podium Finish
After an off week, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to Pocono Raceway. Coverage of the ‘CRC Brakleen 175’ begins Friday at 5:30PM EST on FS1.
Last year’s race was won by Kyle Busch with a last lap pass on Corey Heim. It was the 100th and final win for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Best Bets for Trucks
|
Best Bets for Trucks |
Corey Heim +225
Corey Heim enters this weekend as the favorite to win after coming up short in last year’s truck race, being passed on the last lap by Kyle Busch. He finished 2nd after leading 27 laps, the most in that race. He also finished 4th in the 2022 Pocono race. Heim has won three races in his last six starts, which have come after not winning in his previous start. Heim finished 3rd in the Trucks Series most recent race at Nashville…the trends are looking good for Heim this Friday.
Ross Chastain +600
Ross Chastain makes his fourth Truck start this season for Neice Motorsports, and is looking for a better finish this time around the 2.5 mile triangle. He wrecked out in last year’s race, finishing 30th. In his previous four starts, Chastain has finished inside the Top 10 in each start, including a trip to victory lane in 2019. Chastain won at Darlington earlier this year, looking to add another win to his 2024 campaign.
Christian Eckes +600
Christian Eckes is coming off a stellar performance at Nashville, winning the race and leading all 150 laps. Eckes has TWELVE Top 10 finishes in thirteen starts this season, so it’s hard to count him out at Pocono. His best finish came in 2019 where he finished 4th for KBM. He’s also finished inside the Top 10 in his last two starts at Pocono, including 7th in last year’s race.
Zane Smith +800
Zane Smith returns to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing this weekend for his fifth Truck start this season. He’s finished inside the Top 10 in all four starts this season, which he’ll look to keep alive this weekend. In his four starts at Pocono, he’s only finished inside the Top 10 once, and 8th place run with GMS Racing in 2021. But it’s clear that the McAnally-Hilgemann trucks have speed in them, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Taylor Gray +2000
Taylor Gray has had a rough stretch over his last six races, with just one Top 10 finish in that span. However, he’s due to break out of that slump, and Pocono is the perfexct track for that. He’s won before in the ARCA Menards Series in 2022, his only start at Pocono prior to last year’s Truck race, which he finished 3rd. This Friday could be the one where Taylor Gray scores his first career Truck win.