Following the weather-shortened regular season finale last weekend at Watkins Glen International that set the 10-driver Playoff field and saw Hattori Racing Enterprises‘ Austin Hill claim his second victory of the season, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off this weekend to prepare for the Playoff-opener, the Toyota 200 presented by CK Power at World Wide Technology Raceway on August 20 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The 2021 season will be the sixth running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs (2016-2021). The previous five Playoff Era seasons have produced five different champions — 2016: Johnny Sauter; 2017: Christopher Bell; 2018: Brett Moffitt; 2019: Matt Crafton and 2020: Sheldon Creed.
Once again, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2021 season will feature a seven-race, three-round Playoff format. All three national series will conclude the Playoffs with a Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway to crown a champion.
Characteristics of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff format include:
A victory in the first 15 races all but guarantees a berth in the Playoffs.The number of championship drivers in contention for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship will decrease after every three Playoff races, from 10 to start in the Playoffs; eight after race No. 3; and four after race No. 6.The first three races of the Playoffs (16-18) will be known as the Round of 10; races 19-21 will be known as the Round of 8; and race No. 22 will be the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship (Championship 4 Round).A win by a championship-eligible driver in any Playoff race automatically clinches the winning driver a spot in the next round.Four drivers will enter the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship race with a chance at the title, with the highest finisher among those four capturing the championship.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff Structure:
Round of 10: The first round (races 16-18), called the Round of 10, consists of the races at Gateway, Darlington and Bristol. If a driver in the Playoffs wins a race in this round, the driver automatically advances to the next round (Round of 8). The remaining available positions (1-8) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. Each will then have their points reset to 3,000, plus any Playoff points awarded to that point are added.NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff Outlook — Round of 10 (Gateway, Darlington, Bristol)RankPlayoff DriversPointsPts From Cutoff1John H. Nemechek2049482Austin Hill2021203Ben Rhodes2019184Todd Gilliland2015145Sheldon Creed2011106Zane Smith200987Matt Crafton200438Carson Hocevar #200219Chandler Smith #2001-110Stewart Friesen2001-1Round of 8: The second round (races 19-21) is the Round of 8 (Las Vegas, Talladega and Martinsville). Likewise, if a driver in the top eight in points wins a race in this round, the driver automatically advances to the next round (Championship 4). The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. Each will then have their points reset to 4,000.Each eliminated driver will return to the Playoff-start base of 2,000 (plus any awarded Playoff points), with their accumulated points starting with race No. 17 added. This will allow all drivers not in contention for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title to continue to race for the best possible season-long standing, with final positions fifth-through-10th still up for grabs.
Championship Race:
The 22nd and final race of the season will be the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship finale. Simply stated, the highest finisher in that race among the remaining four eligible drivers will win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title.Stage Playoff points will not apply in the season finale, so the official finishing position alone will decide the champion.Note: All rules outlined above also apply to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner championship structure.
— NASCAR —
