Chase-like format being considered for NASCAR Trucks

NASCAR acknowledged it’s contemplating a playoff-type system similar to the Chase for the ultra-competitive Truck tour. 

One scenario that’s been discussed would feature eight contenders in a seven-race elimination where two drivers are knocked out after each three-race segment with the four teams battling for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 

Although truck team owner Brad Keselowski has heard of the proposal, he told Motorsport.com that he hasn’t had an opportunity to weigh the possibilities. 

“Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to figure out how I feel about it, to give a smart answer that I would be proud of,” Keselowski said. “So, right now I’m in the ‘I don’t know stage.’” 

Twenty-one points currently separate third-place Tyler Reddick from series points leader Erik Jones in the truck standings. Defending truck champion Matt Crafton trails Jones by 17 points as he attempts to become the first driver to win three consecutive titles. 

This season the truck series has enjoyed 13 different winners in the first 21 events. 

The proposed seven-race Chase would occupy roughly 30 percent of the schedule — a greater portion than the Chase for the Sprint Cup consumes (27.78 percent).  

Does Keselowski believe a truck Chase would ratchet up the intensity of the feeder series?

“All the series are so different that one template that applies to one certainly doesn’t apply to the next,” Keselowski added. “Things that works in the Cup series don’t always work in the truck series and vice versa — and I respect that. 

“But it’s too early to answer whether that would work in the truck series.”