Results and points added: Ben Rhodes Wins the 2023 Truck Championship in Four overtimes

Ben Rhodes, driver of the #99 Kubota Ford, speaks to the media during the NASCAR Championship Media Day at Phoenix Raceway on November 02, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

AVONDALE, AZ – RIS – Ben Rhodes nursed an injured Ford truck over the final overtime finish to win the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.  It took four overtimes to determine the winner and the championship in what could be called a rough race.  Christian won the race after all the contenders except Rhodes and runner up Grant Enfinger had problems, usually caused by racing accidents.

“To go 25 laps into overtime, you know what that feels like? Almost lose it three times? Look at the front of the truck. It’s crazy. I didn’t think we were going to make it, I thought we were going to pop a tire. I thought anything that could have gone wrong was going to go wrong.”

Not only is Ben Rhodes celebrating his second NASCAR Truck Series championship, he and his wife are expecting their second child as well. Lots to celebrate for Rhodes. Things got weird at the end of this NASCAR championship race. Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar had business to handle with one another.

Shenanigans on the track led to not one, not two, not three, but FOUR overtime sessions. These drivers didn’t want to pit and give up position. So, tires were worn out, they kept restarting, losing grip, wrecking. Drivers like former Truck Series champion Zane Smith missed their shifts while leading the field on  an overtime.

Rhodes battled for the Truck Series crown for the third consecutive season, converting for the second time in his career in Friday‘s Craftsman 150 at Phoenix Raceway. He finished ahead of fellow Championship 4 contenders Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar and Grant Enfinger to join elite company with his second series title.

Details to follow

Unofficial Results for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship, November 3, 2023 - Phoenix Raceway 
Fin, Str, Driver, Truck, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 8, Christian Eckes, No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet, 179, 7, 4, 4, 36, 5, 51, Running
2) 14, Jake Garcia #, No. 35 Quanta Services Chevrolet, 179, , 9, , , , 37, Running
3) 5, Chase Purdy, No. 4 Bama Buggies Chevrolet, 179, 6, 7, 1, 8, , 43, Running
4) 10, Jesse Love, No. 1 HomeSmiles Toyota, 179, , , , , , 33, Running
5) 6, Ben Rhodes (P), No. 99 Kubota Ford, 179, 4, 6, , , , 32, Running
6) 17, Grant Enfinger (P), No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet, 179, 9, 8, , , , 31, Running
7) 15, Dean Thompson, No. 5 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota, 179, , , , , , 30, Running
8) 27, Kaden Honeycutt, No. 02 RANDCO Industries Chevrolet, 179, , , , , , 29, Running
9) 25, Tanner Gray, No. 15 Cometic/Factory Canopies Toyota, 179, , , , , , 28, Running
10) 3, Nick Sanchez #, No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 179, 5, , 1, 5, , 33, Running
11) 28, Matt Crafton, No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Ford, 179, , , , , , 26, Running
12) 9, Rajah Caruth #, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet, 179, , , , , , 25, Running
13) 31, Lawless Alan, No. 45 AUTOParkit Chevrolet, 179, , , , , , 24, Running
14) 2, Ty Majeski, No. 98 Curb Records/Farm Paint Ford, 179, 1, 3, 1, 48, 1, 41, Running
15) 23, Hailie Deegan, No. 13 Pit Boss Ford, 179, , , , , , 22, Running
16) 32, Christian Rose, No. 22 Disability Opportunity Fund Ford, 179, , , , , , 21, Running
17) 34, Spencer Davis, No. 04 Fly Alliance/CarQuest Ford, 179, , , , , , 20, Running
18) 1, Corey Heim (P), No. 11 Safelite Toyota, 179, 2, 1, 1, 47, 1, 19, Running
19) 35, Nick Leitz, No. 20 Precision Measurements Chevrolet, 179, , , , , , 18, Running
20) 36, Tyler Hill, No. 56 Consolidation Coach/UNITS Toyota, 179, , , , , , 17, Running
21) 26, Colby Howard, No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet, 179, , , , , , 16, Running
22) 19, Tyler Ankrum, No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota, 178, , , , , , 15, Running
23) 12, Taylor Gray #, No. 17 Dead On Tools Toyota, 177, 10, 5, , , , 21, Running
24) 20, Stewart Friesen, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota, 175, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 4, Zane Smith, No. 38 Speedco/Delo Ford, 172, 3, 2, 2, 35, , 29, Accident
26) 21, Sean Hingorani, No. 75 Fidelity Capital Chevrolet, 167, , , , , , 11, Accident
27) 7, Jack Wood, No. 51 Rubbin' is Racing Chevrolet, 162, , , , , , 10, Accident
28) 16, Derek Kraus, No. 77 Western States Flooring Chevrolet, 156, , , , , , 9, Accident
29) 13, Carson Hocevar (P), No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 146, 8, 10, , , , 8, Accident
30) 24, Stefan Parsons, No. 25 Rackley Roofing/Millennium Chevrolet, 128, , , , , , 7, Accident
31) 11, Bayley Currey, No. 41 GlobalTranz Chevrolet, 128, , , , , , 6, Accident
32) 22, Daniel Dye #, No. 43 GMS Racing Chevrolet, 128, , , , , , 5, Accident
33) 18, Jake Drew, No. 61 Cyclum Truck Stops Toyota, 100, , , , , , 4, Accident
34) 29, Conner Jones, No. 66 Lung Cancer Awareness Ford, 100, , , , , , 3, Accident
35) 33, Marco Andretti, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 54, , , , , , 2, Accident
36) 30, Chris Hacker, No. 30 On Point Motorsports Toyota, 53, , , , , , 1, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Total Race Length: 179 Laps - 179. Miles
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 27 Mins, 32 Secs.
Average Speed: 72.797 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.421 Seconds

Stage 1 Top 10: 98, 11, 38, 99, 2, 4, 19, 42, 23, 17
Stage 2 Top 10: 11, 38, 98, 19, 17, 99, 4, 23, 35, 42

Comments: Christian Eckes has won the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, his fifth career victory in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

Prior to the start, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reason(s) indicated: No. 25 (Backup Truck).

Failed to Qualify: (2) 12 Spencer Boyd, 33 Keith McGee.

Cautions: 12 for 77 laps;
Laps: 6-9 (No. 52, 77 Incident Turn 4 [None]);
47-53 (Stage 1 Conclusion [25]);
57-64 (No. 7, 30 Incident Turn 3 [13]);
78-82 (No. 56 Incident Turn 2 [16]);
92-99 (Stage 2 Conclusion [02]);
102-109 (No. 61, 66 Incident Turn 3 [45]);
121-125 (No. 42, 11, 52 Incident Turn 2 [22]);
131-135 (No. 25, 41, 43 Incident Turn 3 [Red Flag: 00:11:45] [04]);
148-155 (No. 11, 42, 17 Incident Turn 2 [56]);
157-162 (No. 77 Incident Turn 4 [20]);
164-169 (No. 99, 38, 51 Incident Frontstretch  [11]);
171-177 (No. 1, 98, 88, 38, 56 Incident Frontstretch [None]).

Lead Changes: 10 among 6 drivers;
T. Majeski 1-48;
C. Heim (P) 49-95;
C. Eckes 96-121;
N. Sanchez # 122-126;
Z. Smith 127-154;
C. Eckes 155;
Z. Smith 156-162;
C. Eckes 163-168;
C. Purdy 169-176;
C. Eckes 177-179.

Unofficial Points: Phoenix Raceway
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship
Rank, Driver, Car, Starts, GL, Points, Ldr, Nxt, Race Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
 1) Ben Rhodes(P), 99, 23, 2, 4032, 0, 0, 1, 1, 13
 2) Grant Enfinger(P), 23, 23, 2, 4031, -1, 1, 3, 3, 24
 3) Corey Heim(P), 11, 22, -2, 4019, -13, 12, 3, 8, 30
 4) Carson Hocevar (P), 42, 23, -2, 4008, -24, 11, 4, 3, 22
 5) Christian Eckes, 19, 23, 0, 2319, -1713, 1689, 4, 6, 24
 6) Nick Sanchez #, 2, 23, 0, 2258, -1774, 61, 0, 4, 6
 7) Zane Smith, 38, 23, 0, 2194, -1838, 64, 2, 4, 22
 8) Ty Majeski, 98, 23, 0, 2185, -1847, 9, 1, 7, 16
 9) Matt Crafton, 88, 23, 0, 2167, -1865, 18, 0, 1, 2
10) Matt Dibenedetto, , 20, 0, 2102, -1930, 65, 0, 0, 2
11) Chase Purdy, 4, 23, 0, 582, -3450, 1520, 0, 0, 0
12) Stewart Friesen, 52, 23, 0, 537, -3495, 45, 0, 1, 0
13) Jake Garcia #, 35, 22, 1, 534, -3498, 3, 0, 0, 0
14) Tanner Gray, 15, 23, -1, 533, -3499, 1, 0, 0, 0
15) Taylor Gray #, 17, 20, 0, 490, -3542, 43, 0, 0, 0
16) Rajah Caruth #, 24, 23, 0, 482, -3550, 8, 0, 0, 0
17) Tyler Ankrum, 16, 23, 0, 456, -3576, 26, 0, 1, 0
18) Daniel Dye #, 43, 23, 0, 389, -3643, 67, 0, 0, 0
19) Hailie Deegan, 13, 23, 0, 385, -3647, 4, 0, 0, 0
20) Dean Thompson, 5, 23, 0, 370, -3662, 15, 0, 0, 0
21) Colby Howard, 9, 23, 0, 340, -3692, 30, 0, 0, 0
22) Lawless Alan, 45, 21, 1, 317, -3715, 23, 0, 0, 0
23) Bret Holmes, , 21, -1, 303, -3729, 14, 0, 0, 0
24) Bayley Currey, 41, 11, 0, 260, -3772, 43, 0, 0, 0
25) Timmy Hill, , 14, 0, 222, -3810, 38, 0, 0, 0
26) Jack Wood, 51, 13, 0, 198, -3834, 24, 0, 0, 0
27) Kaden Honeycutt, 02, 11, 1, 190, -3842, 8, 0, 0, 0
28) Spencer Boyd, , 20, -1, 165, -3867, 25, 0, 0, 0
29) Kris Wright, , 11, 0, 150, -3882, 15, 0, 0, 0
30) William Sawalich, , 6, 0, 138, -3894, 12, 0, 0, 0
31) Jake Drew, 61, 6, 1, 116, -3916, 22, 0, 0, 0
32) Ryan Vargas, , 7, -1, 114, -3918, 2, 0, 0, 0
33) Conner Jones, 66, 9, 1, 111, -3921, 3, 0, 0, 0
34) Matt Mills, , 8, -1, 108, -3924, 3, 0, 0, 0
35) Tyler Hill, 56, 8, 1, 102, -3930, 6, 0, 0, 0
36) Josh Reaume, , 10, -1, 101, -3931, 1, 0, 0, 0
37) Jesse Love, 1, 3, 2, 85, -3947, 16, 0, 0, 0
38) Toni Breidinger, , 3, -1, 55, -3977, 30, 0, 0, 0
39) Mason Maggio, , 6, -1, 53, -3979, 2, 0, 0, 0
40) Cory Roper, , 3, 0, 45, -3987, 8, 0, 0, 0
41) Nick Leitz, 20, 4, 10, 41, -3991, 4, 0, 0, 0
42) Marco Andretti, 7, 3, -1, 39, -3993, 2, 0, 0, 0
43) David Gilliland, , 2, -1, 32, -4000, 7, 0, 0, 0
44) Jonathan Shafer, , 3, -1, 32, -4000, 0, 0, 0, 0
45) Chris Hacker, 30, 5, 1, 31, -4001, 1, 0, 0, 0
46) Logan Bearden, , 2, -2, 31, -4001, 0, 0, 0, 0
47) Justin Carroll, , 4, -2, 31, -4001, 0, 0, 0, 0
48) Johnny Sauter, , 3, -1, 28, -4004, 3, 0, 0, 0
49) Memphis Villarreal, , 4, -1, 27, -4005, 1, 0, 0, 0
50) Christian Rose, 22, 2, 24, 26, -4006, 1, 0, 0, 0
51) Spencer Davis, 04, 3, 21, 26, -4006, 0, 0, 0, 0
52) Jason M White, , 2, -3, 26, -4006, 0, 0, 0, 0
53) Sean Hingorani, 75, 2, 11, 25, -4007, 1, 0, 0, 0
54) Stephen Mallozzi, , 4, -4, 25, -4007, 0, 0, 0, 0
55) Greg Van Alst, , 5, -3, 23, -4009, 2, 0, 0, 0
55) Greg Van Alst, , 5, -3, 23, -4009, 2, 0, 0, 0
56) Jason White, , 1, -3, 22, -4010, 1, 0, 0, 0
57) Norm Benning, , 2, -3, 22, -4010, 0, 0, 0, 0
58) Landen Lewis, , 2, -3, 22, -4010, 0, 0, 0, 0
59) Akinori Ogata, , 1, -3, 20, -4012, 2, 0, 0, 0
60) Chase Janes, , 2, -3, 20, -4012, 0, 0, 0, 0
61) Conor Daly, , 1, -3, 19, -4013, 1, 0, 0, 0
62) Will Rodgers, , 2, -3, 19, -4013, 0, 0, 0, 0
63) Shane Van Gisbergen, , 1, -3, 18, -4014, 1, 0, 0, 0
64) Colin Garrett, , 1, -3, 17, -4015, 1, 0, 0, 0
65) Max Gutierrez, , 1, -3, 16, -4016, 1, 0, 0, 0
66) Armani Williams, , 3, -3, 16, -4016, 0, 0, 0, 0
67) Mason Filippi, , 1, -2, 11, -4021, 5, 0, 0, 0
68) Tanner Carrick, , 1, -2, 11, -4021, 0, 0, 0, 0
69) Dale Quarterley, , 2, -2, 11, -4021, 0, 0, 0, 0
70) Austin Wayne Self, , 1, -2, 10, -4022, 1, 0, 0, 0
71) Derek Lemke, , 2, -2, 10, -4022, 0, 0, 0, 0
72) Derek Kraus, 77, 3, 22, 9, -4023, 1, 0, 0, 0
73) Tyler Carpenter, , 1, -3, 8, -4024, 1, 0, 0, 0
74) Stefan Parsons, 25, 3, 34, 7, -4025, 1, 0, 0, 0
75) Trey Hutchens, , 1, -4, 7, -4025, 0, 0, 0, 0
76) Keith Mcgee, , 3, -3, 6, -4026, 1, 0, 0, 0
77) Clay Greenfield, , 2, -2, 5, -4027, 1, 0, 0, 0
78) Codie Rohrbaugh, , 1, -2, 4, -4028, 1, 0, 0, 0
79) Chad Chastain, , 1, -2, 3, -4029, 1, 0, 0, 0
80) Jennifer Jo Cobb, , 1, -2, 3, -4029, 0, 0, 0, 0
81) Ed Jones, , 1, -2, 1, -4031, 2, 0, 0, 0
82) Tim Viens, , 1, -2, 1, -4031, 0, 0, 0, 0
83) Bryan Dauzat, , 1, -2, 1, -4031, 0, 0, 0, 0
84) Kyle Busch(i), , 5, -2, 0, -4032, 1, 2, 2, 0
85) Joey Logano(i), , 1, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 1, 2, 0
86) Kyle Larson(i), , 1, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 1, 1, 0
87) Brett Moffitt(i), , 1, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 1, 0, 0
88) William Byron(i), , 3, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 1, 0
89) Layne Riggs(i), , 3, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
90) John Hunter Nemechek(i), , 2, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
91) Christopher Bell(i), , 2, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
92) Chandler Smith(i), , 1, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
93) Ross Chastain(i), , 7, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
94) Bubba Wallace(i), , 2, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
95) Chase Briscoe(i), , 1, -2, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
96) Kaz Grala(i), , 3, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
97) Parker Kligerman(i), , 7, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 1, 0
98) Chase Elliott(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
99) Mason Massey(i), , 7, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
100) Carson Kvapil(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
101) Travis Pastrana(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
102) Sammy Smith(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
103) Jonathan Davenport(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
104) Trevor Bayne(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
105) Garrett Smithley(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
106) Corey Lajoie(i), , 2, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
107) Brennan Poole(i), , 3, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
108) Brad Perez(i), , 3, -1, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
109) Josh Williams(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
110) Austin Hill(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
111) Dawson Cram(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
112) Josh Bilicki(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
113) Samuel Lecomte, , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
114) Dexter Bean(i), , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
115) Alex Bowman(i), , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
116) Caleb Costner, , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
117) Danny Bohn, , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
118) Todd Peck, , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
119) Jessica Friesen, , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
120) Jerry Bohlman, , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
121) Andrew Gordon, , 0, 0, 0, -4032, 0, 0, 0, 0
 -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series