The Craftsman Truck Series kicks off a triple header weekend with the final race of the regular season with the Worldwide Express 250.

On a very hot near 100 degree day, the drivers get a 20 minute practice session around the ¾ mile track before making a qualifying run.  A total of 38 teams have brought trucks to Richmond to fill 36 starting spots.   Last week Ty Majeski secured his spot in the playoffs via points; and he will join race winners Corey Heim, Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes and Carson Hocevar on the playoff list leaving only three open spots to round out the 10 playoff drivers.    Currently Matt DiBenedetto, Nick Sanchez and Matt Crafton hold the spots on points but depending on how the race develops on Saturday night, it could all change.  Just nine points above the cut line, Matt Crafton could find himself the odd man out if a new race winner appears at the drop of the checkered flag in Richmond.   Nick Sanchez and Jake Garcia are in a battle for the title of Sunoco Rookie of the Year and if Sanchez, who is over 100 points ahead, makes the playoffs, he will also be named the Rookie of the Year.   Ty Majeski topped the list in qualifying and will sit on the pole with points leader Corey Heim alongside on the front row.   The lineup for the Worldwide Express 250: Ty Majeski Corey Heim William Sawalich Ben Rhodes Matt Mills Christian Eckes Tanner Gray Matt Crafton Chase Purdy Matt DiBenedetto Bayley Currey Jake Garcia Grant Enfinger Nick Sanchez Zane Smith Rajah Caruth Carson Hocevar Daniel Dye Taylor Gray Dean Thompson Tyler Ankrum Lawless Alan Stewart Friesen Conner Jones Hailie Deegan Bret Holmes Colby Howard Ryan Vargas Will Rodgers Timmy Hill Derek Lemke Spencer Boyd Mason Massey Justin Carroll Christian Rose Josh Reaume

Just as the drivers were climbing into their trucks, there are lightning strikes and everyone is headed for safety and the start of the race is delayed.  There is no rain at the track but the wind is whipping around.

There’s a rainbow over the track at Richmond.

At 8:25pm, the drivers are moving toward their trucks and the covers are coming off.

At 8:30pm the drivers get the command to start engines – one hour after the original start time.

Stages one and two are 70 laps each with stage three lasting 110 laps for a total of 250 laps around the ¾ mile track.  The drivers can run around 100 laps on a single load of fuel.

Ty Majeski brings the drivers down for the green flag start of the race with Corey Heim alongside.  Majeski gets out in front from the outside lane.  Drivers are getting three wide on the start of the race as they battle for position.

Lap two, Ty Majeski leads the race with Ben Rhodes in second; Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, and Matt Crafton round out the top five.

Nick Sanchez scrapes the wall on the first lap of the race.

Lap five, Ty Majeski has a lead of over half a second on Ben Rhodes; Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, and Matt Crafton round out the top five.

Lap seven, the lap times have already begun to drop due to tire wear.

Lap eight, Ty Majeski has a near one second lead on Ben Rhodes.

Lap 10, Carson Hocevar has moved up to 24 after starting the race from the back of the field.

Lap 12, Ty Majeski has a lead of over a second on Ben Rhodes; Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, and Mat Crafton continue to round out the top five with all 36 drivers on the lead lap.

Lap 19, Carson Hocevar has entered the top 20.

Lap 25, Carson Hocevar is running some of the fastest laps on the track and is now in 18th place after having to start the race from the back of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

Lap 28, there are 31 trucks on the lead lap.

Lap 29, Ty Majeski has a lead of over two seconds on Ben Rhodes; Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, and Matt Crafton round out the top five.

Not old enough to race on the larger tracks, 16 year old William Sawalich is in seventh place.

Tanner Gray is slowed on the track and is reporting a possible electrical issue.   He gets the truck back up to speed.

Lap 34, there are 28 trucks on the lead lap.

Lap 41, Ty Majeski has led every laps so far and is now three and a half seconds in front of Ben Rhodes with 25 trucks on the lead lap.

Lap 44, the top five are Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes, Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, and Matt Crafton.

Lap 47, Ty Majeski continues to increase his lead and is now nearly five seconds out in front of Ben Rhodes.  There are 23 trucks on the lead lap.

Lap 51, leader Ty Majeski has been mowing down the field with just 21 trucks on the lead lap and a lead of over four seconds.

Zane Smith is reporting a very tight condition in his truck.

Lap 55, Ty Majeski has a five second lead on Ben Rhodes and continues to lap trucks with just 20 drivers on the lead lap.

Ten laps remain in stage one with Ty Majeski leading every lap; dominating the race.

The top five has not changed since the race began.

Just five laps remain in stage one, Ty Majeski is dominating the race; leading every lap and putting half the field a lap down.

After leading every lap Ty Majeski wins stage one for his third stage win of the season.

The top ten at the end of stage one:
Ty Majeski
Ben Rhodes
Corey Heim
Christian Eckes
Matt Crafton
William Sawalich
Jake Garcia
Chase Purdy
Matt Mills
Matt DiBenedetto

Drivers come down pit road for service and adjustments with Ty Majeski winning the race off of pit road.

Corey Heim has clinched the regular season championship and earns an additional 15 playoff points.

Ty Majeski brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 78 and holds on to the lead; Ben Rhodes, Corey Heim, Matt Crafton, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.

Ben Rhodes and Corey Heim battle for second.

Carson Hocevar is just outside the top 10 in eleventh

There are 17 trucks on the lead lap – over half the field is at least one lap down.

Lap 85, Ty Majeski has a second and a half lead on Corey Heim; Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.

Carson Hocevar has entered the top 10; he started the race from the back of the field after the crew made some unapproved adjustments to the truck.

Chase Purdy has been charged with a restart violation for jumping the restart; he will have to serve a pass through penalty.  He goes from sixth place to 32nd place; two laps down.

Lap 91, Ty Majeski has pulled out to a lead of nearly three seconds on Corey Heim; Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.  There are just 16 trucks on the lead lap with all 36 drivers still on the track.

Lap 101, Ty Majeski continues his dominating ways with a four and a half second lead on Corey Heim.

Lap 104, with 16 trucks on the lead lap, Ty Majeski has a near five second lead on Corey Heim; Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.

William Sawalich is reporting that the truck is shaking.

The caution flag comes out on lap 111 for Dean Thompson who spins out.  Zane Smith is the “lucky dog”.

Several of the lap down trucks came down pit road for fresh tires.

Ty Majeski brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 117 from the outside land and battles with Corey Heim for the lead.  Corey Heim is only the second leader of the race.

The top five are Corey Heim, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, and Jake Garcia.

Justin Carrol brings out the caution flag when he spins out.  Hailie Deegan is the “lucky dog”.

Corey Heim brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 124 and holds on to the lead but drivers spread out three wide in a battle for position.

Lap 126, Ben Rhodes battles with Corey Heim for the lead.  Carson Hocevar has entered the top five.

Lap 127, the top five are Ben Rhodes, Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, and Carson Hocevar.  All 36 trucks are still on the track.

Lap 130, Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes battle for the lead with Majeski retaking the  top spot.

With 10 laps remaining in stage two, Ty Majeski retakes the lead and begins to pull away from the field; Ben Rhodes, Corey Heim, Christian, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.  There are 18 trucks on the lead lap.

Back on the lead lap, Zane Smith is moving through the field; he is currently in eleventh.

With four laps to go in stage two, Ty Majeski has a three and a half second lead on Ben Rhodes.

With a lead of over four seconds, Ty Majeski wins stage two for the stage sweep.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ty Majeski
Ben Rhodes
Corey Heim
Christian Eckes
Carson Hocevar
Jake Garcia
Matt Crafton
William Sawalich
Nick Sanchez
Matt Mills

Drivers come down pit road for service with Ty Majeski winning the race off of pit road.  Corey Heim reports a “wicked tight” condition in his truck

Ty Majeski was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Ben Rhodes brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Carson Hocevar alongside.  Hocevar gets out in front from the inside lane with a three wide battle for second.

With 100 laps to go, Carson Hocevar leads the race with Ben Rhodes in second; Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, and Matt Crafton round out the top five.

Lap 153, Ty Majeski has entered the top 10 after starting the race at the back of the field for speeding.

With 93 laps to go, Carson Hocevar has a near one second lead on Ben Rhodes; Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, and Zane Smith round out the top five.

Lap 160, Ty Majeski is up to 17th with Carson Hocevar leading the race by a second over Ben Rhodes.

Kyle Busch was the last driver to bring a truck from the back of the field to win the race; it was in Miami in 2020.

With 85 laps to go, Carson Hocevar leads the race with Ben Rhodes in second; Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, and Zane Smith rounding out the top five.  Ty Majeski is up to 13th.

Eighty to go, Carson Hocevar has a near two second lead on Ben Rhodes; Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, and Zane Smith round out the top five.

Matt Crafton is reporting some possible brake issues. 

Ty Majeski is just outside the top 10 in eleventh place over nine seconds back.

Josh Reaume is off the pace but gets his truck down pit road and the track stays green.

With 75 laps to go, Ty Majeski has entered the top 10 in ninth after running the fastest laps on the track.  Carson Hocevar has a near two second lead on Ben Rhodes; Corey Heim, Zane Smith, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.

There are 20 trucks on the lead lap.

Continuing the run the fastest laps on the track, Ty Majeski is up to seventh place with 71 laps to go.

With 68 laps to go, Carson Hocevar has a lead of over two seconds on Ben Rhodes; Corey Heim, Zane Smith, and Christina Eckes round out the top five.  Ty Majeski is up to seventh over seven seconds back.

With a lead of two and a half seconds, Carson Hocevar is approaching slower traffic.  Ty Majeski continues to work his way through the field and is up to fifth place after a speeding penalty.

Sixty to go, Carson Hocevar has a lead of over two and a half seconds on Ben Rhodes.  Fifth place driver Ty Majeski continues to run the fastest laps on the track as he continues to work his way back up to the front and recovers from a speeding penalty.
With 57 laps to go the top five are Carson Hocevar, Ben Rhodes, Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, and Zane Smith.

With 54 laps to go, Ty Majeski passes Corey Heim for third.

Carson Hocevar has pulled out to a lead of over four seconds on Ben Rhodes with Ty Majeski in third less than five seconds behind the leader.

Matt Mills is the first driver to come down pit road to make a green flag pit stop with 52 laps to go.

Fifty to go, Ty Majeski passes Ben Rhodes for second.

With 49 laps to go, Carson Hocevar’s lead is down to under three and a half seconds on Ty Majeski.

There are just 14 trucks on the lead lap.

With 46 laps to go, Carson Hocevar’s lead is down to under three seconds in front of Ty Majeski.

Lap 209, Carson Hocevar gives up his lead to make a green flag pit stop.  Ty Majeski is the new leader.

Lap 213, Corey Heim makes a green flag pit stop.

Lap 215, more drivers come down pit road for a green flag pit stop.

The top five are Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, William Sawalich, Tanner Gray, and Hailie Deegan.  There are only seven trucks on the lead lap.

Drivers on fresh tires are running around two seconds faster than the drivers who have not make a pit stop.

Ben Rhodes has to serve a pass through penalty for a commitment cone violation.

Slap 225, Ty Majeski leads the race with Christian Eckes in second; William Sawalich, Zane Smith, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.

Zane Smith moves up to third with Carson Hocevar in fourth.

Lap 228, Ty Majeski has a lead of over 16 seconds in front of Carson Hocevar but Hocevar is on fresher tires and is closing the gap.

Twenty to go, the top five are Ty Majeski, Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, Jake Garcia, and Christian Eckes.

With 18 laps to go, Ty Majeski’s lead is down to 12 seconds in front of Carson Hocevar.

Sixteen to go, Ty Majeski’s lead is down to 10 seconds on Carson Hocevar.

Fifteen to go and Ty Majeski’s lead is down to under 10 seconds.

Eighth place driver William Sawalich is the last driver on the lead lap.

With 13 laps to go, Ty Majeski leads the race with Carson Hocevar in second; Zane Smith, Jake Garcia, and Matt Mills rounds out the top five.

Ten to go and Ty Majeski’s lead is down to five seconds over Carson Hocevar.

Eight to go, Ty Majeski’s lead is down to just over two seconds on Carson Hocevar.

Seven to go and the lead is down to under two seconds between Ty Majeski and Carson Hocevar.

Just five laps remain in the race, Ty Majeski has a lead of just over half a second on Carson Hocevar.

Four to go, Carson Hocevar passes Ty Majeski for the lead.

Three to go, Carson Hocevar has the lead and is pulling away.

Carson Hocevar takes the white flag with a lead of two seconds on Ty Majeski.

Matching a feat that hasn’t happened since 2020 with Kyle Busch, Carson Hocevar earns win number three after starting the race from the back of the field.

After an impressive burnout, Carson Hocevar has flames coming out of his truck.  He climbs the fence in celebration before the post race interview.  Not old enough to drink, Carson said that he is going to watch a bunch of people get drunk.  He climbs into the crowd and gives the checkered flag away.

Unable to make the playoffs this year, Stewart Friesen said that they brought a dull knife to a gun fight.

A very clean night of racing, there were only two caution flags for on track incidents.

A part of the Truck Series since it began, Matt Crafton continues his streak of making the playoffs.

The 10 drivers that will compete for the championship are:
regular season champion Corey Heim
Zane Smith
Carson Hocevar
Christian Eckes
Grant Enfinger
Ty Majeski
Ben Rhodes
Nick Sanchez
Matt DiBenedetto
Matt Crafton

The unofficial results of the Worldwide Express 250:
Carson Hocevar
Ty Majeski
Zane Smith
Jake Garcia
Matt Mills
Corey Heim
Matt Crafton
Nick Sanchez
Grant Enfinger
William Sawalich
Christian Eckes
Ben Rhodes
Tyler Ankrum
Taylor Gray
Hailie Deegan
Tanner Gray
Matt DiBenedetto
Bayley Currey
Rajah Caruth
Conner Jones
Daniel Dye
Chase Purdy
Timmy Hill
Colby Howard
Dean Thompson
Will Rodgers
Stewart Friesen
Lawless Alan
Bret Holmes
Ryan Vargas
Justin Carroll
Christian Rose
Derek Lemke
Mason Massey
Spencer Boyd
Josh Reaume