By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

On the Tuesday following each regular season points race, Kickin’ the Tires takes a deep look at the current playoff grids for both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, evaluating the postseason picture for NASCAR’s second and third tours. This edition comes at a special day, due to the timing of the event. 

Camping World Truck Series

Track: Eldora Speedway

Event: Eldora Dirt Derby

Race Winner: Matt Crafton

Stage Winner(s): Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen

Who Won Big

• Matt Crafton: There was little doubt that Crafton would return to victory lane, but few expected it to come at Eldora. Crafton’s first NASCAR triumph on dirt confirmed the two-time Truck Series champion’s place in the playoff field, and the additional stage win gave him a total of six more playoff points.
• Grant Enfinger: Quiet and consistent, Enfinger rode the bottom to a fourth-place run on Wednesday, his fifth top five in the last six races. The Alabaman’s now up to fifth in the championship standings, and appears poised for a playoff berth.
• Noah Gragson: Another week, another good result. Gragson spun four times in practice but drove a clean race on Wednesday to finish seventh and close to within eight points of the playoff bubble.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Johnny Sauter: Sauter’s been among the strongest trucks all season, but a crash at Eldora saw the defending series champion drop to within seven points of Christopher Bell for the points lead and five precious playoff points.
• Ben Rhodes and Ryan Truex: The same crash that ruined Sauter’s night also saw a significant shakeup in the playoff fight as Rhodes and Truex were damage. Rhodes’ race came to an early end in 30th, which dropped the Kentuckian to the playoff bubble. Truex rallied to finish 20th, but still trails Rhodes by a lone point for the final playoff spot.

Playoff Standings: 

*Technically ineligible due to missed races. Would require a waiver to make the playoffs.

Playoff Points

Playoff Points Earned
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	Christopher Bell	19
2	John Hunter Nemechek	11
3	Johnny Sauter	10
4	Matt Crafton	7
5	Kaz Grala	5
6 (tie)	Chase Briscoe	1
6 (tie)	Ben Rhodes	1
6 (tie)	Ryan Truex	1
6 (tie)	Noah Gragson	1
6 (tie)	Stewart Friesen	1

Stage Points

Season Totals