The 2020 NASCAR Truck Series season review

A recap of everything that has happened in the Truck Series in 2020.

2020 was a great year for NASCAR. All three main championships brought us a wide specter of emotions, entertainment, and epic moments, in spite of difficult circumstances. With just a few days ahead of the New Year let’s take a look back at how the 2020 season unfolded in NASCAR, starting with the Truck Series.

Quite naturally, the 2020 season started at Daytona. In a race full of big wrecks, especially at the closing stages, Grant Enfinger was just inches ahead of Jordan Anderson at the line to go to victory lane in the first race of the year. After Daytona, Truck Series visited Las Vegas and it was a master-class race from Kyle Busch, who won at home soil in a dominant fashion.

We had to wait for another race for more than three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but in late May the racing got underway once again at Charlotte. The biggest story of the race obviously was between Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch, who had had a story in the Darlington Cup Series race. In the end, Elliott built a gap big enough to win his first Truck Series race since Martinsville in 2017. That win was a relief for him after losing a potential Coca-Cola 600 win a day before. Atlanta was the next destination for the Truck Series. Kyle Busch had another strong drive as he won both stages. However, it was Grant Enfinger, who won ahead of Austin Hill in the overtime.

Kyle Busch proved his excellence once again at Homestead-Miami as he won the race by quite a margin despite being in the rear at some point of the race. The no.51 KBM truck won at Pocono as well, but that time it was Brandon Jones, who won his first Trucks race after a final laps showdown against Sheldon Creed. Creed himself got the taste of victory in a rain-shortened race at Kentucky as he was the leader by the moment the race was stopped. Kyle Busch returned to the no.51 truck and won again — he was victorious at Texas.

Kansas Speedway hosted a doubleheader, which was quite interesting in terms of results. Austin Hill cruised to victory in the first race, while the three-time series champion Matt Crafton made a long-awaited return to the victory lane, his first since Eldora in 2017, in the second race, just ahead of Christian Eckes. Eckes was close to the victory once again at Michigan, but Zane Smith got his maiden Truck Series win in overtime on that occasion. Daytona International Speedway was the home of the only road course race of the 2020 season and it was Sheldon Creed, who came out in top at the World Center of Racing.

With just four races left before the Playoffs, the battle for the available spots only heated up. Zane Smith got a back-to-back victory and tamed Miles the Monster. His teammate Sheldon Creed got back on the winning track by taking the chequered flag at Gateway. Ben Rhodes secured his spot in the Playoffs after his first win in 2020 at Darlington in overtime. Richmond Raceway was the host of the final regular season race. Grant Enfinger won another race in 2020 to score some more Playoffs points, which were crucial. Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Austin Hill, Grant Enfinger, Brett Moffitt, Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, Christian Eckes, Todd Gilliland, and Tyler Ankrum advanced to the Round of 10 of the Playoffs. Austin Hill was the regular season champion.

The Round of 16 brought us several surprises. The 17-year-old Sam Mayer won the round-opener at Bristol Motor Speedway in only his seventh Truck Series race. The regular season champion Austin Hill won at Las Vegas to secure guaranteed a Round of 8 spot. The elimination race took place at Talladega, which promised to be a great spectacle and it definitely was. Raphael Lessard stayed out of trouble at the final lap to get his maiden Trucks win. His teammate Christian Eckes and Todd Gilliland were eliminated from the Playoffs.

Sheldon Creed had a great drive at Kansas at the Round of 8 opener and won both stages, but it was still not enough for victory. Brett Moffitt got his first win of 2020 just in time to get to the Championship 4. Creed, however, got the redemption at Texas and punched his ticket to the title-decider. Grant Enfinger won another race, this time at Martinsville, and also saved his chances to win the title. Zane Smith advanced to the Championship 4 on points.

It all came down to this, the final race of the season at Phoenix Raceway, which would determine the champion. Brett Moffit was laps away from his second title, but a late caution forced an overtime. Sheldon Creed made a miraculous restart from ninth place and went on to win his first NASCAR Truck Series race in a truly dramatic and heartbreaking finish. A remarkable season for Creed and GMS Racing in general.

The 2020 NASCAR Truck Series is in the history books. It was definitely one to remember with a lot of great and unforgettable moments. We saw catchy races, epic finishes, and most importantly a deserving champion, who had an outstanding season. And now, we are waiting for what the upcoming season is going to bring.

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