The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will crown its season champion on Friday night. Phoenix Raceway will host the Lucas Oil 150 which doubles as the championship race. Two ThorSport Racing drivers, one Front Row Motorsports driver and one Kyle Busch Motorsports driver comprise this year’s NASCAR Truck Series Championship 4. It certainly doesn’t get much better than short-track racing under the lights on a Friday night to crown a champion.
The following article offers up a preview of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship race. Insight on each of the four drivers contending for the 2022 series championship and a prediction for who will hoist the big trophy is included.
2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Preview
Lucas Oil 150 Race Info
Date: Friday, Nov. 4, 2022
Start Time: 10 PM ET
Track: Phoenix Raceway
TV Coverage: FS1
Distance: 150 miles
Laps: 150
Defending Champion: Chandler Smith (with Ben Rhodes winning series championship)
2022 NASCAR Truck Series Championship 4 Drivers
Ben Rhodes | No. 99 ThorSport Racing
The defending NASCAR Truck Series Champion has found his way back to Championship 4. For the second year in a row, Ben Rhodes will be trying to deliver ThorSport Racing a championship. Incredibly, Rhodes has only won one race this season. That victory came all the way back in the spring on the dirt at Bristol. He still made the playoff field easily thanks to running well on a consistent basis. The No. 99 team has finished runner-up on several occasions this season.
Rhodes managed to advance into Championship 4 by a single point. Can he capitalize on the opportunity and repeat as champion?
Ty Majeski | No. 66, ThorSport Racing
Ty Majeski has scratched and clawed to get to this point in his career. In his first full-time season in any of the three NASCAR national series, he has reached the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4. Majeski pointed his way into the playoffs and then into the Round of 8. He broke through for his first career win in the playoff race at Bristol. Two races later, he won again at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Momentum is a fickle thing in motorsports, but with two wins in the Round of 8, the No. 66 team certainly has it coming into the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix. Can Majeski ride that momentum all the way to winning the NASCAR Truck Series Championship?
Zane Smith | No. 38, Front Row Motorsports
After winning the regular-season championship and entering the NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs as the top seed, Zane Smith has once again found his way to the Championship 4. Smith opened the year with a flurry by winning three of the first eight races. Although he has yet to win since the start of the playoffs, he was successfully able to point his way into the championship race.
This may be his first season driving for Front Row Motorsports, but Smith is no stranger to racing for the championship. He made the Championship 4 in each of the last two seasons while driving for GMS Racing only to finish runner-up in the final NASCAR Truck Series standings both times. Will the third time be the charm for Smith?
Chandler Smith | No. 18, Kyle Busch Motorsports
No NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 would be complete without a representative from the Kyle Busch Motorsports camp. Chandler Smith outperformed teammates John Hunter Nemechek all season long and is fittingly the KBM driver who will race for the title on Friday night. Smith has three outright wins on the year including a victory in the playoff race at Richmond which advanced him into the Round of 8. He went on to secure a spot in the Championship 4 on points.
It has already been announced that Smith will make the jump to the Xfinity Series next year to drive for Kaulig Racing. Can he deliver Kyle Busch Motorsports a championship in his final race driving the No. 18 Toyota Tundra?
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Prediction
In the table that follows, readers will find the current betting odds to win the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship. Find our official championship prediction below!
All NASCAR betting odds taken from Bovada Sportsbook.
| Driver | Championship Odds |
| Chandler Smith | +190 |
| Ty Majeski | +190 |
| Zane Smith | +240 |
| Ben Rhodes | +600 |
Who Will Win the NASCAR Truck Series Championship?
With how well Ty Majeski has been running in the playoffs, it’s hard to bet against him. The No. 66 ThorSport Racing Toyota has won two of the last three races and is the most recent winner on a short track. Although Phoenix Raceway is a much different type of short track than Bristol, the team has been able to prepare this truck for weeks now after being the first to clinch a spot in the Championship 4.
Majeski has peaked at the perfect time. Look for him to cap off his very first season as a full-time NASCAR driver with an improbable Truck Series Championship.
Championship Winner Prediction: Ty Majeski
