By: Ashley McCubbin

For just the second time this season, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers will get a chance to turn left and right with the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course set to host the 14th race of 2023.

The first event of the year which took place at Circuit of the Americas saw defending series champion Zane Smith lead 16 laps en route to beating NASCAR Cup Series competitor Kyle Busch (who led 12) and Ty Majeski.

Who is going to be at the top of the mountain this time around? There are some options to consider.

The aforementioned Zane Smith has to enter as your top choice, though, as the victory in Texas is just the tip of the iceberg. He scored a runner-up in the inaugural event at Mid-Ohio, and is currently second in points with two wins and six top-five’s in 13 races.

It’s crazy to realize Corey Heim missed a race this season, but yet leads all of his competitors at the top of the standings. It just backs up his deadly consistency, with five top-five’s and 10 top-10’s for an average finish of 8.1. He showed speed at COTA by placing sixth, however placed 26th in the inaugural Mid-Oho event last year due to transmission issues.

Carson Hocevar has momentum on his side, virtue of winning the series’ most recent event at Nashville Superspeedway for his fifth top-five in a row. He knows his way around Mid-Ohio with a third last season, but did not get to show that same speed at COTA with a broken axle.

Stewart Friesen played a factor last season at Mid-Ohio, picking up a fourth-place finish – something you may have forgot about following his 14th at COTA. Currently ranked 11th in points, it’s safe to say it has not the year expected with no checkered flags and an average finish of 15.1.

Grant Enfinger is the opposite, having a great season as he sits third in the standings with two wins in the last six races. He could use a turnaround after missing the top-10 in Nashville, but may find himself doing the same this weekend. He was 11th in Mid-Ohio’s inaugural race, while placing 12th at COTA.

Ben Rhodes is another one of those with a trip to victory lane, picking up the victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. By following it up with a pair of top-10’s, he has put himself up to fifth in the standings. It will be interesting to see how he does, considering he was 10th at COTA and placed 23rd at Mid-Ohio last year.

His teammate Ty Majeski may be known as an oval racer with his late model experience, but could be someone to watch with the aforementioned third at COTA. He will be looking to rebound following a 31st at Nashville Superspeedway. He was 12th in the inaugural Mid-Ohio event.

Nick Sanchez is becoming the fastest driver without a checkered flag to his name yet, continually challenging for victories on a weekly basis, as he did at Nashville with a third-place finish. Can he do the same on a road course? He was seventh at COTA in April.