By: Ashley McCubbin

Nick Sanchez. Kyle Busch. Rajah Caruth. Christian Eckes. Corey Heim. Five different winners in the first five races this season.

Four of those drivers above are running the full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule so there is a chance of seeing a repeat winner this coming weekend at Martinsville Speedway. However, there are 29 drivers on the entry list that are trying to become the sixth winner.

Corey Heim is the most recent of those winners, picking up the victory at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) by pacing 31 of the 46 laps. It just adds to his great season so far that has him atop the standings with an average finish of third. He was also apart of the Championship 4 last year, and had a legitimate shot at the title until contact with Carson Hocevar. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota comes from a short track late model background, boasting the best average finish (6th) of drivers entered into the event, including a trip to victory lane last October.

Grant Enfinger knows how to get the job done at Martinsville, as evident by picking up a checkered flag in 2020. In the three events since at the paperclip, though, he only has a single top-10 with an eighth. He could use a breakout run this weekend after scoring a pair of ninths and a 12th in the last three races on the schedule.

Christian Eckes picked up the checkered flag at the latest short track on the schedule, Bristol Motor Speedway. He also has only finished outside the top-10 once this season, placing 32nd at Atlanta Motor Speedway after brake issues. The driver of the No. 19 Chevrolet placed fourth at Martinsville in 2020, only to follow it up with two results outside the top-10.

Ty Majeski has proven to know his way around the short tracks, with multiple super late model victories across the United States. That has carried over to the Truck Series at Martinsville, with results of 11th and fourth in his first two appearances for the second-best average finish of drivers entered. He enters this weekend ranked second in the standings, following a third at COTA.

Rajah Caruth made history in scoring his first career series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and has since backed it up with results of eighth and 15th. He made his first trip to Martinsville in a truck last season, placing 25th.

Tyler Ankrum is the next driver in the standings, ranked third after scoring his first finish outside the top-11 at COTA with a 25th-place finish. Martinsville has not treated him well in the past, with just a single top-10 (10th in 2022) in his previous appearances.

Nick Sanchez may have scored the victory to open the season at Daytona International Speedway, but has not scored a top-15 finish in the last three races. He scored an 11th-place finish last season at Martinsville.

Spire Motorsports has won two of the five races this season, with those victories coming virtue of Caruth and Kyle Busch. NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Sammy Smith will step behind the wheel of the No. 7 entry this weekend in hopes of doing the same. He has shown speed at Martinsville in NASCAR’s second-tier level, winning the pole and placing third last season.