Defending Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes on verge of playoff elimination at Kansas

Going into the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, expectations were high for Ben Rhodes and the No. 99 team.

After all, the Louisville, Ky., native had just won his second Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2023 and Rhodes and crew chief Rich Lushes were seen as title favorites as the series opened its season in Daytona.

Through the first 18 races of the year, however, Rhodes has been anything but championship-caliber. Now entering Friday's Round of 10 finale at the Kansas Speedway, the two-time champion finds himself 12 points below the cut line.

If Rhodes is unable to make up those 12 points on fellow playoff driver Grant Enfinger, his quest for a third championship will come to a close much sooner than expected.

Rhodes' season has been the epitome of a championship hangover. The defending champion has only notched seven top-10 finishes and two top-five finishes, and has led a grand total of 16 laps. The most eye-opening statistic? Rhodes' average finish through 18 races is 15.2 and, barring a major hot streak over the final five races, he'll finish 2024 with his worst average finish since his rookie season in 2016.

A crew chief swap in May seemed to help at first. Rhodes rattled off four top-10 finishes in five races after Lushes and Doug Randolph swapped places, but Rhodes only has two top-10s in his last five races including a 27th-place finish at Bristol that put him on the edge of elimination.

Rhodes has made a living out of having a big day when it's least expected of him, but Friday's race will present a new set of challenges for a defending champion still looking for a spark.