We have our first-ever series co-champions! Entering 2020, the league introduced a split-championship format, comprising both the old Overall Standings and the new 8-4-1 Title Chase. As a result, the year's initial series, the historic 2020 NHRL Truck Series, also marked a groundbreaking moment, becoming the first in a decade to incorporate a playoff elimination. We could not have written a better script. In a tale of two champions, Speedyman11 won the Overall Standings with hallmark consistency, while d3efan captured the inaugural 8-4-1 Title Chase playoff in a dramatic championship finale at Charlotte. Speedy had a strong overall campaign, with a series-leading 7 wins, 7 poles, and 535 laps led, along with a lead-tying 10 top-5s. The other drivers to earn victories were runner-up lepage71 (2) and a resurgent Rookiesrock (3) in third. Bandit, in fourth place, almost won his first major-series race at Eldora, but few doubt it will come sooner rather than later. In the 8-4-1 Title Chase, 8 drivers made the cut after 8 races to form the Elite Eight, and the group narrowed to 4 drivers after 11 races to form the Final Four. Speedy, lepage, Bandit, and d3efan would qualify. The stage was then set for an epic showdown at Charlotte. All four drivers led the race, and thus also the title, at various stages in the finale. Down the stretch, Bandit gradually fell back, while both Speedy and lepage spun during pit sequences. Meanwhile, d3efan was a case study in fortitude, and he seized the proverbial moment when it counted, drafting with the eventual race winner (Rookiesrock) to pass a fuel-saving Speedy on the final lap. The late-race reversal, symbolic of the volatility of the system, was spectacular theatre. You could also have lost a big-time bet that the 8-4-1 Title Chase champion would also have represented the race winner at Charlotte. We can't wait to see what happens next in Cup.
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