The NASCAR Truck Series title race was a black eye for the sport

Championship contenders Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim tangled while battling for position late in the race and then did so again with only a few laps to go in what was clearly intentional payback by Heim (despite his unconvincing post-race denial).

Heim's move ended up setting off one of the most embarrassing sequences in the history of the Truck Series.

It took four — count 'em, four — "overtime" periods due to additional cautions to decide the race, which ended up running 179 laps instead of its scheduled 150. Meanwhile the two remaining title contenders, Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes, had an eventful finish of their own.

Enfinger had been driving away from Rhodes prior to the second incident between Heim and Hocevar. However, on the ensuing restart, Rhodes drove into the side of him and damaged his car, forcing him to pit when the caution came out to set up what would be the second overtime restart.

Then, on that restart, this happened:

Rhodes somehow continued with minimal damage, and amazingly enough, that still wasn't the final caution of the race. On the third overtime attempt, Jesse Love and Ty Majeski made contact to trigger this accident, bringing out the 12th yellow flag of the night.

The additional cautions allowed Enfinger to gain a number of positions, and on what would finally prove to be the last overtime attempt, he got all the way up to Rhodes' back bumper on the final lap but ran out of time. Rhodes, damaged truck and all, beat three other damaged trucks to win the championship essentially by default.

Some may call it exciting. For most others, it's embarrassing. It's an indictment of both the winner-take-all playoff format as well as the lack of racing etiquette and driver talent in the Truck Series. The latter has been an issue for some time, and Friday night may have been the series' official "jump the shark" moment.

The Truck Series was originally not designed to be a developmental series. It was a place where older journeymen drivers who, for whatever reason, never quite made it in Cup got to carve out their own niche. During days when the likes of Ron Hornaday Jr., Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague dominated the series, it had a credible identity and culture.

Now, though, it's turned into just another rung on the ladder, a place where undeveloped teenagers play bumper cars with reckless abandon. There's no rules, no accountability, no identity. The series has become a circus, and everyone else realizes it.

One has to feel bad for Enfinger. He's one of the last of the old breed of Truck Series regulars, a veteran who generally races with respect. He's the only one who comes out of Friday night's clown show looking like a professional, even though he had the most reason to be upset.

All in all, the 2023 Truck Series finale was a black eye for NASCAR. Time will tell its lasting impact on the credibility of both the playoff format and the Truck Series, while all fans can do is hope the rest of the weekend leaves a better taste in our mouths.