Everything you need to know before the NASCAR Truck Series Round of 8

On Friday, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will begin the second round of its playoffs at the Talladega Superspeedway. Eight drivers are still alive in the championship hunt, and all will be vying for a spot in the Championship Four. Here's everything you need to know before the series kicks off the penultimate round of the playoffs. 

Where are the races? 

The round is comprised of Talladega, (Oct. 4, 4:30 p.m. ET, FS1) Homestead-Miami (Oct. 26, noon ET, FS1) and Martinsville (Nov. 1, 6 p.m. ET, FS1). You'd be hard pressed to find a round made up of tracks that are so different from each other, as the round will be kicked off by the longest oval in NASCAR, (Talladega) and end at the shortest oval in NASCAR, (Martinsville) with the 1.5 mile intermediate of Homestead sandwiched in between. 

What do the points look like? 

1. Corey Heim (+38)
2. Christian Eckes (+29)
3. Ty Majeski (+14)
4. Nick Sanchez (+8)
5. Rajah Caruth (-8)
6. Tyler Ankrum (-11)
7. Grant Enfinger (-11)
8. Taylor Gray (-15)
   

Who will advance to the Championship Four? 

With so little margin for error, the best teams are sure to rise to the top. Corey Heim — the most recent Truck Series winner — and Christian Eckes seem like sure bets to make the Championship Four barring disaster, but the final two spots are difficult to pick. 

Ty Majeski seems like a solid selection, however, especially with the short track — the No. 98's team's best track type — of Martinsville serving as the elimination race. 

The other five drivers in the field seem to be very similar from a speed perspective, so how about a veteran in Grant Enfinger advancing in Year 1 with his new team? Enfinger came tantalizingly close to hoisting the championship trophy a year ago, and he has the playoff experience to make another run. 

Our Championship Four picks: Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger 

Eliminated: Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth, Tyler Ankrum, Taylor Gray