Ben Rhodes

27-Year-Old Driver  
ThorSport Racing
2024 Fantasy Outlook
While Rhodes' 2023 campaign lacked some of the wins and Top-10 finishes of other drivers, the ThorSport Racing veteran would get consistent and hot during the playoffs to walk away with his second Craftsman Truck Series championship in the last three years. That has been the model for the No. 99 team in recent seasons. Rhodes has not been dominant (only four wins in three seasons) but his incredible consistency and knack for heating up during the playoffs have rewarded this veteran driver with two titles and a runner-up finish in the points. Rhodes will be in the mix for another championship again in 2024. ThorSport will give him good trucks and crew chief Brian Ross will continue calling the shots for this team. Read Past Outlooks
Runner-up Finish in Martinsville
Craftsman Truck Series
November 1, 2024
Rhodes finished second in the Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night.
ANALYSIS
The veteran driver started sixth on the grid and raced inside the Top 10 most of the night at the Virginia short track. Rhodes would pick off several spots in stage 3 and work his way to the front for 12 laps. After the last caution of the night it looked as though Rhodes could grab the win, but the No. 19 Toyota of Christian Eckes would move him out of the lead and take the win. It was just his third Top 5 of the season.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Ben Rhodes See More
NASCAR DFS Trucks:  NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship
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Corey Heim had the title in his grasp last year, but things didn't work out. The No. 11 tops C.J. Radune's DFS picks for Phoenix as he expects a bounce back.
NASCAR DFS Trucks:  Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200
15 days ago
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NASCAR DFS Trucks:  Baptist Health 200
21 days ago
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43 days ago
Nick Sanchez have proven his ability on superspeedways, and the driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet is one of C.J. Radune's top DFS plays for Talladega on Friday.
NASCAR DFS Trucks: Kubota Tractor 200
50 days ago
C.J. Radune previews the Round of 10 cutoff race at Kansas Speedway, and makes the case for Dean Thompson being one of the best DFS values plays in the field.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2014
The eight-year veteran nearly pulled off a successful title defense of his 2021 championship. Rhodes would win one race and nab 13 Top-10 finishes in 2022, but fall just short of the title and would finish runner-up in the points last season. The ThorSport Racing star has put together some of his best racing in the last three seasons. Rhodes will continue on with the No. 99 team, but make the switch from Toyota to Ford and change in crew chiefs. Jerrod Prince takes over for Rich Lushes as the No. 13 and No. 99 teams swapped chiefs. Rhodes will look to form chemistry with him quickly and continue being a race winner and championship contender in 2023.
The ThorSport Racing veteran started last season strong with wins in the first two events on the calendar. However, Rhodes would cool off in the middle portion of the schedule before heating up again to close out last season. The campaign would have him square in the middle of the battle for the championship up until the final race of last season. Rhodes' third-place finish at Phoenix would seal the career-best season and give him his first Camping World Truck Series championship. He will return to the No. 99 Toyota again in 2022 and mount a defense of last season's championship. Rhodes as the ability to win races and collect many Top 5's, so he'll be in the mix again at Phoenix this November.
Rhodes continued to inch the bar higher in 2020 with career-best marks on several fronts. He picked up his third-career victory with a big win at Darlington, and he posted nine Top-5 and 14 Top-10 finishes on the way to a seventh-place points finish. The performance was good enough to earn another season at the wheel of ThorSport Racing's No. 99 Toyota. Rhodes has been pushing to make NASCAR's championship playoff round for the last few seasons, but coming up just a bit short. Is 2021 the season where he finally breaks through to race for a championship at Phoenix? Time will tell, but it certainly is incumbent on Rhodes to join the multi-win club in the upcoming season. Until he can produce multiple wins across a season, his chances of winning his first championship are slim.
Rhodes is expected to return to the seat of this strong race team. Last year he nabbed seven Top-5 and 13 Top-10 finishes and wound up a respectable ninth-place in the final driver standings. While the campaign fell short of victories and championship aspirations, Rhodes did build on his last two seasons of truck series competition. The 22-year-old youngster is now approaching 100-career truck series starts, which makes him the most seasoned of the young drivers in this racing series. We expect to see Rhodes get back into victory lane in 2020, and modestly grow his Top-5 and Top-10 totals during the upcoming campaign. Rhodes still has a lot of growing to do and he could be the next big star in the making in this division of NASCAR.
Rhodes is expected to return to the seat of this strong race team. Last year he nabbed one victory, 13 Top-10 finishes, three pole positions and wound up a respectable eighth-place in the final driver standings. While the campaign fell short of championship aspirations, Rhodes did build well on his solid 2017 season of similar performance. Rhodes and crew chief, Eddie Troconis, have built some nice chemistry the last two seasons. This young driver will be just turning 22-years-old early into the upcoming season, so he's still very young and teachable. With 73 combined starts in this division of NASCAR to his credit, Rhodes is one of the more experienced young drivers in the series.
Rhodes made some real progress in 2017. He nabbed his first series victory at Las Vegas and went on to post 12 Top-10 finishes en route to a fifth-place points finish. It was a dramatic improvement over his 2016 campaign. Rhodes now looks to step up his game another notch and become a championship contender and challenge for race wins. ThorSport will give him the trucks and team to make that happen. This racing series is all about developing younger talent and this 20-year-old will take his next steps this season and turn into the next big name to watch in climbing the NASCAR ladder. Rhodes' talent is undeniable and it's certain that big things are ahead.
The Louisville, Kentucky native had by some measures a disappointing 2016 season. It was Rhodes' first full-season in the truck series and it didn't quite net the results anyone expected. The 19-year-old labored to just five Top 10's in 2016 and wound up a discouraging 14th in the final driver standings. Rhodes is expected back with this ThorSport Racing team this season. If so, he'll be once again paired with crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and a very solid set of corporate sponsors on the No. 41 Toyota Tundra. We've seen Rhodes impress in the K&N Pro Series East and for brief stretches in the truck series, now it's time to put it all together in 2017. The young driver enters a make-or-break year in terms of his career, but the good news is that he'll have the team and support to succeed greatly.
Rhodes will increase his NASCAR schedule this season as he takes over the No. 41 Toyota full-time in 2016. The 18-year-old driver only dabbled part-time in the Xfinity Series last year, and spent way too much time on the sidelines. That will all change with this great opportunity to race for one of the truck series’ top multi-truck teams. Rhodes is the 2014 K&N Pro Series East champion, and he completely dominated that circuit two seasons ago. He’ll turn 19-years-old just as this season is getting underway, so the room to grow and develop will be given ample opportunity. The No. 41 team is a new team for ThorSport and it will be headed up by Kevin Bellicourt, who himself will be a rookie crew chief at this level.
More Fantasy News
Fast Richmond Truck Practice
Craftsman Truck Series
August 10, 2024
Rhodes was fastest in Happy Hour practice for Clean Harbors 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway Saturday afternoon. He turned a fast lap of 119.021 mph.
ANALYSIS
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Third in Darlington
Craftsman Truck Series
May 11, 2024
Rhodes finished third in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Darlington Raceway Friday night.
ANALYSIS
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Wins 2023 Truck Series Championship
Craftsman Truck Series
November 4, 2023
By virtue of finishing fifth in the season finale Craftsman 150 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Phoenix Raceway Friday night, Rhodes was crowned the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.
ANALYSIS
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Third at Homestead-Miami
Craftsman Truck Series
October 21, 2023
Rhodes finished third in the Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
ANALYSIS
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Runner-up Finish at Talladega
Craftsman Truck Series
September 30, 2023
Rhodes finished second in the Love's RV Stop 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday afternoon.
ANALYSIS
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