It was a race to forget for Ben Rhodes. Having begun the Round of 10 playoffs strongly with a ninth-place finish at the Milwaukee Mile, the ThorSport Racing driver looked to build on that momentum at Bristol Motor Speedway. However, a 27th-place finish at the 2024 UNOH 200 emerged as the third-worst result of Rhodes’ season. This means the pressure is on the Kentucky native to perform well at Kansas Speedway. Or he risks missing out on the Round of 8 starting at Talladega.

Speaking about the race’s outcome in Bristol, Rhodes shared his views about the on-track drama involving Jack Wood. He claimed that the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver damaged his No. 99 Ford, which contributed to his overall result.

Ben Rhodes claims he was ‘chopped’ at Bristol

It seemed like Ben Rhodes was fighting a losing battle right from the get-go. His No. 99 Ford F-150 appeared to lack pace all weekend, forcing him to finish 25th in qualifying. It didn’t get much better from that point on. He wasn’t even in contention for points in the opening two stages. Moreover, he couldn’t gain track positions during the closing stages of the race as he did at the 2024 LiUNA! 175 at Milwaukee. The result meant that the two-time Truck Series champion fell one spot to 10th place in the driver standings. This puts him a distant 100 points behind leader Christian Eckes.

Speaking after the race, Ben Rhodes was asked about the on-track incident with Jack Wood by Sportsnaut journalist Matt Weaver. The 27-year-old went on to say, “Yeah, I’m confused because his crew chief Kevin (Bellicourt) came down and asked if he chopped me and I said yeah. From my point of view, he did. I have no problem owning up to mistakes. I’ve made plenty of them. I had a big run and I went down.”

Reflecting on how the incident impacted his race, Rhodes went on to say, “As soon as I had the run, he threw a huge block and there was no time for me to check up. Around he went and I just tried to stay out of it. Luckily, I don’t think he got any damage. I got some on my right front, I gotta go see the replay. I really don’t know. From my perspective, I thought I got chopped.”

While it might not be a justification for his poor performance at Bristol Motor Speedway, the on-track incident with Jack Wood could explain why Ben Rhodes was forced to settle for his worst finish in 15 races at ‘The Last Great Colosseum’. With the race at Kansas Speedway on the horizon, Rhodes will know that he has very little margin for error going into the 2024 Kubota Tractor 200. Heading into the race in Bristol, the 27-year-old was already 2 points beyond the playoff cut-line, and that margin will have only increased before the Round of 8 begins. Nevertheless, the driver is excited about his chances in the upcoming race.

Rhodes is optimistic about his chances at Kansas

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Having won the Truck Series in 2021 and 2023, expectations were high for Ben Rhodes going into this season. However, the ThorSport Racing driver hasn’t done as well as he would’ve hoped. He failed to secure a single win in 18 races, with just two top-five results to his name so far. If there was ever a time for Rhodes to turn his season around, it’s now, and a result at Kansas Speedway will be necessary if he hopes to defend his crown at Phoenix Raceway later this year.

Speaking about his expectations from the final Round of 10 races, Ben Rhodes said, “I mean, I’m always hopeful. The stats will say otherwise this year but I can tell you that we’re bringing a truck that has a different body on it. New body build for us. We’ve done some stuff to complement our package where we’ve been struggling for a mile and a half. This will be the first time we’ll run that body this year. I’m hopeful it’s going to make the difference for us on a mile and a half. I know where we’ve been struggling, and I know where we can improve, but it takes time to build trucks and try to build trucks around the proper package.”

Whether ThorSport Racing’s improvements will be enough to get Ben Rhodes a result at Kansas Speedway remains to be seen. However, it is a step in the right direction for the defending Truck Series champion’s No. 99 Ford. Will the 27-year-old turn his fortunes around in the 2024 Kubota Tractor 200, or wilt under the pressure of having to secure a result in the final Round of 10 race? Time will tell, but one thing’s for sure, Rhodes isn’t going to go down without giving it everything that he has got.