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ThorSport Racing places two drivers in the top five at Texas

The ThorSport Racing team started out strong at Texas Motor Speedway, winning Stages 1 and 2 in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race. But after Johnny Sauter wrecked early on and Ben Rhodes had a transmission failure, only Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger had a realistic shot of winning the race for the team.

Matt Crafton was the highest of the ThorSport finishers. falling 0.963 seconds short to eventual race winner Greg Biffle. Crafton started 10th and stayed in the top-10 for most of the night.

In Stage 1, Crafton worked his way up to finish fifth in the first stage and eighth in the second stage. He remained relatively quiet in the third stage, avoiding all the wrecks which put him up front for a late race restart with 10 to go, starting on the second row.

Crafton, who has been winless for almost two years, was chasing down Greg Biffle in the closing laps in hopes of snapping his winless streak. However, the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 would have to wait for another race to break the winless drought.

“Just trying to get to his (Greg Biffle) rear bumper,” Crafton told MRN Radio in his post-race interview. “With four to go, getting down into Turn 1, I just got really tight and didn’t make up the difference. Maybe I should have waited until one to go. It’s just so aero-dependent, track position just sucks. I wanted that 50 grand bad.”

It was Crafton’s six top five of the 2019 season.

His teammate, Grant Enfinger, also finished in the top five by placing his No. 98 in the fourth position. Enfinger finished third and fourth in both stages and led two times for 44 laps.

“We kept getting the raw deal under caution,” Enfinger said describing his race. “I still haven’t figured that out, everyone makes mistakes I guess. I saw a yellow flag come out one of those times and I slowed down, everybody went around us. Just frustration, because we gave them everything we got. Got an incredibly fast Protect The Harvest ThorSport Racing Ford F-150. Definitely capable of winning this race tonight, just didn’t have the track position when we needed it. Don’t know if we could have done anything different. I got into some hairy spots. Got our air taken off, got pushed around a little bit but was able to save the truck and survive a wild night here, but I feel like we really gave away a chance to win.”

The fourth place finish was Enfinger’s fifth top five of the year.

Johnny Sauter won Stage 1 but was caught up in a wreck during Stage 2 which took him out of contention to win. Sauter earned a disappointing 13th place finish after starting on the outside pole.

Ben Rhodes had a pretty similar night winning Stage 2, but a transmission failure plagued the No. 99 Carolina Nut Company Ford F-150 to a 21st place finish.

June 8, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Texas II
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series gets back on track this Friday night in the Lone Star state at Texas Motor Speedway for race number nine of the 2019 season after a couple of weeks off.

Normally, the summer race would be the site of the first of two races of the season with the final race taking place in November and being one in the Playoffs. However, the schedule changed this year by placing the November race in early spring and using the summer race as the final race for the Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway. It will also be the first of many standalone races for the series as well.

The Truck Series will have a unique twist when they get on track Friday night, as the series will introduce the Triple Truck Challenge over the span of the next three races. Should a driver win at Texas Friday night, Iowa or Gateway, Gander Outdoors will award the driver an additional $50,000 bonus for winning any of these events. If the driver wins two out of three, the title sponsor awards $150,000. Win all three and the driver will earn themselves $500,000. That’s extra motivation for any driver to win throughout the upcoming races.

With that said, there are currently 33 Trucks entered on the preliminary entry list for the SpeedyCash.com 400.

Here are five drivers to keep an eye on Friday night.
1. Johnny Sauter – It shouldn’t be a surprise that Sauter tops this list and there’s a reason why. He has a stellar track record at the 1.5-mile track and has always run well. Sauter has only finished outside the top-10 in five races there, while every other finish is either a win or a top-10. He has five wins (sweeping the 2012 season, 2016, 2017 and 2018). With those five wins, Sauter has collected 11 top fives and 17 top-10 finishes along with 368 laps led. He also has four poles with the last coming in the November race. His average start is 8.4 with an average finish of 6.1. Sauter has never had a DNF at Texas and has completed 100% of the laps dating back to his first start in 2005. It would be a mistake to bet against the two-time champion. Only something catastrophic or an ill-handling truck would prevent Sauter from having a great finish. Don’t be surprised if you see the Wisconsin native wheel the No. 13 into victory lane on Friday night.
2. Grant Enfinger – Texas could be the site of Enfinger’s first checkered flag of the season. The Thorsport driver has just five starts with a best finish of third coming in his first outing in 2017 with the No. 98 team. Since then, he’s earned three top fives and four top-10 finishes with 16 laps led. In the spring race, Enfinger earned the front row starting position by starting on the pole and wound up fourth after leading eight laps. He won the first stage while finishing seventh in Stage 2. Enfinger only has one finish outside the top-10 that came in the November race last year, finishing 12th. In the summer race last year, he finished fourth after starting eighth and led seven laps. Look for Enfinger and the No. 98 Thorsport team to be a strong contender this weekend.
3. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland only has three starts at the 1.5-mile track in the Lone Star state with a best finish of sixth in the summer race last year. The No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver even started on the outside pole and led 62 laps. He finished fourth in November and wound up 14th in the previous race in March of this year. At 1.5 mile tracks this year, Gilliland’s best finish came at Kansas last month with a finish of third where he challenged for the win late. Other finishes include ninth at Atlanta, seventh at Las Vegas and seventh at Charlotte. Gilliland has faced a lot of pressure to perform lately and he Triple Truck Challenge just might give him a little extra motivation to win this Friday night.
4. Stewart Friesen – Speaking of first-time winners, there could be one this weekend and it might be the No. 52 Halmar Racing driver Stewart Friesen. He has five starts with a best finish of second twice (2018 and March of 2019). His first two outings did not go well with finishes of 22nd and 14th. However, since the summer race, Friesen finished second, eighth and second. The Canada native sat on the pole and led 13 laps last year in the summer race. Those finishes have led to 26 laps led and an average finish of 9.6 at Texas. Friesen has been close multiple times to victory lane, falling short to Kyle Busch in March. Friday night could be redemption for Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar Racing team.
5. Greg Biffle – When people see the entry list this week, they’ll see a familiar name making a one-off start and his first race in quite some time. NASCAR fans will see Greg Biffle entered in the famed No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Friday night. It will be his first Truck Series start since 2004 at Homestead where he finished eighth. Before making the jump to the Cup Series, the Washington State native used the Truck Series as a stepping stone to get to the Busch Series and eventually to the Cup Series in 2002. Biffle won the Truck Series championship 19 years ago in 2000. In his championship season, he earned five wins, 18 top fives and 18 top 10 finishes. In 1999, the year before he won the championship, Biffle set the record in the Truck Series by winning nine races, the most in a single season. Only one driver has come close and that was William Byron in 2016 when he earned seven wins that season. At his last Texas start in November of 2000, he finished 25th driving for Jack Roush. However, he won that year as well at Texas. Biffle practiced in Kyle Busch’s truck at Texas earlier this March to adjust to the truck. It will be interesting to see how the 2000 Truck Series champion performs this Friday night.
Cory Roper will be back with his own team this week, driving the No. 04 Roper Racing Ford, Codie Rohrbaugh will be in the No. 9, Trey Hutchens will compete in the No. 14, Anthony Alfredo will pilot the No. 15, Ted Minor will be in the No. 25, Scott Stenzel will drive the No. 34 and Kyle Benjamin will be in the No. 45.

Texas Motor Speedway has hosted 43 Truck Series races dating back to its first year in 1997.

Johnny Sauter has the most wins with five, while former series regular Brendan Gaughan is the only driver to win four in a row and that occurred in the 2002-2003 season.

The list of winners include Kenny Irwin Jr, Tony Raines, Dennis Setzer, Jay Sauter, Greg Biffle, Bryan Reffner, Jack Sprague, Travis Kvapil, Todd Bodine, Clint Bowyer, Ted Musgrave, Ron Hornaday, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jeb Burton, Ty Dillon, Matt Crafton, Erik Jones, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Justin Haley.

The lowest a race winner has ever come from to win was 22nd set by Todd Bodine in 2004. The race winner has started on the pole five times and includes drivers Jay Sauter, Biffle, Reffner, Bowyer and Bodine, who was the last to do so in 2007.

The Truck Series will be on-track Thursday afternoon with two practice sessions. The first occurs at 2:05 p.m. ET and the final is set for 6 p.m. ET. There will be no live TV coverage for either practice session. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 5:35 p.m. ET with no live TV coverage as well.

The SpeedyCash.com 400 green flag will fly shortly after 9 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. The event will see three stages as usual with the first stage ending on Lap 40, the second stage on Lap 80 and the final stage on Lap 167.
June 4, 2019
Exclusive interview with Grant Enfinger-Part 2

In the conclusion of our interview with ThorSport Racing’s Grant Enfinger, we discuss his career in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

The Alabama native made his first Truck Series start in 2010 at Talladega driving the No. 95 Truck for Danny Gill. It would be his only start that year. Enfinger started 12th and finished 22nd due to a late-race crash, but he stills remembers that day vividly.

“I can definitely believe it was seven years ago,” Enfinger told Speedway Media. “I remember the big wreck, but at the end of the day, it was an awesome experience. You know, I remember that one because that’s in the hometown state and all that, so obviously that was a memorable start and obviously a memorable memory winning there a few years ago. It’s definitely a place that holds a special place but a frustrating one too.”

In 2017 Enfinger competed in his first full-time Truck Series season with ThorSport Racing. He ended the season with nine top fives and 10 top-10 finishes. The next year saw him win at Las Vegas in September with seven top fives and 15 top 10s by the end of 2018.

“Man, I feel like I found a home here,” Enfinger said. “That was definitely what I was looking for, you know, surrounded by racers. All I want to do is compete and win, take whatever we got and make it better. I feel like being paired with Jeff Hensley (Crew Chief) has been a good thing, we both talk in the same language as racers. From where we have started to where we are now, I feel like we have the same core guys. To see where we were then to where we are now, it’s a good feeling. We’ve built this by growing together and being on the same wavelength. Everybody has each other’s back and I feel good about the momentum we’ve carried from the second half of last year to the overall progress we’ve made from the beginning, the mentality where we need to be legitimate to run for the championship this year.”

Enfinger is also appreciative of teammates like Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes and Myatt Snider who work with each other throughout the weekend.

“I honestly feel like it’s a good thing,” he said, in describing his teammates. “I mean I think if you look down on the entry blanks on any given weekend, I think ThorSport Racing is stacked. I feel like we have the talent to where any of our teams can win. I feel like our teams are capable of doing that, it’s just a matter of which one hits it that weekend. Knowing your teammate has a shot at winning, makes you work that much harder. It feels like we’ve been working together and I think it has shown that this year, more so than years past. Our F-150’s have been running more together and more consistently up front. We still obviously got work to do it, but I feel like we’ve made progress as a whole at the ThorSport organization.”

When asked what the Truck Series would look like 20 years from now, Enfinger responded, saying, “Man, there ain’t no telling. I feel like the direction for the nearer future is to get rid of these couple of mile and half races, and go to some more short tracks. Everybody in America has been saying that for a long time and I feel like we’re finally going in that direction. But it’s changed so much in the last 10 years that I really don’t know.

“Racing as a whole kind of goes back around to where the teams go out there and get the drivers. I think ThorSport Racing is one of the few old school teams, Duke and Rhonda Thorson do everything they can do to make it all work the way it’s supposed to, rather than a driver going to wherever he wants and bringing the funding to do that. So I feel like eventually, that cycle has to end and I feel like we’ve started to see a few examples of that in the Cup Series this year. I feel like it eventually has to come back around. I don’t know how long that will take and I don’t know where the Truck Series will be at that point. Maybe 20 years from now, but that’s wishful thinking. I’m hopeful it will come back around.”

Introduced this year is the Triple Truck Challenge which starts at Texas Motor Speedway on June 7 and also includes Gateway and Iowa. Should any driver win one of those races, they will receive an additional $50,000 bonus.

“I’m definitely excited about it for a lot of reasons,” Enfinger said. “Number one, that money means a lot to these Gander Outdoors Truck Series teams. That could potentially help us keep going racing at ThorSport Racing. It’s a large amount of money. What’s also huge is the notoriety the series is going to get.

“I understand that we are kind of the third tier team in NASCAR and I get that, but I also feel like everybody you talk to will say the Truck Series is the best racing. It is the most exciting and that’s what they’re trying to model this Cup Series package around. I feel like it will be a great deal to some of the more true Truck Series fans and maybe get us some of the exposure we deserve. I think it’s great that the sponsor of the series Gander Outdoors is so involved to make that happen for everybody. That’s a win-win to everybody involved from the sponsors to the series to the teams. I think it’s huge and we’ve needed it for a while. That’s pretty exciting.”

During a driver’s career, there are always one or more races that they wish they could do over again. Whether it’s for a shot at the win or simply getting a better finish.

“There’s a lot of them,” Enfinger said. “You know, I would go back and change my last restart at Charlotte the other day. We weren’t going to win the race regardless, but we would have finished better. I mean, hell, I think of a hundred of them. I don’t know which one you want to know, but there’ve been some screw-ups along the way where there’s been some stuff that crap happens. A lot of could’ve, would’ve, and should’ve in racing.”

We also discussed his goals for this season and the team’s championship hopes. Currently, Enfinger has 98 starts in the Truck Series with two wins at Talladega and Las Vegas, 22 top fives, 42 top-10 finishes plus four poles along with 337 laps led following the Charlotte race.

The key, he said is, “definitely more wins. “We’ve got the solid finishes, but really it’s the peak that matters most. We haven’t peaked in my opinion to this point this year but we have been solid. Last year, from the last half of the second season on, we were solid then too. We stood a chance to win a few of them, winning one. We really had a terrible second stage of the Playoffs is what it boiled down to in a must-win situation at Phoenix. We were almost able to get that done but just a little short. The stars didn’t align for us. I don’t feel like it was really a lack of performance, it just wasn’t quite meant to be last year.

“I think we’re close. We ran fast, speed wise through the entire Playoffs. We had the speed to get the job done, we were just inconsistent in the result outcome, some self-inflicted issues and some crap luck too. That’s what racing is sometimes. I feel like we’re in an even better spot this season than we were last year. Just continue following down that path further. I’ll be honest with you, I feel like we have a lot of things going for us this year.”

Currently, Enfinger has 98 starts in the Truck Series with two wins at Talladega and Las Vegas, 22 top fives and 42 top ten finishes, and four poles along with 337 laps counting following the Charlotte race.

For those who aren’t familiar with Enfinger, he describes himself as “the blue collar guy that’s worked his ass off to get here. I’m not the guy that someone picked up and wrote a check for me to be here. I’m living my dream, this has always been my dream. I’ve worked my butt off here to get be in the Truck Series. I’ve done the hard stuff. Like I talked about earlier in ARCA by start and parking. I was driving haulers, pulling motors, cleaning these things and doing whatever no one else wanted to do.

“I feel like I can relate to the guy that works his butt off every day to make a living to go out on the weekends and enjoy it. I feel like I am that guy, I’m living that dream. I feel like God has let me do what I dreamed of doing. I’m just trying to live up to that, I guess.”

You can follow Enfinger as he pursues his championship dream on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

May 28, 2019
Exclusive interview with Grant Enfinger-Part 1

In this week’s exclusive interview, Speedway Media catches up with ThorSport Racing driver and Alabama native Grant Enfinger.

Enfinger entered the racing scene competing in the ARCA Racing Series before moving over to the Truck Series doing some one-off races from 2010-2017. In 2017, he was picked up by ThorSport Racing to drive the No. 98 for the full season. Since then, he has competed full time in two seasons, with one win in 2018 in September at Las Vegas.

Like many drivers who start from a young age in hopes of racing in NASCAR one day, Enfinger always knew racing was what he wanted to do.

“That’s where it’s always started from a young age,” he said. “My dad and me went to Talladega (Superspeedway) as a kid and kind of fell in love with it. He had a friend of his that raced at the local track there in Alabama and we would go with him, and watch him. It’s all I wanted to do, I don’t know if I ever seriously considered anything else.”

Recalling the first time he ever sat in a racecar, Enfinger said, “It was one of those things that you thought were awesome. A friend of ours was actually running an Allison Legacy Car out of Mobile International Speedway. I don’t know when that was, but I was young. He let me sit in the car there before the race and that would be something you always remember. I said, I wanted to do it (racing) before then but yeah, I definitely remember that.”

Enfinger also remembers his first ARCA start at Iowa in 2008 driving for Andy Belmont. It was a humble beginning.

“As soon as I graduated college, I moved to North Carolina and just was working with teams there and started working with (Andy) Belmont,” he recalled. “From there, I start and parked his backup car, that’s what it basically boiled down to, probably three to five times that year in 2008. But yeah, Iowa was the first time for me to be in an ARCA car. Like I said, it wasn’t really racing, only did a few laps or whatever. But that’s how it all started.”

Before he got to the ARCA Menards Series in 2008, Enfinger graduated with a Marketing degree. He explains why and how that makes him stand out from other drivers.

“You know, I feel like you have to do something to set yourself apart,” he explained. “More than anything, you have to convince these guys who are spending all this money on racing and it isn’t returning. You have to find creative ways to get returns because a lot of times, racing is hard to make a return out of. I feel like the Marketing degree has opened my eyes to some of the creative ways, you can actually help this make sense. There are companies out there where it’s not just a benefit, but necessary for them to grow their business and to get what they’re looking for. I think it’s been necessary for me and my career. You know obviously I’ve been a hands-on guy on the racecar and race trucks, but it’s also something I take a lot of pride in that I do have that. I try to utilize that to keep myself racing. You know, at the end of the day, that was the reasoning behind that degree. None of that was coincidence, that’s all I wanted to do.”

Enfinger went on to describe what he enjoyed the most about driving in the ARCA Series before making the jump to the Truck Series.

“I love the ARCA Series,” he said. “I still do. You know if there is an opportunity that pops up, here or there, I’ll jump in one. If the opportunity was right I would do it. Yeah, it’s definitely an experience on those bigger tracks but all those guys from the competitors to the officials and everybody all like that, you kind of just get along with them. It’s a family atmosphere and it’s fun, but you want to do it when you be competitive, when you can be in good stuff. It’s not fun running in the back like anything else. I definitely feel like I learned a lot in the ARCA Series through the years, just to be on a lot of the same tracks that we’re running in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series. I feel like that experience has definitely helped me and running for a championship, stuff like that. That’s something a lot of people can’t say and it helps our case.”

However, nowadays it seems like most young drivers don’t take the time to develop their skills in the ARCA Series but immediately jump into an Xfinity or Cup Series car to run in the mid-30s without having any prior experience at those tracks. Enfinger believes you have to gain some experience at those tracks to see if you’re ready to compete at those high levels, but also doesn’t blame someone for taking the opportunity when it presents itself.

“I feel like from the racers aspect, you need to take the stepping stones to get there. Now does that include ARCA or whatever? No. I think you definitely don’t jump into an Xfinity Car or a Truck for that matter. I think there are certain steps in racing that work better than others, but you have to go down the right path. In my opinion, you excel at a lower division before moving to a higher division. I think it’s obvious but yeah some people don’t always do that.

“But from the other standpoint, you have to go where the opportunities are when you’re a racer. You don’t have opportunities to be a top-level car at a lower level. If your opportunity at a higher level in a backmarker is the only opportunity you got, I don’t necessarily blame you but that’s not the opportunity I would be looking for. It’s so tough to make it make sense in all that. I understand people trying that, but that wouldn’t be my number one position.”

The Alabama driver adds there is really no ladder system in place.

“You know there is no sure enough system,” Enfinger continued. “You got some of the guys that get picked up from an early age that they’ll put in 10 or 12 ARCA starts and then they’ll put them in a Truck, put them in Xfinity, put them in Cup but yeah, that’s the proper system if you have the means and resources to do that. But there’s not a set in stone system. When you see the manufacturer get behind somebody, that’s what they will do. That’s probably the way you should do it to have those series.”

It was announced last year that NASCAR would be buying the ARCA Series and possibly merging them with the K&N Pro Series. Enfinger explains his thoughts on the merger.

“You know, I hate that they are in the position to do that,” he said. “But, I do think they are in a position where that needs to happen. The K&N field has been low for the last few years and ARCA is getting low this year. I definitely think it will help, I feel like there’s definitely a place for the ARCA Series and I don’t necessarily think there’s a place for the K&N Series. Where it is right now, they’re going after the same type teams, same type drivers. They’re both unfortunately incredibly expensive to do.

“I feel like ARCA has done a pretty good job within reason of keeping the cost manageable, probably more so than K&N has historically. Yeah, it cost more money to run a full season of ARCA than K&N, but you’re at a different level with tracks and stuff like that. I hope they kind of go with some of the ARCA mentality on things and how they have done it in the past, but we’ll have to see how things go. I don’t think making everyone change over all their cars is the right move and it sounds like they’re trying to find a happy medium there. It’s going to be tough to merge that stuff, but you know like I said, I have a lot of history in the ARCA Series. I may be a little biased, but I hope they don’t change the ARCA mentality to put it like that.”

Enfinger had quite the success in the ARCA Series with 16 wins, 47 top fives and 66 top 10 finishes, along with six poles, even winning the 2015 Series championship. He explains what his biggest victory is in that series.

“It would definitely be the home town track in Mobile (Mobile International Raceway),” Enfinger said. “Number one is my first ARCA win, I’ve run second or third for half of my ARCA starts, it feels like. We would lead a bunch of laps and end up running second or third somewhere all the time. Finally got that win in Mobile in 2013 and they came a lot more often after that. That was definitely the most special win. Friends and family were there, and it (the track) is literally 40 minutes from where I live, my home track. That was the most special. I hate the ARCA Series doesn’t go there anymore. Filled up the stands there at every show. But yeah, that was definitely the most memorable one.”

In Part 2 of Speedway Media’s exclusive interview with Enfinger, available Tuesday, May 28, we will discuss his career in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

You can follow Enfinger on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

May 25, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Charlotte
After taking a trip to the Midwest, the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series team headed home to Charlotte Motor Speedway for their eighth race of the season.

While some drivers consider Charlotte home, Kyle Busch and the No. 51 team found themselves home in victory lane Friday night for his 56th career Truck Series win. It was a remarkable feat winning five races in all five starts this season. The Truck Series regulars remain trying to chase down the all-time winningest driver but fell short once again. However, there is some good news for those series regulars. This was Busch’s last Truck Series race of the season due to NASCAR’s restriction on how many races in which he can compete in the series.

So, how did the other Truck Series regulars stack up? Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.
1. Ben Rhodes – After coming up short a couple of weeks ago at Kansas, Rhodes and the No. 99 Carolina Nut Company Ford F-150 was looking to carry that momentum over to Charlotte this past Friday night in hopes of a win. He started fifth and pretty much stayed in the top-10 throughout the night, finishing fourth and eighth in both stages respectively. Rhodes would even be up front to contend for the lead but only led a couple of times. However, despite a late race restart, Rhodes and the No. 99 Thorsport team finished fourth for his fourth top five of the season and equaling the fifth-place finish that he earned at Atlanta in February. Rhodes now sits fourth in the standings, 34 points behind teammate Grant Enfinger.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 2nd
2. Matt Crafton – Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 team came to Charlotte with momentum after securing the pole at Kansas and finishing sixth there. He was also hungry and hoping to snap his long winless streak dating back to Eldora in July of 2017. When the team unloaded on Friday they were fast right out of the gate, sitting on the pole for the second consecutive week, the 15th of his illustrious career. However, Crafton was not able to keep the lead as Rhodes, Todd Gilliland and Kyle Busch would go right by him. It wouldn’t be until Lap 30, where we would see the famous No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 back out front, although, he had to pass Todd Gilliland in a thriller off Turn 4 for the stage win. Crafton and the No. 88 ThorSport team stayed consistent throughout the night finishing fourth in the second stage. Ultimately, he still found himself winless as Crafton finished in the fifth position to round out the top five finishers. You’d have to imagine that he is even more hungry for a win as we approach the two year anniversary since of his last win at Eldora.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 5th
3. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland and the No 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team had a slight setback this week after finishing third at Kansas, but it was still enough to keep them in the power rankings. He started third but lost the first stage win in a thrilling battle with Crafton, then he finished 10th in Stage 2. Still, as much criticism as Gilliland has faced this year, it looks as though things are beginning to turn around little by little for the No. 4 team. However, they will have to get going if they want to be a serious championship contender in the Playoffs, as there are only nine races until the run to the championship starts. Gilliland sits eighth in the points standings, while his teammate Harrison Burton sits one point behind in ninth.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- 4th
4. Ross Chastain – Chastain was still coming off a win high at Kansas when he and the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team rolled into Charlotte Thursday afternoon. It is quite understandable considering that it was the first win for Al Niece and his team who has come a long way since their first truck entry in 2016. It was also a new truck for the team and it showed, as he qualified 13th Friday afternoon. Chastain didn’t take long to get inside the top-10, finishing fifth in Stage 1 and he even placed second in Stage 2 to Kyle Busch. He was hoping for a caution later on in the race, as he was the only one to have one set of fresh tires left. His break finally came with eight to go but it might have been a little too late. The caution came out with eight to go and it, of course, saw Chastain and the No. 45 team pit for those tires with a last chance effort. He would line up in the back on the restart with three to go, but one truck stalled on the start and Chastain was behind him. This slowed and eventually cost him the win or late race rally to finish a disappointing 10th. Chastain extended his streak, however, finishing in the top-10 in all Truck Series starts this year.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 1st
5. Brennan Poole – When fans look at the results for this past weekend’s race, they will notice an unfamiliar driver and team who just broke ground this year in the Truck Series. After missing Kansas due to sponsorship woes, Former Xfinity Series standout Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team was looking for redemption this past weekend at Charlotte and they almost did just that. They didn’t finish in the top-10 at all for either stage but found themselves restarting second to Kyle Busch with three laps to go. What a story it would have been if Poole and the small underfunded No. 30 team had pulled it off and were able to beat Kyle Busch. However, Poole fell 1.115 seconds short to Busch for his shot at the win. And to make it more impressive, Poole raced with a broken sway bar. That’s a pretty remarkable feat to accomplish especially with a small team. If they can keep this up and get more strong equipment like this, Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team will quickly become another fan favorite in the Truck Series.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
  
  Fell Out
  
  1. Grant Enfinger- Enfinger had a solid night finishing ninth after starting ninth. He finished third in both stages but it wasn’t enough to stay in the top five. Nonetheless, Enfinger and the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford F-150 team can still hold their head high as they continue to be the points leader over Stewart Friesen by 15 points.
May 20, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Kansas
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series headed west this past weekend to the heartland and the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway and as usual, the Truck Series didn’t disappoint.

Some were worried that it was going to be a single file race. But, in the end, a crowd favorite won the race with a late race thriller while others were left disappointed and still searching for a win.

There are some fresh new names that popped up in the power rankings, while some were able to keep their position. Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.
1. Ross Chastain – Chastain finally broke through this past weekend by winning at Kansas Speedway. Chastain and the Niece Motorsports team had been running and finishing inside the top-10 all season and have been close many times, especially with a third place finish at Daytona to open the season. Some fans since then have considered the Niece Motorsports a fan favorite and quite possibly, an underdog team in NASCAR. They continued week by week to strive toward their goal in hopes of winning in the Truck Series, or NASCAR overall. That moment came Friday night when Chastain passed Stewart Friesen with three laps to go, as Friesen ran out of gas and Chastain went on by. Chastain and the No. 45 team were hoping for no cautions for the rest of the way while Ben Rhodes was trying to chase him down in hopes of redemption from a couple of years ago, but couldn’t do it. In the end, Chastain and team owner Al Niece won their first Truck Series win. Chastain led three times for five laps and finished fourth in both stages. It was his first Truck Series victory in just 66 starts and Chastain’s first top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway. The Niece Motorsports team will look to carry this momentum throughout the rest of the season in hopes of fighting for the owners’ championship in which they currently sit third, 33 points behind Kyle Busch’s No. 51 team.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 5th
2. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes had a strong No. 99 Carolina Nut Co. Ford F-150 on Friday night at Kansas and came oh so close to capturing the Digital Ally 250 checkered flag. Despite looking at practice speeds after practice was over with where Rhodes slated 12th and 14th fastest in both practices, some probably thought, he may not have the truck to win Friday night. Rhodes and the No. 99 Thorsport team proved them wrong where he finished tenth in Stage 2 and found himself with a shot at the win late in the race. Rhodes was chasing down eventual race winner Ross Chastain, but ran out of time and fell .483 seconds short. It was his third top five of the 2019 season.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
3. Grant Enfinger – After qualifying 13th, Enfinger and the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford F-150 quickly moved up into the top-10 and led 47 laps until a late race incident with 27 to go when he and Brett Moffitt made contact, bringing out the fifth caution of the race. The team was doing well before then by finishing third in both stages but eventually finished seventh. If things had gone their way, they probably could have finished inside the top five or top three. Nonetheless, Enfinger still holds the points lead over Brett Moffitt by 13 points.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 1st
4. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland and the No. 4 KBM team improved on their finish from Dover by finishing third in Friday night’s race at Kansas. He started fifth and remained consistent, running in the top-10 and finishing seventh in both stages. In an exciting late-race battle for the win, Gilliland and company wound up in the top five. It was a much needed top five after finishing 15th at Dover and his first top five of the year.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
5. Matt Crafton – Crafton was looking to snap the long winless streak this past weekend in the heartland, but once again, fell short of doing so, not without effort, however. The No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 driver showed speed in early morning practice sessions on Friday by placing third and fourth fastest, respectively, in both practices. The No. 88 Thorsport team followed that up by qualifying on the pole, Crafton’s 14th of his career and his first at Kansas. Crafton led early but only led eight laps and was not really seen up front after leading early. He finished sixth in both stages to ultimately finish a disappointing sixth after having such a fast truck in practice and qualifying.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 4th
  
  Fell Out
  
  1. Johnny Sauter – A forgettable night for Sauter and the No. 13 ThorSport team who previously won at Dover before heading to Kansas Speedway. Mechanical issues plagued Sauter early on and he was sent to the garage to fix the problem. He could never really rebound and wound up 22nd after starting 12th.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 3rd
  
  2. Brett Moffitt – Much like Sauter, Moffit and the No. 24 GMS team had a disappointing night and were ready to move on to Charlotte after the race ended. The team started well by qualifying fourth earlier in the day. He even finished second in both stages and led three times for four laps. But troubles came late in the race when Moffitt and Enfinger collided with each other off Turn 2 and spun out. Both would escape without major damage, but the incident more than likely ended Moffit’s chance at the win and he had to settle for finishing eighth. The No. 24 GMS team will look to rebound this week at Charlotte.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 2nd
May 13, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Kansas
After visiting the Monster Mile this past weekend, the Truck Series heads to the Midwest and Kansas Speedway. Some drivers may follow “the yellow brick road” to victory lane in the heartland and others will leave grateful they are “not in Kansas anymore.”

The sponsor of the race is a Lenexa, Kansas based company Digital Ally, and the Truck Series race will be called the Digital Ally 250.

Currently, there are 27 Trucks entered on the preliminary entry list for Friday night’s race at Kansas Speedway.

While Johnny Sauter won his first race of the season last weekend at Dover, is he ready to set the world on fire or will someone else take over this weekend?

Here’s a look at who might just win Friday nights Truck race at Kansas.
1. Matt Crafton – This weekend could be the weekend that snaps Crafton’s year and a half winless streak since Eldora of 2017. He has the most starts of any active drivers with 18 starts and has competed in every race since the Trucks debuted at Kansas in 2001. Crafton has two wins at Kansas (2013, 2015). Overall, he has completed 97.7 percent of the laps and has led 110 laps. The No. 88 driver also has five top fives and nine top-10 finishes but does have three DNFs with the last coming in 2005. Since then, he’s had inconsistent finishes. In 2018, Crafton finished sixth, 16th in 2017, second in 2016 and 2014, and 12th in 2012. Nonetheless, Crafton could be following the “Yellow Brickroad” to victory lane on Friday night and snapping his long winless streak.
2. Brandon Jones – Brandon Jones will once again pilot the famed No. 51. Jones returned to the Truck Series last weekend at Dover where he finished 13th. He’ll have some pressure to perform well as Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers Noah Gragson and Kyle Busch swept the top two spots last season at Kansas. Jones will also have veteran crew chief Rudy Fugle who has two career wins at the track located in Kansas City, Kansas. The first in 2016 was with William Byron and last year with Gragson. Jones has two starts overall at Kansas with a best finish of ninth coming in last year’s race. He’ll be using chassis number KBM-055 as this chassis has had three outings with two wins, both this season with owner-driver Kyle Busch behind the wheel, at Atlanta and Texas. Jones finished seventh and fourth in both stages in 2018. He also has a couple of ARCA starts as well.
3. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger has been on a roll recently in the Truck Series by taking over the points lead after Dover and he just might continue that momentum this weekend at Kansas. In just two starts, his first coming in 2017, he has a best finish of eighth at the 1.5-mile track. In the first race, Enfinger started 15th and finished eleventh, and led 14 laps led. In 2017, he finished ninth and sixth in both stages, while in 2018 Enfinger finished fifth and eight in both stages, respectively. Enfinger finished inside the top-10 last year on 1.5-mile tracks including winning the Las Vegas race in September. Look for the No. 98 team to continue their momentum this weekend for the Digital Ally 250.
4. Stewart Friesen – Friesen and the No. 52 team will be looking forward to getting back on track this weekend at Kansas, and he might do just that. While his first outing didn’t go well finishing 32nd in 2017, Friesen upped his finish in last year’s race where he finished third after starting eighth and leading six laps. He also finished 10th and fifth in both stages last year. Friesen will be hungry for a win.
5. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt only has two starts at Kansas with a best finish of seventh in his first start in 2017. Last year didn’t fare so well for the defending Truck Series champion, where he finished 16th, four laps down. However, Moffitt has had four top fives and four top-10 finishes this season and he finished second last weekend at Dover after leading 81 laps.
  
  Of note, Angela Ruch will drive the No. 44 for Niece Motorsports, Norm Benning will be in the No. 6, Joe Nemechek will drive the No. 8, Josh Bilicki will be piloting the No. 34 Reaume Brothers Racing Truck and Riley Herbst will be in the No. 46. Natalie Decker originally wasn’t supposed to race at Kansas but added six races to her schedule and will be competing this weekend in the No. 54.
  
  Update – Announced Wednesday, May 9, the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team of Brennan Poole has withdrawn from Friday night’s race due to lack of sponsorship. The team will return to Charlotte next week.
  
  The list of winners at the speedway include Ricky Hendrick winning the first race in 2001, Mike Bliss, Jon Wood, Carl Edwards, Todd Bodine, Terry Cook, Erik Darnell, Ron Hornaday, Jr., Mike Skinner, Johnny Sauter, hometown favorite Clint Bowyer, James Buescher, Matt Crafton who won twice, Kyle Busch who also won twice, William Byron in 2016, and recently, Noah Gragson in 2018.
  
  Qualifying will be critical here at Kansas, as the lowest a race winner has ever started was 10th set by Todd Bodine in 2005, Erik Darnell in 2007 and Kyle Busch in 2017. The highest a race winner has come from was first place three times, the first in 2008 by Ron Hornaday Jr., Kyle Busch in 2014 and Noah Gragson in 2018.
  
  The Truck Series gets on track early Friday morning with the first practice at 9:35 a.m. ET and final practice at 11:35 a.m. ET. Qualifying for the Digital Ally 250 is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.
  
  The Digital Ally 250 will take place Friday night a little after 8:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio for 167 laps.
May 9, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Dover
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series returned to on-track action this past weekend at Dover International Speedway, famously known as the Monster Mile.

While it’s known to reach out and bite drivers, the drivers, for the most part, able to tame it. One, in particular, Johnny Sauter, took the lead with 30 to go and went on to win the JEGS 200. It didn’t come without some controversy, however, as Sauter fought an ignition issue early on but he rebounded nicely for the win.

While it was Sauter’s third consecutive win at Dover, how did everyone else fair? Was Stewart Friesen able to keep the points lead?

Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.
1. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger and the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment team had a good day at Dover, finishing fourth after starting sixth and running inside the top-10 all day. Enfinger even finished fourth in both stages and led three laps. Nonetheless, Enfinger had something to smile about after the race was over, as he took over the points lead by four points over teammate Johnny Sauter. It was Enfinger’s fourth top five of the year thus far.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- 2nd
2. Brett Moffitt – Some say Moffitt should have won this race. The No. 24 team got off to a great start Friday by qualifying on the pole. As the race started, Moffitt completely dominated and won Stage 1 and finished third in Stage 2. He consistently stayed up front, led 81 laps and finished second.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
3. Johnny Sauter – You could say Sauter got the monkey off his back by winning at one of his favorite racetracks. He showed speed in qualifying by starting on the outside pole. Sauter won Stage 2 but faced an ignition issue afterward. The No. 13 team was able to get it fixed and ultimately Sauter went on to win. Believe it or not, it was his first win of the season. Keep an eye on Sauter and company as they just might start to go on a tear this summer.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
4. Matt Crafton – Crafton and the No. 88 Menards team were able to salvage a top-five finish at Dover this past weekend, but not without a tough start. The two-time champion had to drop to the rear after an engine change before the race. Problems only got worse for Crafton as they started to face plug wire issues. Crafton came back to finish fifth. However, the No. 88 team had seen better days and were looking forward to getting out of Dover. Nice rebound, however, for the veteran driver.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 3rd
5. Ross Chastain – Chastain had an eventful day at the Monster Mile. He didn’t have nearly as strong a truck as in past races this year but still managed a top 10 finish, even after some close calls. There was a moment late in the race, where he almost lost control of his truck which would have brought out a caution. A late race caution helped the team get a decent finish to continue their great run in the 2019 season.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 4th
  
  Fell Out
  
  1. Stewart Friesen – After qualifying fourth and finishing fifth in Stage 2, the No. 52 team was really nowhere to be seen throughout the race. Friesen wound up 12th and lost the points lead to Grant Enfinger, and now sits third in the standings, 11 points behind.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 1st
  
  2. Tyler Ankrum – Ankrum quietly finished ninth at Dover but didn’t make too much noise, as he has had in previous races, such as his sixth-place finish in March at Texas.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 5th
May 8, 2019
ThorSport teammates Enfinger and Crafton collect top-five finishes at Dover

Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton each had to settle for a top-five finish as their teammate Johnny Sauter went on to win Saturday’s Jegs 200 at Dover International Speedway.

For Enfinger and the No. 98 team, he would quietly end up finishing fourth after also finishing fourth in both stages.

“Overall a great day for ThorSport racing and for Duke and Rhonda Thorson to be able to come out here and do this,” Enfinger told MRN Radio. “Locked in the Playoffs, so that’s good. Overall, we had a solid Champion Power Equipment F-150 all weekend really. Just not a race winning truck, but I think if we could have had some track position, we could have held him off. That’s about all we had.”

Matt Crafton, who is also a two-time champion, had a difficult day having to deal with a plug wire issue that came off after Stage 2 was done. However, the No. 88 Menards team was able to rebound to fifth. It was Crafton’s fourth top-five of the season but he was looking for a little more and was not satisfied with a top five.

“No not at all,” Crafton told MRN Radio describing his finish. “Just very aggravated with it, to be honest. It’s a damn shame that a plug wire came off, motor problems two races in a row in these things. Just keep digging us out of a hole. It’s good for these guys who work so hard, but I know this Menards Ford F-150 is better than that. I’m super excited for Johnny Sauter and everybody there, everybody at ThorSport. But at the end of the day, I know we could have been racing for the win.”

May 4, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas 1
The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series visited the Midwest this past weekend to Texas Motor Speedway.

It was the fifth race of the 2019 season and from the get-go, the Vankor 350 was a wild event. Turn 2 was the trouble spot for the night with four cautions taking place in that turn.

The action didn’t stop there though. The end of Stage 1 saw Thorsport teammates make a nervous moment for the team owner as Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes battled it out for the stage win.

When the race was winding down, Stewart Friesen found himself chasing down Kyle Busch for his first career win. Friesen was only able to get to Busch’s back bumper, but once he did, Friesen’s truck got tight and went away. Ultimately, a familiar foe played the same song, fourth verse. Fourth verse as Kyle Busch continued his winning dominance in the Truck Series.

While Busch won again for the fourth time this year, Truck Series regulars had to settle for a solid points night and look forward to a win at Dover, where Busch is not competing.

Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings following the Vankor 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.
1. Stewart Friesen – Another second place finish for the No. 52 driver out of Canada. He came close to snapping Kyle Busch’s win streak, but just got tight at the end. Only a slip up on Busch’s part (which is rare on his part) or a late race caution would have given Friesen another chance. As much as he wanted to win, the Canadian still had a solid night and continues to be the Truck Series points leader by six points.
Previous Week Ranking- 3rd

2. Grant Enfinger – A top five finish for the Alabama driver who finished fourth after starting on the pole. The highlight of the night came at the end of Stage 1 narrowly edging Ben Rhodes to win the stage. For Stage 2, he finished seventh. In the end, the No. 98 team wound up fourth after “almost wrecked all three restarts,” Enfinger said coming to the checkers. It was his third top five of the year.

Previous Week Rankings – 5th

3. Matt Crafton – The winless streak continued following Texas for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards team finishing fifth. However, since the Vegas race, it’s all been about consistency for Crafton who has finished inside the top-10 in all races this year, except Atlanta where he finished 14th which he had come down pit road for a loose wheel under caution. Crafton finished 12th and second in both stages, respectively. Ultimately, the No. 88 Thorsport driver finished fifth. He’ll look to Dover, where Crafton won a couple of years ago.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

4. Ross Chastain- While it wasn’t the night Chastain wanted, he still had a great finish and was able to claim another top-10 of the season. It was a relatively quiet night for the Floridian who finished seventh. Chastain finished 13th and fourth in both stages, respectively. He never really contended for the win, but momentum is everything in NASCAR and it’ll carry to Dover.

Previous Week Ranking- 5th

5. Tyler Ankrum- A great run for the No. 17 DGR-CROSLEY driver who finished sixth, despite his teammate Anthony Alfredo’s truck who caught on fire in a scary crash in Turn 2. Alfredo would be okay and have no serious injuries. Ankrum, however, finished seventh and tenth in both stages, respectively. Ankrum tied his best finish of sixth Friday night in his young career. The last time he finished sixth was last November at ISM Raceway.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked.

Fell Out
1. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt had a great night going until, with 20 to go, he had a tire go down and was forced to pit. The No. 24 GMS Racing team finished 19th, four laps down. If you look throughout the race, the results don’t reflect how well Moffitt was running before this unfortunate mishap. He started on the front row in second and finished sixth in both stages. After a forgettable finish, Moffitt will look forward to Dover in May.
Previous Week Ranking- 1st
1. Ben Rhodes – After an eventful ending to Stage 1 where Rhodes finished second to Enfinger and going on to finish third in Stage 2, he really was not seen for the rest of the night. The Carolina Nut Company Ford F-150 ThorSport team wound up in 10th place.
Previous Week Ranking- 4th
April 1, 2019