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Tag: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series

  • Tyler Ankrum recovers from spin and finishes third at Texas

    Tyler Ankrum recovers from spin and finishes third at Texas

    Just when you thought that the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race couldn’t get any wilder, it did. Tyler Ankrum, the recent high school graduate, went for a wild slide down pit road after a restart Lap 74 but still managed to score a top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

    The San Bernardino, California native started the race in the eighth position. While he did not earn any stage points, the No. 17 DGR-Crosley driver was able to avoid all the crashes and the melee that took place throughout the night for a third-place finish.

    “I had it sideways because (Stewart) Friesen got off my door and I saw pit road, and I gunned it,” Ankrum said to MRN Radio about his wild pit road slide. “I was like alright, we’ll either hit the grass or pit road, and I thought I had it semi saved and we started heading toward the wall. I thought this was going to hurt. So just slammed on the brake and turned left, pushing the clutch just thinking to myself, this is going to hurt. It eventually stopped, spun back but man, it was a nerve-wracking moment for me. At that point, I thought our night was done because we were coming back from two laps down. We were two laps down again at that point because when you go down pit road at 190 mph, they kind of don’t like that, so they penalize you for that. And also going a lap down because we blew all four tires. It was definitely an eventful night for us.”

    Despite finishing in the third position and earning his best career finish since his sixth-place finish at this track earlier in the year, Ankrum doesn’t know if he’ll be racing the next two races.

    “We really don’t know for the next two races for money,” Ankrum said. “You know, struggling to find sponsorship, I don’t know if we will or not. Altogether, our season has been escalating tremendously. I felt our No. 17 DGR truck, our No. 17 Railblaza Toyota Tundra could win a race. I think tonight proved it. We led laps and actually passed for the lead, and maintained the lead and maintained a solid gap. I think this DGR-Crosley team could do it, but it’s going to take a lot of resources to do it to pull it together. I think going forward, we can do it.”

    It was a memorable night for Ankrum who graduated high school on stage tonight during driver intros. He led nine laps during the race to capture his first Truck Series top five.

  • NASCAR rookie rundown leading into Michigan/Texas race weekend

    NASCAR rookie rundown leading into Michigan/Texas race weekend

    It’s past the halfway point in the 2019 NASCAR regular season, and so far the rookies across the three national divisions have been engaged in tight battles to be the supreme rookie in their division.

    In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Daniel Hemric and Ryan Preece have been neck and neck with each other, even if their results haven’t exactly wooed the NASCAR world. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the rookie class is a lot deeper, as Chase Briscoe, John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Haley, and Noah Gragson have been posting some serious results on a regular basis. The 2019 Gander Outdoor Truck Series rookie class is in a similar vein, as Tyler Dippel, Sheldon Creed, Harrison Burton, and Gus Dean (among others) are also in a heated contest for rookie of the year honors.

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

    The Cup Series rookie race hasn’t been as deep as the other divisions this season. That said, Hemric and Preece have left fellow RotY contender Matt Tifft behind and are currently battling among themselves as Preece sits 25th in points with one top-five and two top-10s while he tails Hemric in 24th, who just has one top-five and one top-10. Tifft sits 31st in points with two top-20 finishes and three top-25 finishes yet hasn’t finished on the lead lap in 2019. Tifft managed to lead a lap at Kansas, where he finished 21st, but in this day and age leading laps even on strategy doesn’t account for much. Still, he’s a rookie with a new team and if there’s anything Bob Jenkins knows how to do with his Front Row team, it’s giving his drivers a solid foundation.

    Prior to Daytona, it was all but a given that Hemric would run away with the RotY battle. Richard Childress Racing is an established championship team who has managed to put several drivers in Victory Lane, while the sole Cup victory for JTG Daugherty Racing came in 2014 at Watkins Glen with AJ Allmendinger. However, despite the RCR Chevys having had issues for years, it isn’t that Hemric is failing in his expectations or anything. It’s that Preece has managed to take his No. 47 Chevy and get more out of it than originally expected. He’s shown he’s a solid superspeedway driver, scoring a career-high of third at Talladega (the same race where Hemric got his first top-five).

    Still, Preece holds three lead-lap finishes to Hemric’s two. But Hemric’s consistency has been his strength, as he holds six top-20 finishes to Preece’s four top-20 finishes. They’re both remarkably steady for Cup Series rookies, with both of them usually lingering in the upper mid-pack positions. That shouldn’t change at Michigan on Sunday, so expect these two to loiter around 15th-25th position during the race.

    NASCAR Xfinity Series

    Noah Gragson. Photo by Joseph Shelton

    The rookie race in the Xfinity is a lot deeper and happen to be more viable threats for the win, aside from rookie Matt Mills, who is currently in the midst of trying to help his team gain traction in the garage. But one of the impressive underdog rookies happens to be Gray Gaulding, whose Bobby Dotter-owned race team scored a runner-up finish at Talladega, which was Gaulding’s career-best. Aside from that Gaulding has managed to put his No. 08 in the top-20 in 10 out of 12 starts this season, so if he’s able to maintain this it could be the start of something good for his team. They’re not going to contend for wins soon, but they will be knocking on the door to the top-10 sooner than later.

    Meanwhile, drivers such as Briscoe, Haley, Gragson, and Nemechek are running at the front weekly, and it’s been fun watching to see who would gain the edge over the others. Right now it’s Briscoe, who sits sixth in points with six top fives and nine top-10s. He has a win to his credit, like Nemechek, but it came a year ago, also like Nemechek. This could prove to be a valuable psychological edge for Briscoe and Nemechek, as both have managed to establish themselves as championship threats. Nemechek holds a runner-up (Las Vegas) to Briscoe’s season best of third (Pocono), but he also sits seventh in points with two top fives and seven top-10s, a tally that he’s also short on compared to Briscoe. Still, Briscoe proves to be strong everywhere while Nemechek has yet to prove himself on other tracks. Unlike Briscoe, Nemechek has shown to be lacking on some of the faster tracks, but at the rate he’s going it’s something he can overcome soon.

    Haley and Gragson are the only actual rookies in this class, and they’ve shown it. Gragson sits eighth in points with two top fives and five top-10s. In true JR Motorsports fashion, he’s a consistent front runner, but it’s the smaller tracks where he needs more work, as 22nd at Richmond and 19th at Dover. Otherwise, when he isn’t in the top-10 he’s running in the top-15: 11th at Daytona, Phoenix, and Talladega, 12th at Fontana, and 13th at Texas (pictured).

    However, Haley’s proved to big a big rookie surprise. He sits in 10th in the points, but while he’s earned a solitary top-five (fifth at Charlotte), he holds nine top-10s. It’s a testament to his Kaulig Racing team, who although isn’t as high funded as other teams, holds an affiliation with RCR. That affiliation isn’t the sole reason Haley’s been near the front, but with their driver Tyler Reddick a consistent front runner and race winner, it’s obvious the affiliation isn’t hurting the team at all. Haley’s top-10s have come on a variety of tracks, so don’t be surprised if he manages to score another top-five or be a threat to win before the season is up.

    NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series

    Rookies Sheldon Creed (No. 2) and Harrison Burton (No. 18) go three-wide with Grant Enfinger. Photo by Brad Keppel

    The rookie race in the truck series isn’t as impressive as the Xfinity Series, but that’s not to say that the racing isn’t impressive in its own right. Rookies Creed and Burton are currently leading the charge in the division, as they have both shown the most strength with their teams, who also happen to be the strongest teams in the Truck Series (Creed with GMS Racing, Burton with Kyle Busch Motorsports). They have yet to translate their runs into wins, but it isn’t for lack of trying. Burton has posted the best results with two top-fives and four top-10s, which places him in the ninth spot in the standings at the moment. Three of his four top-10s have come on 1.5-mile tracks, which are the bread-and-butter for KBM drivers.

    What’s surprising about Creed is that although he holds a single top-10 (sixth at Las Vegas) and sits 10th in points, he’s actually led 92 laps over the span of three races (21 at Daytona, where he earned a stage win, 59 at Dover before a crash put him in 27th, and 12 at Kansas before finishing several laps down in 19th) and has shown to have a strong truck more often than not. However, his luck isn’t the greatest as a rookie: Despite having a season average starting spot of sixth, he has five finishes outside of the top-15 in eight starts this season. Patience would go a long way for Creed, and after a little more experience he’ll soon be posting finishing stats that equal his qualifying efforts.

    Young Motorsports driver Dippel isn’t far behind Burton and Creed, as he sits 11th in points, also with a single top-10 (eighth at Texas). It’s been hit or miss for Dippel in 2019 though, as outside of that top-10, he only has three top-15 finishes. Otherwise, he’s been a solid mid-pack driver, with a 17th at Las Vegas, an 18th at Dover, and a 23rd at Martinsville. His DNF at Daytona where he finished 29th was his only one so far of the season, so it does seem like he takes good care of his equipment.

    Dippel’s teammate Gus Dean has had a rough go of things though. The two-time ARCA race winner has yet to break the top-10 in a Truck race this season, but he holds four top-15 finishes in eight starts this season. Aside from troublesome finishes at Las Vegas and Charlotte where he finished 22nd and 26th, respectively, his DNFs at Martinsville and Texas where he finished 32nd and 29th respectively were nothing more than growing pains for the Young Motorsports organization. They’re steadily improving, so before too long Dippel and Dean could end up improving on their rookie season start soon.

    The David Gilliland Racing stable has definitely been hot and cold in 2019. On the hot side, there’s Tyler Ankrum, who has earned two top-10s in five starts so far in 2019, with a season-best of sixth at Texas. He’s held strong runs regularly; his DNF at Charlotte where he finished 27th was his first time outside of the top-20. Otherwise, he’s very stout on the faster tracks. His run at Martinsville resulted in a 19th-place finish but considering it wasn’t any different from his 18th-place run there during his series debut it’s safe to say short tracks should provide a learning experience for him, one that he’s sure to accomplish.

    The pairing of Anthony Alfredo and Chris Lawson is still in its infancy, but that’s not to say it hasn’t had its ups; Alfredo earned his first top-10 in his fourth start when he finished eighth at Charlotte. Considering that his last start before that ended up in a fiery crash at Texas, anything above that should be considered a success. He’s only made four truck starts, but he’s solidly been in the top-20 in every start he’s made with the exception of Texas. He still has several starts to go before he becomes established, but with that said Alfredo is a very capable driver.

    The lone bust happens to be Natalie Decker. Granted, she’s made limited starts in her DGR Toyota, but she’s also been in a few easily avoidable incidents such as Kansas and Charlotte. Her DNF at Daytona was truly an incident beyond her control, and considering it’s Daytona she looked to build on her promising start of 11th. But running over debris which ended her day was not any fault of hers. The crashes and issues since are a little harder to justify. She’s a rookie, sure. But DGR Toyotas are very solid race cars, and she should have more promising results other than her 13th at Las Vegas.

    She had a lot of hype following last year’s ARCA season where she finished seventh in points after scoring two top-fives and five top-10s, but that hasn’t translated so much in the truck series. She needs to stop being afraid of her truck and afraid of the competition if she is to learn like she’s supposed to be doing. Decker has proven capable in race cars before this year; she needs to re-establish just how capable she truly is.

  • Weekend schedule for Michigan and Texas

    Weekend schedule for Michigan and Texas

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend along with the ARCA Menards Series while the Gander Outdoors Truck Series will run a standalone race at Texas Motor Speedway.

    All times are Eastern.

    Texas:

    Thursday, June 6

    3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series First Practice – Results
    5:05 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series Second Practice – Results
    7 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series Final Practice – Results

    Friday, June 7

    5:35 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series Qualifying – NASCAR.com/MRN
    9 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 – 250.5 miles (167 Laps) – Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 40), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 167) FS1/MRN

    Michigan:

    Friday, June 7

    8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.: Arca Menards Series Final Practice
    Noon: ARCA Series Group Qualifying
    1:05 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series First Practice – MRN/NASCAR.com/live
    2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series First Practice – MRN/NASCAR.com/live
    3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice – FS2 (Airing tape delayed at 4 p.m.)
    4:05 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Final Practice – FS2/MRN (Airing tape delayed on at 5 p.m.)
    6 p.m.: ARCA VizCom 200 – (100 laps – 200 miles) – FS1

    Saturday, June 8

    10:30 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – FS2 – Qualifying Impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions)
    12:05 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Qualifying – Qualifying Impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1/MRN
    1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Lti Printing 250 – 250 miles (125 Laps) –  Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 125) – FS1/MRN Defending Race Winner: Austin Dillon

    Sunday, June 9

    2 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 – 400 miles (200 laps) –  Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200) – FS1/MRN Defending Race Winner: Clint Bowyer

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  • ARCA Menards Racing Series Preview- Michigan

    ARCA Menards Racing Series Preview- Michigan

    The 2019 ARCA Menards Series season heads to Michigan International Speedway this week for race number nine, almost reaching the halfway point of the season.

    And what a season we have seen so far in the ARCA Menards Series. When the season opened up at Daytona, we saw upcoming superstar Harrison Burton take the checkered flag with the powerhouse team of Venturini Motorsports. The Venturini’s continued their dominance by winning back-to-back with Michael Self at Five Flags in Pensacola and Salem.

    From there, it looked liked Self and the No. 25 Venturini team would run away with the championship. However, troubles were ahead after having early season success. They still had a decent run at Talladega finishing fifth, but frustrations started to grow at Nashville, Toledo and Charlotte.

    At Nashville, the No. 25 of Self was caught up in an accident which took him out of contention and he wound up 15th in that race. Toledo had a better showing for the team, as they finished fourth after starting on the pole and leading 12 laps. Although, Self and company still felt like it was a race they had given away. His teammate, Chandler Smith would go on to win the Toledo race. Then Charlotte came and it looked like the 25 team was back on track to dig themselves out of a hole.

    Self started on the pole once more and led a whopping 91 laps of the scheduled 100. But issues arose late in the going when oil and smoke came out of the back of the car. It would eventually go away on restarts, but then on lap 87 of 100, Self spun out when leading the race. The team never could rebound which led to a frustrating fifth place finish in a race they should have won.

    Last week at Pocono, Self finished 11th but is starting to grow tired of not winning, even though they feel like they have a car capable of winning every race.

    And now ARCA heads to Michigan International Speedway, not too far from the racing capital of the world. Manufacturers like Chevrolet and Ford, among others, are located there and it gives drivers like Self extra motivation to go out and win.

    For Self and the No. 25 Venturini team, they only have one start together which came in last year’s race. The Park City, Utah native has one top-five finish in his only outing finishing third after starting third and leading 23 laps. Despite finishing third there last year, Self and the No. 25 team are hoping to finish the race this weekend after having some frustrating finishes of as late.

    “After the last few weeks, I think I’m just really hoping for a completely smooth day at Michigan from the first lap of practice to the checkered flag at the end of the race.” Self said. “We’ve been off-kilter a bit, between mistakes by me and mechanical issues, I just want to focus on getting that cleared up. Once we do, we’ll be rock solid. The Venturini Motorsports guys bring the fastest cars to the racetrack every weekend, but we’ve beat ourselves the last two races on track where I feel like we should’ve excelled. I really like Michigan and think it’s a ton of fun to race there, and hope this is the place we can piece everything back together and have a shot at another win.”

    Despite Self’s issues, another driver is starting to heat up their on-track performance and that’s Chad Bryant Racing driver Ty Majeski. He won his second consecutive race last week at Pocono after a late race charge to the lead passing Riley Herbst for the win.

    At Michigan, Majeski has just one start that came two years ago finishing sixth. Majeski drove the Cunningham Motorsports car that is now owned by Chad Bryant.

    Even with only one start at the track, Majeski and the No. 22 team are looking to continue their winning ways this week at Michigan after having much success as of late in a part-time schedule.

    “It’s been a great few weeks,” said Majeski. “I can’t thank Chad (Bryant), Paul (Andrews) and the rest of the No. 22 Crestliner guys for their hard work and belief in me. We worked hard at Charlotte and Pocono to come away with the win and we’re going to take the same approach that we did the last two races and apply it to Michigan and hope for the same result.”  

    With only one ARCA start at Michigan, the No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing driver hopes to build upon that sixth place finish two years ago.

    “Michigan International Speedway is a beast, but it’s a blast of a place to race,” added Majeski. “It’s a very wide race track with a lot of room to race with incredibly fast speeds. I’m hoping I can apply some of what I learned a couple of years ago to our No. 22 Crestliner Ford Fusion during practice and qualifying on Friday.”

    While Majeski and Self both have one start to their track record, the No. 15 Venturini Motorsports driver Christian Eckes will be making his first ARCA start or stock car start of any kind this weekend at Michigan.

    With no experience, Eckes is excited to get to the 2-mile racetrack that is Michigan International Speedway.

    “I’ve done a lot to prepare for Michigan this week,” said Eckes. “I’m excited to make my first laps on track. I’ve spent time on the sim at TRD and just basic stuff like film and notes. I feel extremely prepared to go have another great run this weekend.”

    Another possible future superstar will have added track time experience this weekend. Joe Graf Jr. will be running the ARCA race and also making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for Richard Childress Racing at Michigan.

    Graf Jr. has one start at Michigan that came last year, where he finished fifth after starting deep in the field. Even though he has only had one start at Michigan, he is ready for the additional track time and believes it will be his best finish yet.

    “I’m very excited about Michigan this weekend,” said Graf Jr. “It’s been an incredibly busy week with preparation, testing and then getting to Michigan. I’m incredibly focused and look forward to the chance to have my strongest results of the year.”

    Myatt Snider, a former NASCAR Truck Series regular and now a part-time driver for ThorSport Racing makes his return to the ARCA Menards Series this weekend. He had one win, three top fives and six top-10 finishes in just 10 races in his short ARCA career before making the move to trucks.

    After completing a limited schedule, Snider made the jump to the Truck Series to drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports in his rookie season and then to the dominant ThorSport Racing team in 2018. Snider’s best finish in the Truck Series was second at Talladega last fall.

    At Michigan, he has one start in the Truck Series finishing 18th after starting eighth. In the ARCA Series, Snider started on the pole in his only race three years ago but finished a disappointing 23rd after crashing on Lap 38.

    This time around, the 24-year old returns in a Venturini Motorsports No. 20 prepared Toyota.

    “Glad we could put this deal (together) late in the game so I could make a return to the 2-mile superspeedway,” said Snider. “Michigan is one of the toughest tracks on the ARCA circuit. But that’s what makes it so fun. Really excited for the weekend.”

    The ARCA Menards Series will see an 18 car field in Friday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Other drivers include Dick Doheny, Morgen Baird, Tanner Gray, C.J. McLaughlin, Tommy Vigh Jr, Riley Herbst, Bret Holmes, Travis Braden, Brandon McReynolds, Thad Moffitt, Brad Smith, Scott Melton and Tim Richmond, who will all look to tame the 2-mile superspeedway located outside Brooklyn, Michigan.

    Since 1980, Michigan International Speedway has seen 38 ARCA races and the winners are a list of whos-who.

    The list of winners include Joe Rutmann, Tracy Leslie, Dave Mader III, Stanley Smith, Bob Keselowski, Jeff Purvis (who won three in a row), Ron Barfield Jr, Tim Steele, Mark Thompson, Frank Kimmel, David Keith, Kerry Earnhardt, Blaise Alexander, Chad Blount, Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Steve Wallace, David Stremme, Brent Sherman, Erik Darnell, Justin Lofton, Parker Kligerman, Mikey Kile, Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, Brennan Poole, Austin Theriault, Ross Kenseth, Brandon Jones and Sheldon Creed.

    The ARCA Menards Series will see another different winner this weekend.

    Qualifying is very important at Michigan where the winner has come from the pole position six times, occurring in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 and the last in 2017. The lowest a race winner has come from to win was 28th in 1997 set by Tim Steele. Since then, the lowest a driver has ever started to win was ninth (twice, which occurred in 2001 by Kerry Earnhardt and 2012 by now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Chris Buescher).

    The race winner has also come from the second starting spot, 10 times which occurred in 1994, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018.

    The ARCA Menards Series teams will get on track early Friday morning with the only practice session taking place at 8:30 a.m. ET lasting until 10 a.m. ET, live on ArcaRacing.com.

    Qualifying takes at noon ET and will also be live on Arcaracing.com.

    The VizCom 200 green flag is scheduled to fly at 6:15 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1. There will be 100 laps to make up the 200 miles.

  • Exclusive interview with Grant Enfinger-Part 2

    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.

  • Exclusive interview with Grant Enfinger-Part 1

    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.

  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race at Charlotte

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race at Charlotte

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series visited the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway located in Concord, North Carolina this past Friday night for the continuation of the 2019 Truck Series season.

    The polarizing driver, Kyle Busch was entered in his fifth and final truck race of the season in the Truck Series. And to no one’s surprise, Busch went five for five, winning in all five starts in the series this season. It’s a remarkable feat last accomplished by Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday who did it in 2009. However, he won five consecutive races that year, which means Hornaday’s record will stay intact for years to come. That is, unless, Busch decides to chase after a Truck Series title once his career in the Cup Series is done or an up and coming driver comes along (and there’s a lot out there) and starts breaking records like Busch did when he began his stellar NASCAR career. Nonetheless, despite Busch not winning in five consecutive races, it’s an extraordinary feat to win in all five starts. It’s something he tried years ago in the Xfinity Series, but he could only get half of them. The Future Hall of Famer is certainly impressive in the Truck Series this year, but will now turn his attention in trying to build his KBM team into a championship organization as they approach the Playoffs.

    While Busch continued his winning ways, other teams mourned the passing of longtime Truck Series owner Mike Mittler who had been an owner of a Truck Series team since the first year of the series in 1995. Mittler is known for giving drivers their first start. Some notables include Jamie McMurray in 1999 who made five starts that year and in 2000 where he made 10 starts. Carl Edwards made seven starts with the team in 2002 and Regan Smith made two starts the same year. Others include Justin Allgaier in 2005 and 2006, Brad Keselowski in 2006, Blake Koch in 2014, Brandon Hightower in 2015, Akinori Ogata in 2015, Bobby Pierce, who famously drove the truck at Eldora for all of his truck starts, Garrett Smithley, Spencer Boyd, the Donahue’s, Camden Murphy and Timmy Hill. J.J. Yeley was the last to drive for Mittler making the team’s last start at Chicago. The team attempted Bristol but withdrew.

    Team owner D.J. Copp took the No. 63 in order to pay tribute to Mittler. In a Facebook post by Copp Motorsports, it states that “Mittler Motorsports and Copp Motorsports officially joined as partners in early 2017. In an effort to help grow each of our programs, we operated seamlessly, however, we did have our hurdles beyond our relationship. With that, it often led to Mike telling me very simply “If it doesn’t make sense, then don’t do it…. It’s just that simple” and he so very often would repeat it back to me to make sure I understood.”

    With that in mind, here’s a look at this week’s Four Takeaways from the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    1. Rowdy Reigns Supreme In Charlotte – Kyle Busch won once again at Charlotte Motor Speedway, making it his eighth career win in the Truck Series at the 1.5-mile track in Concord. NASCAR fans saw Busch earn his 56th career win in 150 starts. To make it understandable, that’s 37% of the time that Busch has won in the Truck Series ever since his first win at, you name it, Charlotte in 2005. While the team owner was successful Friday night, leading all but 32 laps, finishing seventh in Stage 1 and won the second stage, his KBM teammates are still looking for the first win of their career/season. Todd Gilliland finished seventh, while Harrison Burton wound up 11th. If you take Kyle Busch out of the occasion, KBM has not won at all this year. Gilliland’s best finish so far came at Kansas a couple of weeks ago finishing third. His teammate Harrison Burton has a best finish of third at Dover. Both drivers sit on the playoff bubble with Gilliland in eighth and Burton in ninth, one point behind. Both are facing pressure to perform with a team that can and has won championships in the past. They only have nine races left until either driver can win in order to have a chance at the championship in 2019. And if they don’t win, their jobs could be on the line with KBM if these drivers don’t start winning soon.

    2. Anthony Alfredo Earns Top-10 Finish – The DGR-Crosley team had a miserable night with Natalie Decker wrecking out early on Lap 32 and their other teammate and Tyler Ankrum finishing 27th after facing vibration problems on Lap 111 that resulted in Ankrum and company not finishing the race. While Decker and Ankrum didn’t have the best night, their teammate Anthony Alfredo did by finishing eighth after starting 15th. It was his best finish so far this year.

    3. Young’s Motorsports Pay Tribute To Mike Mittler- As mentioned above, many teams and drivers took to social media over the week after Mittler passed away. There were many tributes and special messages displayed by drivers who drove for him or had a special connection with Mittler. One, in particular, was Spencer Boyd who made his first Truck Series start in 2016 at Martinsville finishing 28th. Boyd and the Young’s Motorsports teams paid tribute to the passing of Mittler.

    4. Texas Begins Triple Truck Challenge – When the Truck Series returns to on-track action at Texas Motor Speedway in a couple of weeks, it will see a unique twist introduced by Gander Outdoors and NASCAR that will award the winner of Texas, Iowa and Gateway a $50,000 bonus in each of those three events. Should a driver win all three, they will earn $500,000 in total after the challenge is over at Gateway. Think of it like the “Dash 4 Cash” in the Xfinity Series where drivers have a shot to win $100,000 for the highest finisher; that’s similar to how it will be in the Truck Series. Imagine what that can do to a team like Niece Motorsports or Halmar Racing if they end up winning one of the races? It would be a huge win. These races can all be seen on Fox Sports 1 the rest of the season. The RattleSnake 400 will take place Friday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET, the M&M’s 200 at Iowa Saturday, June 15 at 7 p.m. ET and Gateway Saturday, June 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Charlotte

    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.

  • Brennan Poole and Stewart Friesen earn top-3 finishes at Charlotte

    Brennan Poole and Stewart Friesen earn top-3 finishes at Charlotte

    After missing the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway due to the lack of sponsorship, Brennan Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team returned with redemption in mind and wanting more after last week.

    Poole and the No. 30 team started 17th and quietly ran under the radar all night long. But when it mattered most during a late race restart with three to go, he found himself inside the top three with a shot at the upset win for a small underfunded team.

    Poole tried all he could to chase down race leader Kyle Busch, but ultimately, wound up 1.115 seconds short.

    Poole was ecstatic about his second place finish, despite not being able to chase down Busch for the race win.

    “I just gave it everything I had,” Poole said in his Fox Sports 1 post-race interview. “I found a little something there running on the top lane of the restarts and it worked out really good. I can’t thank MadVapes, Blu this weekend. It sucks that we missed Kansas last week. The work that the guys do with literally no funding is ridiculous. Ran second tonight to Kyle Busch with a broken sway bar. So, pretty proud of the effort. I know we got a lot more chances with this coming up in our future to get this Toyota Tundra to victory lane, but I’m excited tonight and I may even go grab a beer when I get home.”

    It was Poole’s first top five of his Truck Series career in over 10n starts and the best finish of his Truck Series career.

    After a heartbreak last weekend in Kansas, Stewart Friesen, driver of the No. 52 Halmar Racing Chevrolet was looking to rebound this weekend at Charlotte and he almost did just that.

    Friesen started second and ran inside the top-10 most of the night, finishing fifth and sixth in both stages. He was up front and found himself in the top five late in the race, but had to settle for another top-five finish, finishing third for his fourth top five of the year.

    “These guys work so hard,” Friesen said to MRN Radio. “All of these guys work so hard. Thanks to Chris Larsen, Team Chevy and GMS Fab Shop. They got their heads down and working hard, we’re catching them. Kyle (Busch) ended up spanking us at the end here. I know he got out and had that good run there, but we got some good notes. We’re going to keep working on it and get them at the end of the year when the money is on the line. Speaking of money on the line the next three weeks, thanks to Gander Outdoors. That’s pretty badass. We put up a lot of money to race our modified in modified country in the northeast. We’re going to go to our two favorite tracks, Texas and Iowa, and this is not my favorite track, so I’m ready to get out of here.”

  • ThorSport Racing places three drivers in the top-10

    ThorSport Racing places three drivers in the top-10

    It was a solid night for the Ohio based ThorSport Racing team with three of their four drivers finishing inside the top-10 with the exception of Johnny Sauter who wound up 17th after stalling on a late race restart.

    Ben Rhodes, the highest finisher among his teammates, earned a fourth-place finish. Rhodes was up front for most of the race. He led the first couple of laps before settling into the top five for most of the race. In the first stage, Rhodes and the No. 99 Carolina Nut Company Ford F-150 finished fourth after leading a couple of laps early. However, in Stage 2, the Kentucky native fell back a little bit after pit stops and finished eighth.

    Rhodes would find himself near the front again as the race continued to wind down. On a late race restart with three to go, he had the chance to run down eventual race winner Kyle Busch for a shot at the win and what would have been his first victory since Kentucky of last year. However, the No. 99 ThorSport team wound up fourth, the highest of the ThorSport finishers.

    “Yeah, a little bit up and down,” Rhodes told MRN Radio describing his night at Charlotte. “Kind of missed the, I guess the audible that everyone pulled when me and Todd (Gilliland) stayed out. We had to drive through the field tonight. I’m wore out, that was a lot of work. I mean we had a fast Carolina Nut F-150. The guys at ThorSport, everyone back at home, Duke and Rhonda Thorson did an amazing job getting all their ThorSport trucks fast. Matt Crafton got the pole and I thought we were going to get second, but we were having a few issues with looseness. We know how to fix it, we’ll have to go home and do our homework, and we’ll be ready for the big money race at Texas.”

    Crafton, in the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150, finished one spot behind his teammate Rhodes to round out the top five finishers.

    Crafton’s day started off well by collecting the pole for the second straight week in a row and even winning the first stage. After winning the first stage, however, Crafton could not catch the leaders. He would fight in the top five, but could never get back to the front. Crafton was good enough to finish fourth in Stage 2. But alas, his winless streak is still intact as Crafton would earn his fifth top five of the year.

    “We were actually really, really tight in the first half of the race, three-quarters of the race,” Crafton said to MRN Radio. “We were able to free it up in the end. Still needed a little bit more. The 51 (Kyle Busch) was definitely class of the field. All in all, I mean it wasn’t bad. We still have room for improvement, this group keeps getting better and better each week. As bad as we struggled last year, it feels good to run top five and top three and lead laps again.”

    After finishing third in both stages, Enfinger, the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment driver, finished inside the top-10 in the ninth position.

    “Not the finish we deserved but had a good truck all night,” Enfinger said in his post-race tweet. “These guys have been great all year on pit road and everyone who works for ThorSport Racing has brought us great F-150s. Hungry to get us a win.”

    Sauter would be last of the ThorSport teammates finishing 17th after stalling on a late race restart.