Grant Enfinger Event Preview - Daytona

Grant Enfinger, No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Daytona International Speedway - NextEra Energy Resources 250

Race No. 1 of 23

Catch the Action:

NextEra Energy Resources 250: Friday, Feb. 16 | 7:30 p.m. ET | FOX Sports 1 (FS1) | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90

Team Info/Stats:

Crew Chief: Jeff Hensley

2018 Driver Point Standings: 5th

2018 Owner Point Standings: 5th

Spotter: Chris Lambert

News and Notes:

This Week's No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150... The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 60 for Friday night’s NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series (NGOTS) NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). This is the same chassis Grant Enfinger piloted to a sixth-place finish at DIS, and a 19th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 2018.
Superspeedway Stud… Enfinger is no rookie when it comes to winning at restrictor plate tracks. Currently, the Champion Power Equipment driver has led 266 laps en route to three wins at restrictor plate tracks in the NGOTS and ARCA Menards Series. The ThorSport Racing driver had back-to-back victories in the ARCA Menards Series in 2014 and 2015 at DIS, and claimed his first NGOTS win at Talladega (Al.) Superspeedway in 2016. Enfinger also won the pole for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at DIS in 2015.
Behind The Paint… The No. 98 Ford F-150’s new look for 2019 was designed by a NASCAR fan, @gmal1996, on Instagram. George Mihai, a 23-year-old college student from Romania, spends his pastime creating fictional NASCAR paint schemes due to his overwhelming love of the sport.
Eye In The Sky… Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series spotter, Chris Lambert, who spots for Denny Hamlin, will join the No. 98 team for 2019.
Welcome Back… Champion Power Equipment, a market leader in the power equipment field, enters it’s sixth consecutive season with Enfinger, and their third season with ThorSport Racing.
Music to Our Ears... Mike Curb, owner of Curb Records, and the No. 98 entry at ThorSport Racing, enters his 11th full-time season as an owner for the Sandusky, Ohio-based team. In addition to Enfinger (2017-2019), Curb has owned entries for Rico Abreu (2016) and Johnny Sauter (2009-2015).
2018 Review… Enfinger, who made his career first NGOTS Playoff appearance in 2018, finished a career best fifth in the championship point standings. The ThorSport Racing driver captured two poles (Gateway Motorsports Park and Homestead-Miami Speedway), and led 180 laps en route to one win (Las Vegas), seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes.
Catch Grant at Daytona… Enfinger will join his fellow ThorSport Racing teammates for the NGOTS Autograph Session, in the Infield Fan Zone at DIS, from 2:00-2:45 p.m. ET, and at the Ford Stage, in the Midway at DIS, at 3 p.m. ET, on Friday, Feb. 16.

Chatting with Grant Enfinger...

Some would call you a Superspeedway Ace. Do you enjoy racing on superspeedways, or is it a love/hate relationship?

“I’ve always enjoyed the superspeedway's - I’ve had a lot of success in both the ARCA Series, and Truck Series, with wins and poles. So, I enjoy superspeedway racing, but it’s also just as frustrating on the other hand, too. Your destiny is dictated by everybody else out there. Somebody can make a mistake and end your day, or something you had worked out in your mind - that makes sense for everybody and can push you or them to the win - and then they decide not to go, and you can lose the race just as easily as you could win it, or wreck it. As much as I love them, they are frustrating too, and I’m glad we only have a couple.”

How do you position yourself for a good finish at Daytona?

“It’s almost impossible to come up with a good strategy at any superspeedway, but it seems like the best strategy is to stay up front, and out of trouble. It’ll be nice to have teammates to work with, and draft with, especially the veterans like Matt (Crafton) and Johnny (Sauter). You never know when the ‘Big One’ will erupt and at that point, everything is out of your control. Sometimes a good finish at Daytona comes down to pure luck. All I know is that as a team, ThorSport Racing’s five Ford F-150’s should be a threat to the rest of the field. I’m just looking forward to getting back on-track Thursday in my No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150. It’s been too long since Homestead.”

Quote from George Mihai - Paint Scheme Designer:

"The inspiration for the scheme came after a lot of research on Champion Power Equipment, their products and previous schemes. Since we're talking about power equipment, I thought using sharper angles would give it a tougher look - it's ready to deal with anything, no matter the situation. The fading stripes not only makes the scheme look fast, but the fade-away was used to make a smooth transition from the front including the signature ThorSport Racing design to the rest of the scheme. Getting to see my work on a NASCAR race truck is just overwhelming considering that I'm more an unconventional designer. I've never gone to art school and I don't own a business. After making my first scheme for Kaulig Racing in 2016, I never expected to have more of my work on a track because of the aforementioned reasons. I can't be more thankful to Champion Power Equipment and ThorSport Racing for giving me the opportunity to work for a top team in the sport for the first time ever, and I can't wait to see the No. 98 Ford F-150 hit the track in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series at Daytona."

Race Information:

Race No. 1 of 23: Daytona International Speedway

Track: 2.5-mile Superspeedway

Race Distance: 100 Laps/250 Miles

Race Format: Three Stages: (Stage 1: 20 Laps, Stage 2: 20 Laps, Final Stage: 60 Laps, ending at Lap 100)