Grant Enfinger -- Richmond Raceway Preview
“So, we’ve got Richmond (Raceway) coming up tomorrow night - I’m excited about this one. I’ve never actually raced at Richmond but looking forward to getting on track. Obviously, we still aren’t able to practice, so the first laps, for me, will be when NASCAR drops the green flag. This is the last race in the Regular Season, before the Playoffs start next week at Bristol (Motor Speedway), so hopefully we can end the Regular Season with good momentum. We had a decent finish last week at Darlington (Raceway) – definitely not the race we wanted - but we’re definitely looking at gaining some momentum as we head into the Playoffs. I feel really good about the package Jeff Hensley has prepared for us, and we’ve got Champion Power Equipment back on the truck. It’s been a little while since they’ve been on board and I’m happy to have them back.”
Team Info/Stats:
Crew Chief: Jeff Hensley
2020 Driver Point Standings: 8th
2020 Owner Point Standings: 9th
Spotter: Chris Lambert
2020 Playoff Points: 11 (ranked third, overall)
2020 Stage Points: 66 (ranked 10th, overall)
Richmond Raceway Starting Position: 5th
News and Notes:
Richmond Debut… Thursday’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway will be the first time since 2005 the series has raced at the .75-mile track in Richmond, Virginia. In 11 Gander Truck races at Richmond Raceway (1995-2005), there have been eight different race winners, including three repeat winners (Mike Skinner, Jack Sprague and Tony Stewart). Furthermore, there are only three active Gander Truck Series drivers entered with previous experience at Richmond (Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter and David Ragan). Grant Enfinger, who will make his track debut on Thursday night, will start from the fifth position, when the field takes the green flag in the 250 lap event.
Our Fearless Leader… Enfinger may be making his track debut at Richmond Raceway, but he’s in good hands with crew chief Jeff Hensley. Hensley has made five starts at the .75-mile track as a driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and has called the shots for 27 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and two Gander Truck Series races at Richmond Raceway. Furthermore, Hensley called the shots for the most recent Gander Truck Series race winner, Mike Skinner, in 2005. The duo led a race-high 120 laps.
Richmond = Regular Season Finale… In 15 starts this season, Enfinger has two wins and 11 Playoff Points with only one race remaining in the Regular Season. However, if the Playoffs were to start today, the ThorSport Racing driver would be ranked fifth on the Playoff grid, with 14 points.
This Week's No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150... The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 41 for Thursday night’s 250-lap event at Richmond Raceway. This particular chassis made its debut at Texas Motor Speedway (8th) earlier this season and was last seen at Dover International Speedway (13th).
Welcome Back… Champion Power Equipment, a market leader in the power equipment field, will make their 42nd appearance as a primary partner of Grant Enfinger, since making their debut at Daytona International Speedway in 2016, in Thursday night’s Richmond 250.
Music To Our Ears… Curb Records recording artist Jackson Michelson will make his debut on the No. 98 Ford F-150 in Thursday night’s Gander Trucks 250. To preview his single, One Day, visit: Curb.com.
2020 Stats… In 15 starts this season, Enfinger has led 86 laps en route to two wins (Daytona and Atlanta), five top-five and eight top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 10.9.
Truck Series Stats… Enfinger has 98 career Gander Truck starts to his credit since 2010. His success includes 660 laps led en route to four wins, five poles, 33 top-five and 61 top-10 finishes.
Take Me Back – Darlington… Enfinger started seventh, based on a performance-based metric, finished 15th in Stage 1 and 12th in Stage 2. However, a strategy-call late in the race resulted in a fourth-place finish for Grant Enfinger in his track debut at Darlington Raceway.
Ford Fact… Ford-powered F-150's have found victory lane 102 times since 1995 in the Gander Truck Series including back-to-back wins at Richmond Raceway with Greg Biffle (1999) and Rick Carelli (2000).
