CONCORD, N.C.: After a slow start to the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger has been on a tear lately.
Since the March running of Circuit of the Americas, Enfinger hasn’t finished lower than 11th. On Friday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, the Fairhope, Ala. native registered his season-best finish after a late-race rally in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Entering the race, Enfinger had set his sights on winning the race for a long-time friend and supporter Rick Gavaletz whose wife, Karen, passed away from cancer earlier this week.
Starting the race 11th, Enfinger was able to quickly enter the top-10 and claim Stage 1 in 10th.
Looking for a better balance in his No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST, Enfinger would struggle and slip to 11th at the end of Stage 2 which ended under caution for an incident involving Matt Mills and Jack Wood.
Adjustments from crew chief Charles Denike for Stage 3, allowed the multi-time Truck Series winner to pedal forward and sat eighth when the caution flag waved less than five laps from the finish.
In the first NASCAR overtime, Enfinger had muscled his way inside the top-five, but when leaders Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece tangled, the caution flag flew again restacking the field for the second attempt in overtime.
Restarting fourth and behind fellow Chevrolet teammate Ross Chastain, Enfinger would give Chastain a heavy push that eventually allowed Chastain to clear traffic and set sail to the race win – with Enfinger immediately on his toes.
The second-place finish was Enfinger’s third top-five of the year and third top-five result in the past four races. He scored back-to-back third-place finishes at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and Kansas Speedway respectively.
“We had a good push going, glad to push my buddy Ross to the win,” said Enfinger after the race. “Wish we could have gotten there.
“In my book, he (Ross Chastain) owes me one.”
Enfinger dedicated the performance to Gavaletz.
“A longtime supporter of mine Rick, lost his wife to cancer earlier this week and I really wanted to get this one for her.”
With his sixth top-10 finish in the books, Enfinger holds ninth in the championship standings, 85 markers behind leader John Hunter Nemechek.
Very proud of everyone on this @GMSRacingLLC @ChampionPowerEQ @TeamChevy p2! Congrats to my buddy @RossChastain on the W for @TeamChevy (btw he owes me for the push) pic.twitter.com/rps3qEJoQU
— Grant Enfinger (@GrantEnfinger) May 28, 2022
Follow Grace Krenrich on Twitter @Grace3140.
