AVONDALE, Ariz.: Grant Enfinger is taking the little team that could to the CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series title race for the first time in CR7 Motorsports history.
The 39-year-old Fairhope, Alabaman advanced to the Championship 4 round with back-to-back wins at his home track—Talladega Superspeedway—and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
While Friday marks the third time Enfinger has advanced to the Championship 4, the Codie Rohrbaugh-owned team had never been in the title hunt until now.
“Last year we made a commitment to Grant and we made the commitment to do it at the highest level possible or not at all,” Rohrbaugh said. “And we’ve built a team around Grant. Grant and I talked about it—and we dreamed about it for three or four years—and we finally put it together.
“This is so rewarding. I’m just so proud of everybody.”
The deal between Rohrbaugh and Enfinger was finalized last December. In 2021, they were paired together for nine races, while Enfinger bounced between ThorSport and CR7. While Enfinger was competitive in the truck, he and Rohrbaugh agreed that if they ever decided to race together full-time, the situation had to be right for both of them.
“Codie has done everything he’s said he was going to do from day one—and I never had a doubt,” Enfinger said. “My doubts were, ‘How do we put all the right pieces together? How do we convince our guys at Chevrolet that we’re for real? And how do we get Jeff Stankiewicz over here?’
“Those were my only doubts. There was never any doubt whether Codie or Larry (Berg, Rohrbaugh’s grandfather) or those guys would do what they said they were going to do. They have done it, done it with a smile on their face and I think they’re having more fun than they ever have before.”
Stankiewicz, the veteran crew chief who worked and won with Enfinger during a seven-race stint at GMS in 2016—then won the title with Sheldon Creed in 2020, didn’t need much persuading. Changes at Richard Childress Racing made it an opportune time to join forces with CR7. A technical alliance with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing has helped as well.
While the No. 9 team didn’t come out of the gate strong, three races into the 2024 season Enfinger scored his first of consecutive top 10s at Las Vegas. With a three week break between mid-April and May, Enfinger scored back-to-back to fives at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Over the last 10 races, the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado has enjoyed an average result of 6.5.
“It has been gratifying to build something that maybe wasn’t the talk of the garage last year but is this year,” Enfinger said. “It’s been pretty cool to see that part of it evolved. It’s also pretty cool to see the guys that came in with not much experience, guys who hadn’t won a race before, for us to do that together.”
Rohrbaugh campaigned as a driver and owner in ARCA and trucks before electing to turn the reins over in 2021. After two full seasons with Blaine Perkins and Colby Howard, the chance to reunite with Enfinger was an opportunity Rohrbaugh couldn’t let slide.
“Grant’s just a game changer,” Rohrbaugh said. “He brings so much experience to the truck. His leadership, with Jeff (Stankiewicz) and Michael Shelton and Garrett Lambert and all the guys back at the shop—the leadership, starting with Grant, is just incredible.”
Last year, Enfinger fell one spot short of winning the truck title. This year, the veteran is more confident entering the finale with an organization that is on the rise. While CR7’s recent success might be a surprise to some, Enfinger expected nothing less.
“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work, effort, planning and a lot of guys just working hard all year,” Enfinger said. “It’s definitely something we’re proud of.
“And with the way everything has gone for us in the Playoffs, I feel like we have a bit of an advantage. We’ve got momentum. We’ve got confidence. And there’s no doubt that if we show up with our best stuff today during practice and tomorrow that we can beat these guys even if they’re 100 percent at their best if we are as well.”
Win or lose, Enfinger feels blessed to have the opportunity to run for a title again. The journeyman race never expected to make it to one of NASCAR top tours let alone win races.
“I was a 31-year-old rookie in the truck series so there were times in my life where I didn’t think I would ever get in competitive equipment,” Enfinger said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to run for a championship. I’ve been able to contend for a few championships now and make it here.
“But there were times in my career when I didn’t know whether I would be driving or know what I’d be doing but I always wanted to be in competitive stuff. I’ve been able to do that for 10 years.
“Yeah, I’m 39, and hopefully I’ll get to talk to you tomorrow night after we win or first championship in the truck series but regardless how it goes, I’m very, very proud of my unconventional path to get here. There may be some regrets I have as far as some stuff I’ve done career-wise, but from just keeping after it, working hard and having the resilience to keep going, I’m very proud of that.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
