BROOKLYN, Mich: For much of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season, it would be easy to forget that Grant Enfinger and his No. 98 ThorSport Racing team were the championship points leader.
Enfinger’s quiet demeanor and his determination to come to the track and get the job done propelled him to the most consistent driver in the Truck Series through the 16-race regular season.
Armed with two poles, seven top-fives and 13 top-10s overall, Enfinger has shown that his team can finish races and finish them well enough to claim the regular-season crown.
But that’s far from good enough.
Earning a spot in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs by taking the green flag in Saturday afternoon’s Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway, Enfinger stamped his way towards a second championship run with 15 additional Playoff points – crucial for the seven-race stretch that concludes with the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in November.
But to make it to Miami, Enfinger knows his team led by veteran crew chief Jeff Hensley has to peak and win races.
Sneaking into the Playoffs as one of only two drivers without a win, the other his teammate Matt Crafton, the Fairhope, Ala. native realizes without wins – their consistency flame could burn out.
“We’ve gotta hit our stride, we’ve gotta peak, and we aren’t doing that yet,” Enfinger said Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. “I feel like we have the best team out here. This is our third year working together, everyone believes in each other, and I don’t think there is anything we can’t accomplish.”
After finishing 11th in the Truck Series championship standings in his rookie season at ThorSport in 2017, the No. 98 team has quickly pedal forward. Heading into the Playoffs last year in a solid spot, Enfinger made his championship capabilities well known by leading 40 laps and winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
With a guaranteed lock to the next round, Enfinger’s solid finishes of 14th, 12th and fourth weren’t enough to propel his team to Homestead.
Fast forward 12 months, Enfinger has been the model of consistency and believes he has proven to be the best team in the series’.
“I feel like we can be holding that trophy after Homestead as well,” added Enfinger. “I don’t know that we’ve all the way hit our stride. We’ve stumbled a little bit the last couple of months, but overall we’ve got solid Ford F-150’s that we’re bringing to the track.
“When we miss it, no one blames each other, we just get in there and dig, and make the most of it, and that was the story this weekend. We were terrible yesterday. Jeff Hensley (crew chief) made some good calls and we had a decent truck today.”
That decent luck brought a seventh-place finish, his 13th of the season takes him to Bristol Motor Speedway for the first race of the Playoffs second in the standings, just three points behind defending series champion Brett Moffit.
And even though the 34-year-old doesn’t believe he’s the favorite to take the championship crown, a thankful driver is ready to prove the critics wrong and deliver when it counts most.
“I’m thankful for this opportunity,” sounded Enfinger. “I’m thankful for everyone that has supported me. I don’t think we’re a favorite right now, by any means, but we’re capable of becoming a favorite, for sure.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01
