Grant Enfinger locks a NASCAR Truck Series Final 4 spot with a victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday night in Love’s RV Stop 225.
TALLADEGA, Ala. – The home crowd favorite, Grant Enfinger, won in Friday afternoon’s Love’s RV Stop 225 Playoff race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The Alabama native’s second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at the big track. And most important, the victory delivers an automatic entry into the season championship finale next month.
Grant Enfinger Locks a NASCAR Truck Series Final 4 Spot with a Victory at Talladega
Enfinger’s No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet led a race-best 34 of the 85 laps, won Stage 2, and held the point on the final lap when a caution ended the Love’s RV Stop 225.
“We knew stuff was going to get dicey,’’ the 39-year-old Enfinger said of having to hold the field off following a restart with nine laps remaining to claim his first victory of the season – first ever for the team – and 11th of Enfinger’s career.
“We didn’t make all the perfect decisions today, but we had a Champion Power Equipment Chevy that was fast enough to get it done today, so even though we chose the outside [lane for a restart] once or twice, and maybe we shouldn’t have. … it’s just Talladega right there and hopefully, all the fans enjoyed it.
“There’s nothing like winning at your home track. Got my family here and first win with my daughter and my son here. On top of that, we get to race for a championship in Phoenix.’’
The Love’s RV Stop 225 Results
It was a typically wild event on the sport’s biggest track (2.66-mile) with the race once again decided in a final frantic push for the checkered flag – with Enfinger leading fellow Playoff driver, Tricon Garage’s Taylor Gray across the finish line under caution.
Daniel Dye and Tyler Ankrum made contact while running fifth and sixth – causing a multi-car accident spinning about 200 yards before the finish line, bringing out the yellow and checkered flag to officially end the event. The McAnally-Hilgemann driver, Dye slid across the line in third, and Spire Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth, also a Playoff driver, finished fourth. Reaume Brothers Racing’s Lawless Alan scored a career-best fifth-place finish.
The regular season champion, Christian Eckes for McAnally-Hilgeman Racing finished sixth, followed by Ryan Reed, Stefan Parsons, Bret Holmes, and Spencer Boyd.
Playoff Drivers Outside the Top-Ten
Playoff drivers, Tricon Garage’s Corey Heim and ThorSport’s Ty Majeski finished 11th and 12th. McAnally-Hilgemann’s Tyler Ankrum was 14th.
“We had a fast truck and made a bad decision,” a frustrated Majeski said. “I hopped out of line and cost ourselves some Stage 2 points, so I don’t know where that puts us in the points, but I guess it could have been worse if we finished 12th. We’ll move on to Homestead.”
Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez, who led ten laps, finished 22nd after an eventful day. He was involved in multiple incidents and ultimately called to pit road by NASCAR on that final restart with nine laps remaining for an equipment check.
The First Playoff Driver to Win a Playoff Race at Talladega
Enfinger’s win marks the first time in nine Talladega Playoff races that a Playoff driver won the race. He was not Playoff-eligible when he won at the track in 2016. This win lands him one of four positions in the championship race at Phoenix on Nov. 8 – the third time the popular Alabama driver has competed for the championship trophy.
“Obviously, we can start focusing on Phoenix right away and that’s a huge advantage I think,’’ Enfinger said. “The way I look at it, we don’t have to worry about points for the next two races.’ … very very proud of what this win means but realistically, we still have a lot to do to prepare for the championship.”
The NASCAR Truck Series Point Standings
With two races remaining in this Round of 8 to decide which three drivers join Enfinger in the Championship race, Heim leads Eckes by a single point. Majeski is 25 points back but only five points ahead of Caruth.
Gray is 13 points behind Majeski, Sanchez 20 points back, and Ankrum 23 points back. A win by any of these seven drivers is an automatic ticket for a shot at the title.
Up Next
The series has a three-week break before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoff Race at Homestead-Miami on Oct. 26 at South Florida’s 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race starts at noon ET, with coverage available on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Carson Hocevar is the defending race winner.