Grant Enfinger scored his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win of the 2024 season at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday (Oct. 4) to clinch a spot in the Championship 4.
In his first win at CR7 Motorsports, Enfinger led the final 15 laps and took the checkered flag as the field crashed behind him to secure his third appearance (and second consecutive) in the Truck Series’ championship finale.
“We knew stuff was going to get dicey,” Enfinger told FOX Sports 1. “It’s nothing like winning at your hometown, home track. I got my family here. It’s my first win with my daughter and my son here. On top of that we get to race for a championship in Phoenix.”
Playoff driver Taylor Gray finished behind Enfinger in second, with Daniel Dye unofficially coming home in third. Rajah Caruth rebounded from pit road penalties to finish fourth, while Lawless Alan completed the top five with a career-best finish.
Christain Eckes, Ryan Reed, Stefan Parsons, Bret Holmes and Spencer Boyd finished sixth through 10th, respectively.
Ben Rhodes jumped the initial start of the race and was forced to come to pit road for a pass-through penalty. As Rhodes was serving his penalty, he entered the racetrack too soon and received a blend line violation, effectively ending his day.
Stage one was capped when Matt Mills surged past Enfinger to win the opening stage, the first of his Truck career.
With three laps to go in stage two, Playoff driver Nick Sanchez was turned at the front of the pack by Connor Zilsich, collecting Rhodes, Chase Purdy and Johnny Sauter. Enfinger would go on to win the stage under caution.
On lap 63, the second accident of the day occurred in turns one and two after Jake Garcia was turned after a push gone wrong from Stefan Parsons. Garcia spun and clipped Layne Riggs, who then spun up the track and collected multiple competitors.
Among the drivers involved were playoff drivers Tyler Ankrum and Taylor Gray. Both drivers received minimal damage and continued.
With 15 laps to go, Sanchez was involved in his second incident as he spun entering turn three after getting turned by Eckes. Sanchez spun up the track and forced Keith McGee into a sharp left turn to avoid. McGee would end up colliding with Mason Maggio, which destroyed McGee’s truck and ended his race.
That crash brought about the final restart with 9 laps to go, and Enfinger successfully kept Eckes and Alan at bay to score the win.
With two races to go before the Championship 4 is set at Martinsville Speedway, Eckes and Heim each sit 30 points ahead of the playoff cutline, while Ty Majeski is five points ahead. Rajah Caruth is five below, while Taylor Gray currently sits 13 points behind after the runner-up finish. Sanchez and Ankrum bring up the rear of the playoff standings, 20 and 23 points below the cut, respectively.
Love’s 225 Results
The second race in the Round of 8 for Truck series will take place at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Noon ET. TV coverage will be provided by FOX Sports 1.
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