Grant Enfinger is very excited to get back to racing in the Gander Outdoor Truck Series this weekend at Martinsville. He is always excited about getting back to the track known as the paper clip. “We have only had a couple of weeks off, and it feels like it has been a month. The off weeks are getting longer for whatever reason, so its good to be back out there at Martinsville,” Enfinger said.
Martinsville is always one of Enfinger’s favorite tracks to race, and he has been a fan of short track racing for a long time. “Martinsville is a true short track,” Enfinger commented. “It’s something we certainly don’t have enough of in the truck series, but this is as old school as it gets. It’s super flat, tight quarters racing. It’s a blast to race there, and hopefully, it comes down to that point in the race, and we can capitalize and get the win,” Enfinger mentioned.
Enfinger has once again been working with his crew chief Jeff Hensley and feels like he and the 98 team have done very well working together all season long. “It’s going great working with Jeff Hensley,” Enfinger mentioned. “He’s actually from the Martinsville area, so this is a home race for him. “This is my third year working with Jeff and the working relationship has been as best as it has been. About halfway through last year, the team just started clicking and believing in each other. We are still riding a lot of momentum from last year, and we are building on it this year,” Enfinger continued.
Enfinger got that first win at Las Vegas last year, and it was his first win as a driver at Thorsport Racing. Enfinger said it was a big confidence booster for him and the team. “It meant a lot because that was our first win together as a team. We probably had four to five opportunities last year to get a win, and we only got one last year. We need to be a consistent contender for the win and win about four to five races a year and contend for the championship. We have the guys to do it, and the support of our sponsors Duke and Rhonda Thorson. The best way to thank them is by winning races, and now we need to go out and do that,” Enfinger said.
Thorsport also brought back Johnny Sauter this season, and Enfinger says it’s always good to have someone like Johnny back on the team. “It has been good to have Johnny back on the team, and it’s also good to have Joe Shear, his longtime crew chief, with him as well. More communication between the teams helps, and hopefully, that gets better as the season progresses,” Enfinger remarked.
Enfinger thinks coming into Martinsville could be a big weekend for him, and he will do whatever it takes to win at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks. “We have to have a good handling truck to win at a place like Martinsville. You need to be good on short and long runs. The spring race is a little bit longer than the fall race so you will need to qualify good and stay out of trouble. We had some brake issues last year, and Martinsville is a track where you use a lot of brakes. We are using the same package we used at both Martinsville races last year, so we really feel good about this weekend,” Enfinger said.
The Alpha Energy Solutions 250 will be on Saturday, March 23rd on FOX at 2:30 PM.