Trackin’ Trucks: Grant Enfinger Wins at Milwaukee

 

Credit: Debbie Ross for Skirts and Scuffs

Grant Enfinger dominated on Sunday afternoon at the Milwaukee Mile Speedway, where he led a race-high 95 of 175 laps. 

The win is Enfinger’s third victory of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The victory puts Enfinger into the Round of 8 of the series playoffs for the championship. 

Enfinger, who started from the pole position, led three times before securing the win over Niece Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar. Enfinger had to chase down Hocevar in the closing laps. He retook the lead on Lap 158 and led the final 17 laps. 

Hocevar finished second, Christian Eckes finished third, and Corey Heim and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five finishers. 

Chase Purdy finished in the sixth position. Ty Majeski, who was forced to start in the back of the field and serve a pass-through penalty due to his No. 98 Ford failing pre-race inspection, finished seventh. Derek Kraus, Jake Garcia, and Bayley Currey finished eighth through 10th place, respectively. 

A Lap 66 crash between the No. 20 of Greg Van Alst and the No. 30 of Brad Perez resulted in the drivers finishing in the 34th and 35 positions. It was an apparent mechanical issue for Van Alst. 

Both drivers were evaluated and released from the infield care center. 

Another multi-truck crash occurred on Lap 141 when Nick Sanchez and Heim collided in Turn 3. Sanchez’s No. 2 Chevrolet was sent sideways and into the SAFER barrier. Sanchez was able to continue and finished in the 24th position. 

A Look Ahead (Into the Playoffs) 

The Craftsman Truck Series heads to Kansas Speedway on Friday, September 8th. 

It’s the last race of the first round of the playoffs before the championship-eligible field gets reduced from 10 drivers to eight drivers. 

Ben Rhodes and Matt DiBenedetto currently sit in the cutoff positions. DiBenedetto finished 27th at Milwaukee, after having to start at the rear of the field for missing driver introductions. 

Rhodes is four points behind Sanchez, who’s on the bubble playoff spot in eighth. DiBenedetto is 20 points behind Sanchez. 

Don’t miss the Craftsman Truck Series on September 8th at 9 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.