Event Preview | Texas Motor Speedway| July, 2020

Grant Enfinger, No. 98 FarmPaint.com/Curb Records Ford F-150
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Texas Motor Speedway – Vankor 350
Race No. 8 of 23

Team Info/Stats:
Crew Chief: Jeff Hensley
2020 Driver Point Standings: 5th
2020 Owner Point Standings: 6th
Spotter: Chris Lambert
2020 Playoff Points: 11 (ranked 1st, overall)
2020 Stage Points: 49 (ranked 4th, overall)
Texas Motor Speedway Starting Position: 2nd

News and Notes:

• Lone Star State Stats… Grant Enfinger will make his seventh NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start in the 45th annual Vankor 350 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) Saturday night. In six previous starts at the 1.5-mile track, the ThorSport Racing driver has one pole (2019-1) and has led 60 laps en route to four top-five and five top-10 finishes, with a track-best finish of third (2017-1).
• 2020 Playoff Outlook… Enfinger’s two wins in 2020 have him atop the Playoff standings with 11 Playoff Points. However, if the Playoffs were to start today, he would be ranked second on the Playoff grid.
• This Week’s No. 98 FarmPaint.com/Curb Records Ford F-150… The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 41 for Saturday’s Vankor 350 at Texas Motor Speedway. This brand new chassis will make its debut in the Lone Star State with the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team.
• Welcome Back… FarmPaint.com and Curb Records artist, Tim Dugger and his last EP, “Signs of a Good Time,” will once again adorn the No. 98 Ford F-150 of Enfinger.
• Intermediate Track Strength… In 40 starts on an intermediate-size track (1.5-1.54-miles) in his Gander Trucks career, Enfinger has three poles (Homestead, 2018, Texas-1, 2019 and Kentucky, 2020), two wins (Las Vegas, 2018 and Atlanta, 2020), and has led 288 laps en route to 11 top-five, and 25 top-10 finishes.
• Truck Series Stats… Enfinger has 90 career Gander Truck starts to his credit since 2010. His success includes 622 laps led en route to four wins, five poles, 30 top-five and 55 top-10 finishes.
• Take Me Back – Kentucky… Enfinger started seventh, based on a random draw, finished seventh in Stage 1 and 12th in Stage 2. Unfortunately, a rain shortened Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway resulted in a 12th-place finish for the Champion Power Equipment driver.
• Ford Fact… Ford-powered F-150’s have found victory lane 101 times since 1995 in the Gander Truck Series, including three times in 44 races at Texas Motor Speedway with Kenny Irwin, Jr. (1997), Tony Raines (1998), and Greg Biffle (2000).

Chatting with Grant Enfinger…

How do you prepare for such a hot race, like Saturday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway?

“Man, that’s the toughest part about what we do. Luckily it’s a night race, so it wont be quite as bad. I do a lot of running, heat condition any way that I can, hydrate all I can and hope for the best.”

Last year you won the regular season points title, but did not win a race during the regular season. Has there been an emphasis this year on winning and getting those Playoff Points? Last year you had just four Playoff Points, this year you already have 11. 

“Definitely. (Jeff) Hensley has changed how he’s called the race, as far as trying to set us up better for the end of the race, set us up for a better shot to win, and not put such a premium on stage points. There’s been a few times this year we’ve given up stage points in the first or second stage to set us up better for the end of the race. We’ve honestly been more consistent than our finishes have shown, it’s just been kinda strange, the last few weeks anyway, with not getting the results we deserve. Overall, I’m proud of our two wins, that we’re locked-in to the Playoffs, and we can afford to be a little risky these days.”

Let’s go back to Kentucky last week. Talk about your 12th-place finish in the rain shortened race.

“We actually had pretty good speed in our Champion Power Equipment F-150. It was a little bit of a handful underneath guys, but it seemed like everyone was like that. Unfortunately, it was a one groove track for us. That was one of those instances where (Jeff) Hensley tried to put us in position to be better at the end of the race. Unfortunately, the rain came and shortened the race at the end of Stage 2 and put a damper on what we were hoping was going to be a really good day there. It was unfortunate, but it seems like that’s how the last few weeks have played out for us. Fortunately, we’re going to Texas (Motor Speedway), which has historically been a really good track for us. Hensley has a really good package there and we’re taking a fresh bullet, so I’m really excited about this weekend.”

About FarmPaint.com:
FarmPaint.com is a leader and innovator of fence and barn paint, roof, foundation, agricultural and specialty coatings. It is the number one place to buy the industry’s finest agricultural coating products at factory-direct low prices. FarmPaint offers barn and fence paint, dust control, roof & foundation coatings, asphalt driveway coatings, concrete coatings and more. For more information visit: FarmPaint.com.

About Curb Records:
Celebrating 56 years in business, Curb Records is one of the world’s leading independent music companies. Owned and operated by Mike Curb since 1964, Curb Records has achieved 435 number one records, over 1,500 Top Ten records and charted over 4,500 total records. With over a half century in operation, Curb Records has been influential in the careers of some of the biggest names in music, including: Tim McGraw, Hank Williams, Jr., Rodney Atkins, Lee Brice, LeAnn Rimes, The Judds, Dylan Scott, Sawyer Brown, Wynonna, Lyle Lovett, Jo Dee Messina, Hal Ketchum and Desert Rose Band, among many others. Today’s roster includes some of the top names across multiple genres of music.For more information visit: Curb.com.

About Tim Dugger:
Country music singer/songwriter and Alabama-native Tim Dugger grew up on NASCAR racing, Gospel singing and classic Country music. He developed a genuine love for songwriting and storytelling during summers spent at his local music store jamming with bluegrass pickers. After being introduced to former NASCAR driver and team owner Richard Childress, Dugger was off to the races, playing his original songs at nearly every major track in America. Along the way, he cultivated an unapologetic artistic identity, rooted in the music of his childhood idols like Merle Haggard, Vern Gosdin, Hank Williams and Alan Jackson. Signed to Curb Records, Dugger’s new six-song EP, Signs Of A Good Time, is currently available.

About Champion Power Equipment:
Since 2003 Champion Power Equipment has earned a reputation for designing and producing the market’s finest power equipment. From our original headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California, Champion has expanded its North American footprint to include facilities in Jackson Tennessee, Milwaukee Wisconsin and Toronto Canada. Today Champion’s product line has expanded to include portable generators, home standby generators, inverter generators, engines, winches and log splitters. With over 2.5 million generators sold in North America, Champion is a market leader in the power equipment field. For more information visit: ChampionPowerEquipment.com.

About Blue Spring Living Water
Blue Spring Living Water is bottled at its source: a centuries-old natural spring in Blount County, Alabama. Naturally pure, beautifully clean, and velvety smooth, Blue Spring Living Water is one of the few North American waters truly bottled at the source of natural spring. When you are enjoying Blue Spring Living Water, you can be sure that it is never processed and that nothing is added in. In fact, Blue Spring Living Water is naturally minerally-enriched and has a perfect pH balance, guaranteed naturally fresh, pure, delicious, satisfying water. For more information, visit www.BlueSpringLivingWater.com.

About ThorSport Racing:
Entering its 25th season of competition, ThorSport Racing, based in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series team, competing in the series since 1996. For more information, visit: www.ThorSport.com.

Blackstone Management Partnersbsmpartners.com
Contact: Jessica O’Brien
Jessica@bsmpartners.com
Mobile: 803-240-5807