Grant Enfinger capitalises on late scramble to win Gateway

Grant Enfinger was greeted with a welcome sight as Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway neared its conclusion: Ty Majeski and Zane Smith colliding and wrecking as they battled for the lead with just five laps to go. Enfinger inherited the top as a result, and held off Christian Eckes in overtime.

Enfinger led the most laps with 65 and won Stage #1, but Majeski and Smith were the class of the final segment before they tangled.

“I didn’t know what his plan was there,” Smith said. “I saw an interview earlier where at this track he has more experience here than any others. He still races like it’s his first time here. We see time and time again that the guy on the bottom has to be a little conservative, and that’s why the leaders always choose the top. Maybe he’ll learn next time.”

Majeski took responsibility for the wreck, explaining that he was dealing with “low air pressures and we had the splitter bent, got into turn three obviously trying to get ahead of the #38, hit the splitter, had to check up, and went up the race track. When you go up the race track, his side took the air from mine, and I went around and wrecked us both. Inexcusable, I misjudged it. Trying to win the race and obviously wrecked two really good Ford F-150s. I’m disappointed in myself. Got to execute when you have the fastest truck by a mile like that. Just inexcusable. Got to be better.”

With the two out of the picture, Enfinger had to keep Eckes and Stage #2 winner Stewart Friesen at bay. Upon successful, he notched his second win of 2023 after winning at Kansas in May.

ARCA Menards Series points leader Jesse Love finished ninth in his series début, driving the #11 TRICON Garage Toyota in place of the ill Corey Heim. Toni Breidinger, a last-second replacement in TRICON’s #1 that Love was originally going to race before the driver shuffle, was twenty-fourth.

Due to Majeski’s crash, Heim remains the championship leader despite missing Gateway, though only by one point. Enfinger sits third and trails Heim by nine.

Clay Greenfield was collected in a first-lap accident to abruptly end the maiden race for GK Racing. The crash occurred when Rajah Caruth clipped Bret Holmes, and Greenfield lost control of his truck as he tried to avoid them.

Race results