Team Info/Stats:
Crew Chief: Jeff Hensley
2019 Driver Point Standings: n/a
2019 Owner Point Standings: n/a
Spotter: Chris Lambert
News and Notes
- This Week’s No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150… The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 60 for Friday night’s NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series (NGOTS) NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). This is the same chassis Grant Enfinger piloted to a sixth-place finish at DIS, and a 19th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 2018.
- Superspeedway Stud…Enfinger is no rookie when it comes to winning at restrictor plate tracks. Currently, the Champion Power Equipment driver has led 266 laps en route to three wins at restrictor plate tracks in the NGOTS and ARCA Menards Series. The ThorSport Racing driver had back-to-back victories in the ARCA Menards Series in 2014 and 2015 at DIS, and claimed his first NGOTS win at Talladega (Al.) Superspeedway in 2016. Enfinger also won the pole for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at DIS in 2015.
- Behind The Paint… The No. 98 Ford F-150’s new look for 2019 was designed by a NASCAR fan, @gmal1996, on Instagram. George Mihai, a 23-year-old college student from Romania, spends his pastime creating fictional NASCAR paint schemes due to his overwhelming love of the sport.
- Eye In The Sky… Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series spotter, Chris Lambert, who spots for Denny Hamlin, will join the No. 98 team for 2019.
- Welcome Back… Champion Power Equipment, a market leader in the power equipment field, enters it’s sixth consecutive season with Enfinger, and their third season with ThorSport Racing.
- Music to Our Ears… Mike Curb, owner of Curb Records, and the No. 98 entry at ThorSport Racing, enters his 11th full-time season as an owner for the Sandusky, Ohio-based team. In addition to Enfinger (2017-2019), Curb has owned entries for Rico Abreu (2016) and Johnny Sauter (2009-2015).
- 2018 Review… Enfinger, who made his career first NGOTS Playoff appearance in 2018, finished a career best fifth in the championship point standings. The ThorSport Racing driver captured two poles (Gateway Motorsports Park and Homestead-Miami Speedway), and led 180 laps en route to one win (Las Vegas), seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes.
- Catch Grant at Daytona…Enfinger will join his fellow ThorSport Racing teammates for the NGOTS Autograph Session, in the Infield Fan Zone at DIS, from 2:00-2:45 p.m. ET, and at the Ford Stage, in the Midway at DIS, at 3 p.m. ET, on Friday, Feb. 16.
Chatting with Grant Enfinger…
Some would call you a Superspeedway Ace. Do you enjoy racing on superspeedways, or is it a love/hate relationship?
“I’ve always enjoyed the superspeedway’s – I’ve had a lot of success in both the ARCA Series, and Truck Series, with wins and poles. So, I enjoy superspeedway racing, but it’s also just as frustrating on the other hand, too. Your destiny is dictated by everybody else out there. Somebody can make a mistake and end your day, or something you had worked out in your mind – that makes sense for everybody and can push you or them to the win – and then they decide not to go, and you can lose the race just as easily as you could win it, or wreck it. As much as I love them, they are frustrating too, and I’m glad we only have a couple.”
How do you position yourself for a good finish at Daytona?
“Every superspeedway race is a little different, but the most important part is being able to still be racing at the end. Normally the best way to survive is up front, but the wrecks can happen anywhere. After that you have to have good speed, and make calculated decisions when the time comes. ThorSport Racing has five teams here so that should be a big advantage for us to work together. We had great speed with this truck last time out so I know Jeff is going to have it dialed in again here at Daytona. I can’t wait to get back on the race track.”