AVONDALE, Ariz. – For the first time since 2012, ThorSport Racing will not have a truck in contention for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, after Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton were eliminated from the playoffs Friday night at ISM Raceway.
Both Enfinger and Crafton entered the reconfigured one-mile desert oval in need of a victory that would move them on to the title-deciding race at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Nov. 16, but neither driver was able to accomplish that goal at the end of the Lucas Oil 150.
Enfinger came the closest and was threatening to bump his way into the final four at various points through the evening, most notably with 23 laps to go after then-leader John Hunter Nemechek spun from the top spot, relinquishing command to the Alabama native at that juncture.
An 11 minute, 47 second red flag period for fluid on the track and a myriad of oil dry cleanup did little to aid Enfinger’s chances, however. When he spun the tires on the next restart with 14 to go, Noah Gragson went soaring to the outside of the No. 98 Protect the Harvest Ford F-150 and dropped Enfinger back to second and back below the cut line to advance.
A final yellow flag with eight laps remaining, sparked when Riley Herbst spun at the start/finish line, gave Enfinger a last-gasp effort. When the green flag waved over a three-lap dash, Enfinger charged to the inside of Gragson and the two banged doors, both washing up the track entering the third turn.
That gave third-running Brett Moffitt a lane to the inside and Moffitt surged through to win the race, with Enfinger fading back to fourth in the end and falling short of his goal of making the final four.
“I just don’t know if we had the speed to get it done tonight,” admitted Enfinger. “We had a really good truck … that was all we had, there at the end.
“It just wasn’t meant to be, I guess. I’m really proud of this year, though. We may not be running for a championship next week, but it sure wasn’t from a lack of effort. These guys have come a long way and I’m proud of everything they’ve showed everyone all year long.”
Meanwhile, Crafton saw a quieter fade-out to his championship hopes. After chasing John Hunter Nemechek to the finish line at the end of the second stage, a slow pit stop mired Crafton well outside the top five to start the final stage and the two-time Truck Series champion could never recover.
Crafton ended up coming home 11th and circled the issues on pit road as the turning point in his night.
“We took two tires, drove to second and ran the leader down, but came to pit road and just lost too much time when we couldn’t get the right-front tire off the truck,” lamented Crafton. “That buried us, and then none of the lanes went our way after that.
“We’ll go and race for a win at Homestead; this is nothing to hang our heads about, but this has been one of the worst racing seasons I’ve ever had and can ever remember. It’s not over yet, though. We’ll go to Homestead, try to get a victory and see if we can get some vindication.”
Enfinger and Crafton’s disappointment was Gragson’s gain. The 20-year-old Las Vegas native took the final spot on points for the Homestead finale with a runner-up finish, giving Kyle Busch Motorsports a shot at their second-straight Truck Series driver’s title and third in the last four seasons.
Gragson gave a handshake to Enfinger after climbing from his truck, a show of respect to his championship for an incredible battle in the closing stages of the race.
“Down there on that restart I spun the tires just a little bit in the restart zone and then in one and two I just got run up the race track,” said Gragson. “I guess I was top of three-wide. We were beating and banging. That’s what you’ve got to do, though. I dish it, so I sure as hell have got to take it.
“I respect the 98 (Enfinger) for what he did. He’s going for the win, I’m going for the win, but most importantly we’re going to be racing for a championship next weekend at Homestead.”
