GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger has won the Craftsman Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway after capitalizing on a late mistake by ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski.
Enfinger had one of the best trucks in the field on a hot afternoon outside of St. Louis, which he used to lead 61 of 160 laps at the 1.25-mile (2.01km) track. He also kept it clean on a late restart with six laps remaining in regulation.
The major turning point for this race took place after reigning champion Zane Smith used a pit strategy to take the lead. The driver of the #38 Ford Mustang led the field to the green flag with six laps remaining while Enfinger lined up to his left.
Once the official waved the green flag, Smith jumped to the front of the pack while Enfinger spun his tires. Majeski used the opportunity to dive to the inside and take second.
Majeski and Smith continued to battle through Turn 2 and toward Turn 3, but the driver of the #98 Ford F-150 made a rare mistake. He pushed too hard, lost control, and backed into the outside wall. Majeski also collected Smith in the incident.
This crash was a turning point for Enfinger. He had moved to the bottom of the track in an effort to take the field three-wide, but he backed off moments before Majeski lost control. Instead of crashing, Enfinger was able to take the lead for an overtime restart. He went on to win over Christian Eckes.
Enfinger captured his second win of the season, and he added six more playoff points to his total. The Alabama native also captured the second Triple Truck Challenge race, which secured a $50,000 bonus.
Now, Enfinger will head to Nashville Superspeedway on June 23 with an opportunity to win the final Triple Truck Challenge race, which would secure a US$100,000 bonus.
Majeski, for comparison, had the opportunity to take the top spot in the standings at WWT Raceway. Points leader Corey Heim missed the race due to an illness, which paved the way for Majeski to erase the 26-point deficit.
The Wisconsin native was unable to achieve this goal. He secured 18 bonus points in the first two stages after starting from pole and leading 51 laps, but he also finished 30th overall after the late crash. Majeski left WWT Raceway one point behind Heim.
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