By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
It was a hard fought fourth place finish for Grant Enfinger and the No. 98 team of ThorSport Racing in the PPG 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Enfinger started in the eighth position. At the beginning of the event, the veteran driver had his hands full and lost track position early on. With a strong pit crew led by crew chief Jeff Hensley, Enfinger was able to gain back some lost track position in the second stage.
“We kind of stole some track position there in the second stage. We were good enough to maintain where we were and made the truck better. I felt like we had a top-five truck. If we could’ve got some track position more at the end, I don’t know if they could’ve passed us,” Enfinger said.
Although happy with the fourth-place finish, Enfinger believes that there is still ways to go for the organization as they continue to tap into the resources provided by Ford Performance. Enfinger believes that the organization will be able to better utilize what Ford has to offer by the time the Playoffs start in August.
“I wish I could put my finger on it. There are a ton of tools that Ford Performance is giving us to utilize. It is still going to be a ways down the road before we are able to take advantage of all that. I think that is where we are lacking the most in being able to implement all the technology Ford brings to the table,” Enfinger said post-race.
“It’s going to be little by little. I feel like it will be by the Playoffs to where we are able to utilize everything. I can’t say enough of where we started off the year and how hard everyone worked. They just cut up these trucks and rebuilt them in a matter of months. I am proud of that effort. We have good trucks and we are just missing a little bit to be great trucks.”
With the Trucks beginning a four-race stretch this weekend, Enfinger knows that this is an important time for the team. Enfinger saw that the team struggled in the last three races compared to the first.
“It’s really important. Not from the truck for the most part, but circumstances. We are not where we want to be. I will not be happy until we are like that 21 truck and winning on a weekly basis. I am really proud of these guys at ThorSport,” Enfinger said.
Despite the need within the organization, Enfinger believes that the organization is in a better spot at this point of the season compared to last.
Enfinger sits fourth in the points standings following Texas.