Three months ago the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series was originally scheduled to visit Atlanta Motor Speedway but the event was postponed when racing was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, interrupting the series schedule. Looking back it’s hard to believe that Atlanta Motor Speedway was the next stop for the Truck Series schedule after previously visiting Charlotte Motor Speedway as they were originally supposed to race that Friday night. But that’s when NASCAR changed the weekend plans as more news broke and businesses began shutting down, events were canceled including motorsport leagues and NASCAR canceled the race weekend which included the Truck Series event.
The Truck Series returned to Atlanta, only this time in June, and brought some great moments of escape for race fans. The highlight was a last-lap pass for the win while there were other exciting moments during the race as well.
Here are this week’s Four Takeaways in what we might have missed following Round No. 4 at Atlanta.
- Enfinger Carries Momentum – In what is quite possibly one of the best seasons early on for Grant Enfinger as he and the No. 98 team continues to carry their early season momentum as the series inches closer to the playoffs. It seems as though once Enfinger won at Daytona, the victory brought added motivation to the team to try new things and go for victories more often. There were a couple of disappointing finishes at Las Vegas (31st, crash) and Charlotte (12th), but that didn’t seem to bring the team down a bit. Heading into Atlanta, Enfinger is normally strong on 1.5-mile tracks, especially if he is in prime position. The 35-year-old once again grabbed victory for win number two of the year after a thrilling finish with Austin Hill. Not only did Enfinger bring home the victory, but he also brought home a $25,000 bonus to his team that was set up by Camping World and Gander RV CEO Marcus Lemonis. After getting that victory and the added bonus, the team looks to be unstoppable right now.
- Difficult Outing For Rowdy – When Kyle Busch is entered in a Truck race, he most certainly has a chance to win any race, especially at tracks like Atlanta where he has multiple wins. The Kyle Busch Motorsports Team owner did not dominate like he normally does but did sweep both stages again as he did in 2019. It looked as though this was going to be another victory in the win books for Busch but it all went south with late-race pit stops. The No. 51 driver was nabbed for speeding on his last stop and got caught for speeding again when he was serving his previous penalty. After serving those two penalties, Busch was caught up in an incident with Jordan Anderson and incurred damage to the No. 51 Truck. Atlanta was a forgettable race for Rowdy, as he would finish 21st, one lap down, an uncharacteristic race for Busch.
- Ben Rhodes Makes 100th Career Start – Saturday afternoon when the engines fired was a special moment for Ben Rhodes as the Kentucky native made his 100th career start in the Truck Series in a span of six years. Rhodes went on to finish in the top-10, quietly finishing ninth. It was a milestone moment for Rhodes who has been a part of the series since making his debut at the age of 17 at Martinsville Speedway.
- Wild Moment For Austin Wayne Self – There was a close call between AM Racing’s Austin Wayne Self and the No. 00 of Angela Ruch. It occurred when Self spun to a stop off the exit of Turn 4. This created havoc for the leaders, Busch and Chase Elliott, who had to maneuver around the No. 22 machine. However, what could have been a big moment, was avoided when Ruch, who was coming at full speed, thankfully missed the sitting vehicle of the No. 22 and went on to finish the race. Unfortunately for Self, he would wind up with a 30th place finish.
