GMS Racing NCTS Race Preview: Daytona International Speedway

Race Information

Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race No. 1 of 23
Track Location: Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida
Race Name: NextEra Energy 250
Broadcast: Friday, Feb. 17th at 7:30 PM ET live on FS1 (TV) and MRN (Radio)
Team Entrants:

No. 23 | Grant Enfinger & Jeff Hensley – Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet
No. 24 | Rajah Caruth & Chad Walter – Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet
No. 43 | Daniel Dye & Travis Sharpe – Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza Chevrolet

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
Daytona International Speedway Stats

NCTS Starts: 8, Wins: 1 (2020), Poles: 1 (2016), Top 5s: 2, Top 10s: 3, Laps led: 60
ARCA Starts: 5, Wins: 2 (2014 & 2015), Best start: 2nd, Top 5s: 2, Top 10s: 3, Laps led: 78

2022 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

Starts: 23, Wins: 1 (IRP), Best start: 3rd, Top 5s: 7, Top 10s: 12, Laps led: 44, Points finish: 7th
About Champion Power Equipment: Since 2003, Champion Power Equipment has earned a reputation for designing and producing the market’s finest power equipment. From our original headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California, Champion has expanded its North American footprint to include facilities in Jackson, Tennessee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Toronto Canada. Today, Champion’s product line has expanded to include portable generators, home standby generators, inverter generators, engines, winches and log splitters. With over 2.5 million generators sold in North America, Champion is a market leader in the power equipment field. Visit ChampionPowerEquipment.com for more information.
Season Outlook: The saying of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to be the mantra surrounding Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 GMS Racing team. Entering his seventh full-time season competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Enfinger looks to be a threat to win the championship once again in his second year back with the team.

Calling the shots atop the pit box this year will once again be the well-respected crew chief in Jeff Hensley, who’s relationship with Grant dates back to 2017. Hensley’s ability to work well with Enfinger has been proven time and time again, and after rejoining the team midway through last season, the two were able to hit the ground running and contend for top-fives and wins on a weekly basis.

Enfinger’s truck will look familiar to last year, as Champion Power Equipment will serve as Enfinger’s anchor partner for the majority of the 2023 season once again. The driver/partner pairing has been unmistakeable for years, showcasing one of the longest lasting partnerships in the tour. Champion Power Equipment has been associated with Enfinger since 2014, increasingly growing their partnership immensely over the years.

Chassis History/Info: For the second straight year, Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 team will debut a new Chevrolet Silverado RST in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The event marks the first time that GMS Racing chassis no. 146 will hit the track.
Previous Daytona Winner: Enfinger knows a thing or two about finding victory lane at the World Center of Racing. Throughout his career, he has been fortunate to win multiple races at the storied facility – including two ARCA Menards Series wins (2014 & 2015) as well as a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win in 2020. Grant also has a Truck Series win at Talladega Superspeedway, Daytona’s sister track, which came in 2016, driving for GMS Racing.
GE Appearances: Fans attending the NextEra Energy 250 will have an opportunity to meet Grant Enfinger on Friday, February 17th:

Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing teammates will be hosting a Q&A session at the Team Chevy stage in the Daytona International Speedway fan zone from 12:15 PM to 12:30 PM local time, where they will sign autographs following shortly after.
- From The Drivers Seat: The new season brings upon a new set of opportunities. You’ve got some new teammates at GMS Racing, but for the most your core group will stay the same. Talk about some of your goals for 2023.

“I’ve got a couple new teammates this year with Rajah and Daniel. I’ve know both of them for about a year now and we all respect each other. I know we will work well together. The core group on our No. 23 Chevy stayed the same, and I feel we are in the best shape we’ve ever been in entering the season.

Super speedway racing is something I always look forward to, and our GMS guys have put in the time to build us a very nice truck for this year. It is especially great to continue the long relationship with Champion Power Equipment and we are all pumped to get the season started. I can’t thank GMS Racing and Chevrolet enough for putting in the hard work over the off season, and having confidence in our team. As a team we are looking to take advantage of the great opportunity that we have this year, and not leave anything on the table. It all starts Friday night.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST

Daytona International Speedway Stats

Rajah Caruth will be making his first Truck Series start at Daytona International Speedway on Friday.
ARCA Starts: 1, Best start: 21st, Best finish: 11th (2022)

2022 ARCA Menards Series Season Stats

Starts: 20, Best start: 4th, Best finish: 2nd (Kansas), Top 5s: 8, Top 10s: 14, Laps led: 34, Points finish: 3rd
About the Wendell Scott Foundation: Founded in 2011, The Wendell Scott Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization inspired by Wendell Scott, Sr. and provides services such as job-skill training, STEM education opportunities, mentoring, and other supportive services to at-risk, underserved youth between the ages of 8-18 years in Danville, Virginia and surrounding areas.

The Foundation’s mission of using educational attainment to end racial disparities in education and health is vital in addressing economic inequality and improving future success in African-American communities. For more information, please visit www.wendellscott.org.

Chassis History/Info: Caruth and the No. 24 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 129 in Daytona. This purpose-built super speedway truck has been driven 10 times since its debut in 2017, and visited victory lane at the World Center of Racing in 2018 with Johnny Sauter. Grant Enfinger most recently drove this Silverado RST at Talladega Superspeedway last fall, where it finished 29th after a crash caused by a cut tire ended his day early.
Season Outlook: Moving up the ranks from the ARCA Menards Series, Rajah Caruth was tapped in October to compete in his first full-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado RST for GMS Racing. Caruth will be competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, challenging teammate Daniel Dye and several others for the rookie title.

Guiding Caruth through his first season will be veteran crew chief Chad Walter, who returns to GMS Racing after spending a year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage. Walter has spent decades in the sport, and will be a mentor that Rajah will heavily lean on as the season gets underway. Recently, it was announced that Caruth himself will be spending time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well, running a partial schedule for Alpha Prime Racing.

Rajah’s primary partner for the 2023 race season will be the Wendell Scott Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes education and job skills to underprivileged youth. The Foundation bears the name of the historic NASCAR trailblazer, Wendell Scott, who was the first African-American driver to compete in the sport.

RC Appearances: Fans attending the NextEra Energy 250 will have a couple of opportunities to meet Rajah Caruth throughout the weekend:

Friday, Feb. 17th | Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing teammates will be hosting a Q&A session at the Team Chevy stage in the Daytona International Speedway fan zone from 12:15 PM to 12:30 PM local time, where they will sign autographs following shortly after.
Saturday, Feb. 18th | Fresh From Florida Stage: Rajah Caruth will host a Q&A session at the Fresh From Florida stage from 10:00 AM to 10:15 AM in the Daytona International Speedway fan zone.

From The Driver’s Seat: Over the off season, you made a big move over to GMS Racing to compete in your first full-time season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. You have some previous truck races under your belt, but never at a super speedway, so what have you done to prepare yourself for Friday?

“I’ve done a lot of preparation over the winter getting ready for my first super speedway start in a truck. From watching a previous race broadcasts to relying on past experience from not only some members on my team, but even other drivers and individuals that I’ve gotten to know in the racing industry. Honestly, spending time on iRacing has helped me a lot; with the updated aerodynamic model that the Cup Series cars just received, they share a lot of similar characteristics to how these trucks work together in the draft, so I’ve been practicing a lot on there. I’ve been trying to keep up with the repetition just so I can be as plugged in as possible, so when it comes time to head to Daytona I’ll be ready to go so I don’t feel like as much of a rookie. I’m looking forward to a great year with my No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation team and know we will have some fast GMS Racing Chevrolet teammates to work with the entire race.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado RST

Daytona International Speedway Stats

Daniel Dye will be making his first Truck Series start at Daytona International Speedway on Friday.
ARCA Starts: 1, Best start: 14th, Best finish: 3rd (2022), Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1

2022 ARCA Menards Series Season Stats

Starts: 20, Poles: 1 (Berlin), Best finish: 2nd (Phoenix), Top 5s: 13, Top 10s: 17, Laps led: 226, Points finish: 2nd
About Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza: Giuseppe’s has been proudly serving the Daytona Beach and Port Orange areas since 1982 when our family relocated here from Freeport, Pennsylvania, a small town just outside of Pittsburgh. We aren’t a chain, we are a family operation. You will always find one or more family members in the kitchen cooking up your order every hour of every day. We use only the highest quality, freshest ingredients, serving generous portion sizes, and offer it all at a reasonable price. Everything is homemade fresh daily, including our pizza dough, sauces, garlic bread, lasagna, pastas, soups, wing sauce, and our “to-die-for” creamy Italian dressing. Making our dishes from scratch has always been, and always will be, our promise to you. For more information, please visit www.giuseppessteelcitypizza.com.
Season Outlook: After spending a year and a half driving for GMS Racing in the ARCA Menards Series, Daniel Dye was promoted to drive in his first full-time season with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Carrying over his signature No. 43, which he has carried for the majority of his career, Dye looks to impress in his freshman campaign as he vies for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

Joining Daniel on the No. 43 team as his crew chief will be Travis Sharpe, who has plenty of experience working in several different series from the late model ranks all the way up to the NASCAR Cup Series. The two were paired together in a one-off ARCA Menards Series West event last June at Portland International Raceway, and hit on some chemistry right off the bat, winning the pole together in their first outing.

Dye’s No. 43 Chevrolet will feature a wide varieties of primary partners which will be showcased throughout the season, and fans across the country will be excited to see the return of the iconic Petty blue colors adorning his truck on a weekly basis.

Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 127 in the season opener at Daytona. This Chevrolet has a proven track record on the super speedway tracks, earning three top-fives and four top-10 finishes in 10 races. Specifically at Daytona, it has a second place finish on its rep sheet, scored by Justin Haley in 2018. Most recently, Jack Wood drove this truck to a 19th place finish at Talladega Superspeedway last fall.
Hometown Hero: Born and raised in the heart of Daytona Beach, Florida, Daniel Dye will have the chance to race in front of his hometown crowd on Friday night. As a kid growing up in the area, Daniel began his racing career just a few miles away at New Smyrna Speedway, so it’s only fitting that he makes the next step up racing at Daytona International Speedway. Keeping with the hometown feel, DD’s No. 43 Chevrolet will feature numerous local partners highlighted from the area, including Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza, Main Street Tattoo, and Arrow Wrecker Services.
NCTS Debut Race: Welcome aboard, rookie! Not only will Daniel be racing at his home track, but he will also make his very first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start on Friday. Running alongside his teammates in Grant Enfinger and Rajah Caruth, Dye hopes to work together and have a solid plan in place to contend throughout the evening.
DD Appearances: Fans attending the NextEra Energy 250 will have a bunch of opportunities to meet Daniel Dye throughout the Daytona race weekend:

Wednesday, Feb. 15th | Main Street Tattoo: Located at 405 Main St., Daytona Beach, FL 32118, fans will have an early chance to see Daniel Dye and his No. 43 show truck as it will be placed out in front of Main Street Tattoo. Stop by for a photo with Daniel and the truck from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM local time!
Wednesday, Feb. 15th | Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza: Located at 3658 S. Nova Rd. 4204, Port Orange, FL 32129, Daniel Dye will be appearing at Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza alongside his No. 43 show truck from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time. Come to meet Daniel and get some autographs, stay for some great food from one of his race partners.
Thursday, Feb. 16th | Halifax Health: Located at 303 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114, Daniel Dye will sign autographs at one of his longest standing partners in Halifax Health alongside the No. 43 show truck from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM local time.
Thursday, Feb. 16th | Daytona’s Garage (Show Truck only): Located at 1450 N. Tomoka Farms Rd., Daytona Beach, FL 32124, fans can stop by Daytona’s Garage from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM to get a photo with Daniel Dye’s No. 43 show truck.
Friday, Feb. 17th | Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing teammates will be hosting a Q&A session at the Team Chevy stage in the Daytona International Speedway fan zone from 12:15 PM to 12:30 PM local time, where they will sign autographs following shortly after.

From the Driver’s Seat: This is a special weekend for you as you get to make your NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut in front of your home town crowd, what does this race mean to you personally?

“This race is going to be super cool to get started in Daytona in front of the home crowd. You know, racing at Daytona is just one of those things that I’ve always wanted to do, and I got to do it last year in the ARCA Menards Series, but to come back and do it in the NASCAR Truck Series this year is going to be really cool. I don’t think there’s any better place to start than at Daytona, and getting to run in front of my friends and family is going to be really special. We’ve been putting in a lot of work to make sure that I can make those guys proud down there, and I’m thankful to have the support of everyone that has come on board with our GMS Racing team this week and for the entire year as a whole. I’ll do everything I can to keep the No. 43 Chevy up front throughout the race and have a good time doing it.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series operating the No. 23, No. 24, and No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for drivers Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, and Daniel Dye. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championships. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. including operations for GMS Fabrication. The GMS Racing campus also houses operations for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, a team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

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