GMS Racing NCTS Race Preview: Talladega Superspeedway

Race Information

• Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race no. 21 of 23 (Playoffs Round of 8)
• Track Location: Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, Alabama
• Race Name: Love’s RV Stop 250
• Broadcast: Saturday, September 30th at 1:00 PM ET live on FS1 (TV), MRN (Radio), and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
• 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 & Blake Bainbridge – Solar-Fit / LiftedTrucksForSale.com Chevrolet

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST

Talladega Superspeedway Stats

• NCTS Starts: 9; Wins: 1 (2016); Best start: 2nd (2016); Top 5s: 2; Top 10s: 3; Laps led: 96
• ARCA Starts: 6; Poles: 1 (2014); Best finish: 3rd (2009); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 3; Laps led: 89

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

• Starts: 20; Wins: 3 (Kansas I, WWT Raceway, Milwaukee); Poles: 1 (Milwaukee); Stage wins: 3; Top 5s: 8; Top 10s: 11; Laps led: 232; Current points position: 4th (+14 to the cutline)
• 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.
• Chassis History/Info: Enfinger and the No. 23 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 146 in Talladega. This truck was purpose-built for the super speedways over the off season, only racing one time before in this year’s season opener. Grant qualified 16th and finished fifth with it in Daytona after scoring points in both stages.
• Bristol Recap: Survive and advance was the keynote for the No. 23 team in the previous race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Starting from the 13th position in a race that was difficult to pull off many passes, Enfinger and crew utilized strategy to gain track position by only pitting once throughout the night. This call proved to be a great one, as it resulted in a fifth place run in stage two, and ultimately, a third place finish at the drop of the checkered flag.
• Sweet Home Alabama: The pride of Fairhope, Alabama returns to his home racetrack this weekend, and has always considered Talladega as one of his favorite races of the season. The local fans have showed their support of Grant for years, usually receiving some of the most cheers during driver introductions. There will be no shortage of No. 23 flags flying high throughout the enormous campgrounds this weekend.
• First Truck Series Start: Enfinger made his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at Talladega back in 2010. Starting from the 12th position, the Alabama native would hang tough with the pack through his first race, until he was ultimately sidelined just four laps from the finish and credited with a 22nd place finish. 170 races later, Grant will make his 10th Truck Series start at Talladega on Saturday.
• Past Talladega Winner: Running on a limited Truck Series schedule in 2016, Talladega was one of only eight races on Grant Enfinger’s radar. Knowing that he had something to prove to keep his name relevant in the sport, he gave it his all and put it all out on the line. Enfinger qualified on the front row and stayed up front all race long, leading 45 laps en route to his first-career victory. A special day for those who root for the home team, Enfinger was able to celebrate his first win with several close family members and friends that attended the race.
• Hensley at Talladega: Jeff Hensley is one of the only crew chiefs that has contended in every single NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race ever held at Talladega. Making 17 starts since the inaugural race, his drivers have finished in the top-10 eight times including a pair of runner up finishes with Mike Skinner in 2006 and Spencer Gallagher in 2016. Hensley has also called 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at ‘Dega, holding one top-10 finish – a seventh place result in 2000.
• GMS at ‘Dega: GMS Racing has won three races at Talladega Superspeedway across two national series. Enfinger was the team’s first Truck Series driver to score a victory at the track in 2016, and in 2018, it was Timothy Peters that ran away with the checkered flag. Earlier that year, GMS broke through to win their first, and only win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, won by Spencer Gallagher.
• FearTheFinger Playoffs Profile: Currently fourth in CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points, Enfinger heads to Talladega with a slim 14 point buffer to the Round of 8 cut line. His three race wins at Kansas Speedway, WWT Raceway, and the Milwaukee Mile are tied for the most of any driver in the series, but strong finishes in the next two races will be crucial to determine his Championship 4 eligibility.
• Roll Tide: A huge University of Alabama football fanatic, Grant has shared similar interests with iconic NASCAR personality and former crew chief, Larry McReynolds, over the Crimson Tide. In nearly every one of his interviews with McReynolds, the two always make it a point to give a big ole’ “Roll Tide” shoutout over the air.
• Breast Cancer Awareness: As we enter the month of October, a team tradition that has taken place for many years will continue for the next two races at Talladega Superspeedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. All three GMS Racing trucks will carry pink ribbons onboard to honor family members of the respective truck’s crew members that have been affected by breast cancer.
• From The Drivers Seat: You earned your first Truck Series win with GMS Racing here, how special would it be to cap off your time with the team with another win at home?

“Yeah, it was a huge day for my career back in 2016 when we were able to get the win at Talladega in front of the hometown and all the friends and family. There were a lot of people that were at that race that have been instrumental in my career and all the opportunities that I had to that point. So that will always be one of the most special moments that I’ve had in my career. To come back and do it again with our last opportunity to run in that race with GMS Racing would be special from a personal standpoint, but it would be pretty big career-wise to be able to lock ourselves into the Championship 4.

Obviously, that’s the goal for all of us; but there’s only one of the eight that can sleep well at night not having to stress out about this race, and that’s Corey [Heim]. I think our game plan is to try and be aggressive, and hopefully get some stage points. We want to be able to contend for the win. I think there’s some different strategies that teams are going to use; I think some guys are going to try and play it safe, and some guys that have nothing to lose are going to race for the win. We’re not one of those guys, but we’re definitely going to be aggressive. We’ve first got to have enough speed in our Champion Power Equipment Chevy, and hopefully the rest will all take care of itself.”

• From The Pit Box (Jeff Hensley): Your team was able to capitalize on stage points and a good finish at Daytona to start the season off, but will your focus change for this superspeedway?

“If you’re getting stage points, that means you are closer to the front, which hopefully means that you’re out of all the trouble. So, I think it kind of goes hand and hand – stage points and track position. We’re just going to have to play our strategy by ear. Things change during that race a lot from lap to lap, so we just have to see how everything plays out, honestly. We would like to score as many stage points as we can, maybe even win a stage, because that will help us out and set us up to where we can race for the win at the end, hopefully.”

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

Talladega Superspeedway Stats

• Rajah Caruth will compete in his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Talladega on Saturday.
• ARCA Starts: 1; Best start: 19th (2022); Best finish: 6th (2022); Top 10s: 1; Laps led: 6

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

• Starts: 20; Best start: 3rd (Nashville); Best finish: 6th (Darlington & Bristol); Top 10s: 3; Laps led: 1; Current points position: 17th
• 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 race with GMS chassis no. 129 at Talladega Superspeedway. This chassis has competed in 11 plate track races since 2017, and was driven to a victory at Daytona International Speedway in 2018 with Johnny Sauter. In six Talladega starts, the chassis has finished inside the top-10 three times including a best run of fourth with Brett Moffitt in 2019. Rajah drove this truck at Daytona this year, finishing in the 29th position after becoming involved in a late-race crash.
• Bristol Recap: Rajah was quick all day in the last race held at Bristol Motor Speedway, starting out the event in fifth – which was his fourth top-five qualifying result of the season. Caruth ran inside the top-10 all race long, taking points in stage one (sixth) and stage two (ninth). Using the same strategy of Enfinger, Rajah would only pit once all night. Like his teammate, the call paid off, resulting in a sixth place finish. This tied Caruth’s best-career result, also finishing sixth earlier in the year at Darlington.
• Closing in on the Top-15: The No. 24 team has quietly been making some serious ground in the points standings over the course of the past four Truck Series races. Following his sixth place finish in Bristol, Rajah Caruth is now only 20 points behind Taylor Gray in 16th and 22 behind Tyler Ankrum in 15th for the championship points. There are three solid chances to move the rookie up a couple of spots in the standings before the end of the year.
• Walter at Talladega: Chad Walter has made two Truck Series starts at Talladega, finishing as high as 16th with Tyler Ankrum in 2020. He has also competed in nine Xfinity Series races held at this track, with highlights including two top-five runs. Walter’s drivers Kyle Busch and Casey Mears finished third in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007.
• Wendell Scott at Talladega: NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, Wendell Scott, drove in five NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega in the early 1970’s. Scott finished in the top-20 twice, and his best finish at this track was a 19th place run in the spring of 1971. He made the penultimate start of his career in 1973 with what he said was the best car that he ever raced, but suffered a large crash early on that left him 55th in the running order.
• STEM Activity: In the spirit of giving back and growing interest of the sport, Rajah Caruth and Chad Walter will meet with a group of local seventh grade students who are attending the race on behalf of NASCAR. Thanks to a program put together by First Bank of Alabama, these students will be able to engage and learn about the importance of STEM fields within the industry. The driver/crew chief duo will explain several key aspects regarding communication, team work, and execution that go into every race weekend.
• From The Driver’s Seat: You’ve only had one prior super speedway race under your belt in the Truck Series, so what was your biggest “learning moment” from Daytona?

“Daytona feels like it was an eternity ago, but I was able to learn a lot in my first Truck Series race there back in February. I found out first hand how much these trucks like to move around in the draft, as well as the decisiveness necessary to make moves and being able to chill for a second. You don’t need to lead every lap in these races, and I learned a lot of the importance of setting yourself up for the finish, because you need to be around for the end of the race. I feel like our Wendell Scott Foundation team proved that they can bring one of the fastest trucks to the racetrack at these plate-style races, and hopefully I have gained enough respect of the other drivers out there to give them confidence in working with me here this weekend.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 Solar-Fit / LiftedTrucksForSale.com Chevrolet Silverado RST

Talladega Superspeedway Stats

• Daniel Dye will make his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Talladega on Saturday.
• ARCA Starts: 1; Best start: 17th (2022); Best finish: 12th (2022)

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

• Starts: 20; Best start: 5th (Milwaukee); Best finish: 11th (Gateway); Laps led: 5; Current points position: 18th
• About Solar-Fit: Since 1975, Solar-Fit has been Florida’s first choice for solar energy. Serving customers in seven counties (Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Clay, Putnam, Nassau, and Duval), Solar-Fit solar systems help heat pools, power appliances, and generate the most energy for homes and businesses in our community. Solar-Fit is a Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer. We are ranked one of America’s Top Solar Contractors by Solar Power World. For more information, visit www.solar-fit.com.
• About Race To Stop Suicide: Founded by Daniel and Randy Dye, this nationally recognized nonprofit focuses on raising awareness and breaking down the stigma surrounding suicide. The organization offers introductory educational material, including signs to watch for and guidelines for engaging with family and friends who may be at risk. One of its key initiatives is to make critical resources easily accessible, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the 988 emergency number. For further details, visit www.racetostopsuicide.com.
• Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 130 at Talladega. Used as the team’s backup truck earlier this year at Daytona, it has not seen any laps of competition yet. The truck’s first lap on any racetrack will be made in qualifying on Saturday morning.
• Bristol Recap: After qualifying 16th in the last race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Daniel and the No. 43 Champion Container team finished in the 21st position. Citing the difficulty to pass, Dye appeared to be trapped deep in the pack despite the crew making adjustments to improve on his handling. Daniel currently is placed in 18th for the drivers points standings.
• What If?: Last year, in the first time that Dye competed at Talladega Superspeedway, he came ever-so-close to scoring his second ARCA Menards Series victory. Having positioned himself in a great spot to make a move, it appeared that everything had lined up in his favor. On the white flag lap, Daniel took the lead of the race for a brief moment in turns 1-2, but an untimely block saw him spinning down the backstretch, resulting in a 17th place finish. He looks back on this race as one of the toughest moments of his 2022 championship run, where he finished runner up to Nick Sanchez by only 14 points. A good result in the Truck Series race has been high on his list of races that he would like to perform well at.
• Crew Chief’s Home Race: Blake Bainbridge often looks forward to returning to Talladega because of how close the racetrack is to his hometown. Bainbridge was born in nearby Hueytown, Alabama, which is less than one hour away from the site of Saturday’s race. Hueytown has been well-known for its crop of NASCAR legends that call it home, including ‘Alabama Gang’ members Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett, and Red Farmer, among others.
• Bainbridge at Talladega: Blake has called two races in his career as a crew chief, including one NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2005 and more recently, an ARCA Menards Series race in 2020. The ARCA race resulted in the better finish of his two starts, where Taylor Gray started eighth and finished 13th. This weekend will be Bainbridge’s first Truck Series start at Talladega.
• Xfinity Series Debut: Though the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series was off last weekend, Daniel Dye made the trek to Texas Motor Speedway where he made the first NASCAR Xfinity Series start of his young career. Driving the No. 44 Champion Container Chevrolet for Alpha Prime Racing, Dye first needed to qualify his way into the show, which he had no issues in doing so – starting in the 26th position. Having narrowly avoided several moments of chaos directly in front of him, Daniel kept his car clean all race long. Despite a late-race spin, Dye never put a foot wrong all day in Texas, bringing the car home in 17th place. His finish tied APR’s best result of the season, which was ironically delivered by his GMS teammate, Rajah Caruth.
• From The Driver’s Seat: You were so close on winning here last year in the ARCA Menards Series race, so does that give you any added confidence to return here in a truck?

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Talladega in a different vehicle than I had there last time. We had good speed there with GMS last year and got towards the front of the pack. I was close to having a shot to win the race before I made a mistake that took us out of contention. But I definitely learned a lot in the two super speedway races I ran last year in the ARCA car and the one at Daytona this year in a truck. I’m hoping to use all the things I learned in those three races and have ourselves a good finish. We are still looking for our first top-10 of the year, and Talladega presents itself as an opportunity to either have a great day or an awful day. Hopefully we’ll be on the great side this time.”

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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