NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020
GRANT ENFINGER CHAMPIONSHIP 4 MEDIA AVAILABILITY

GRANT ENFINGER, No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150 — DO YOU FEEL UNDERAPPRECIATED OR LIKE AN UNDERDOG GOING INTO THIS RACE? “I don’t at all, and I haven’t necessarily noticed the lack of with the exposure or anything like that. I can say it’s been a crazy season for us. It’s been a little bit uncharacteristic. I feel like last year and the year before that we kind of prided ourselves on consistency and stage points and didn’t get many wins during the course of those years. I only had one win the last couple years and this year has been drastically different. We can’t get a dad gum stage point to save our life, but we’ve been able to put ourselves in position and to take advantage of the situations and win four races. I’m definitely proud of that. I’d much rather be in this position than the position we were the last couple years, but I’m just proud we’ve made it to this point. I don’t feel like we’re entering Phoenix as an underdog. Obviously, only one of our ThorSport trucks made it. We’re going against three GMS trucks. I understand all that and I feel like Phoenix is a good style track for us this year. I feel like we’ve excelled at the short tracks, so I don’t actually feel like we’re going into this as an underdog at all.”

DID BEING THE ONLY THORSPORT TRUCK CHANGE ANYTHING AS FAR AS BRINGING A DIFFERENT TRUCK OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? “No, we already had this truck sent out. We were hoping for this instance to happen. It’s the same truck we ran at Richmond earlier this year. We were very happy with it there, so this is all kind of business as usual for us. We’ve nut and bolted it a couple more times or something like that, but pretty much everything is the same as we would have been approaching it otherwise.”

DO YOU THINK THE RACING SHOULD BE A BIT CLEANER THAN IT’S BEEN THE LAST TWO WEEKS? “I feel like in general truck racing is, unfortunately, pretty rough. I don’t like that, but that’s the world we live in in the Truck Series. You have to be so aggressive, especially on restarts to be able to make anything happen. Honestly, a lot of the reason is because it’s so hard to pass once we get going. I don’t anticipate anybody intentionally taking anybody out or anybody dumping anybody like that, but I definitely expect guys throwing sliders, guys throwing something in there and hoping it sticks, and I’m sure the guys up front will be doing that. You also have to realize there are other guys out here racing too, and I don’t think anybody is gonna intentionally make it harder for one of us that’s in the Championship 4 or anything like that, but you can bet that they’re gonna be going for the win and you just kind of have to expect that as a driver.”

DO YOU HAVE TO RACE ANY DIFFERENTLY SINCE IT’S ONE AGAINST THREE IN THE FINAL FOUR? “I don’t feel like we do. Obviously, we’d love for it to be four ThorSport Racing drivers there in the final four, but that’s not this situation we’re in. We’re going against those guys, but I don’t feel like we necessarily have to race any differently. Our strategy going in there is just to win the race flat out. I feel like with the competitors that we’re going against that any one of them are capable of pulling off the win. They’ve all won races this year. I feel like at the end of the day that may not be how it looks when the green flags comes out, but I feel like by the time the checkered flag comes out you’re gonna have to have won this race to be the champion.”

DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE EARLY IN THE RACE BECAUSE YOU ARE BY YOURSELF AND DON’T HAVE ANY TEAMMATES TO RACE AGAINST FOR THE TITLE? “I don’t know if there’s an advantage or a disadvantage, but we’re gonna go for broke from the time the green flags drop to the time the checkered flag drops and hope that it works out in our favor. We’re gonna not do anything stupid, definitely not intentionally put anybody in a bad spot, but we’re gonna go for broke. That’s where our mindset is. I don’t think it’s necessarily an advantage or a disadvantage going into it like that, but that’s how we feel like we have to play the hand we’re dealt and that’s how we feel like we need to play it.”

WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE SO MANY FIREWORKS IN THE TRUCK SERIES? “I think there are a lot of younger drivers in here that are starting out, so you can throw some of that inexperience in there. But you also have to look at the package and it is so hard to pass once we get going that you have to make these wild and crazy moves on starts and restarts and at the end of the day, as much as I hate to say this, there’s not big repercussions for putting somebody in a bad spot. You can obviously get taken out yourself and that happens, but you almost have to put yourself in bad spots and just hope it works out to be able to get that advantage on a restart because you have to be dramatically faster than somebody to pass them on a normal given race weekend. So I feel like that’s a big part of it as well, and I feel like as we’ve seen the Cup Series kind of go more to this package at the mile-and-a-halves I fee like you’ve seen more of that stuff happening there as well.”

WHY HAVEN’T WE SEEN THE CHOOSE RULE RESULT IN MOST OF THE TRUCKS ENDING UP IN ONE LINE AT SOME POINT? I think it just depends on where you go. I’m definitely a big fan of that rule. I think there are certain places that we go, kind of like last week at Martinsville, but especially when we go back to Atlanta next year, I feel like there are games that are played on pit road. When you were leaving your pit stall, you may check up a little bit to try to get on that bottom line and I just don’t like that. I think that’s silly. I think it adds for more issues in the pits, so I’m a big fan of this choose rule. I think if you count the average out of all the races for us it’s kind of been a non-factor as far as results. I think there’s been a couple times that I’ve chosen right and there have been a couple times where I’ve made the wrong choice, but I am a fan of the rule. I can’t tell you why it hasn’t produced as big of a results swing as maybe you expected, but I will definitely tell you to watch the restarts this weekend, not necessarily the choose rule, but it could definitely come into play with people short-cutting the dogleg and the four and five-wide racing you’re gonna see on the frontstretch is gonna be wild.”

HOW MUCH WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN A TITLE FOR JEFF HENSLEY? “It would be huge for Jeff. It would be huge for me. I think he’d probably tell you the same thing I’d tell you. It would be even bigger for us to bring the owner’s championship to Duke and Rhonda Thorson and to Mike Curb for everything that they’ve done in this series for so long. Man, I’ll be honest with you, maybe if I look back on it and we’re fortunate enough to win this championship, maybe I’ll look back on it and think differently, but right now these are the guys that kind of took a chance on us, that paired us together and we want to make them proud and that’s one of the few things that Duke and Rhonda have not yet accomplished in this series. They’ve done everything you can imagine, so I feel like an owner’s championship would be even more important and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jeff told you the same thing.”

Raphael Lessard: Driver, No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Overview:

Event: Lucas Oil 150, Race 23 of 23, 200 Laps – 45/45/60; 150 Miles
Location: Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway (one-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Nov. 6, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Racing with Raphael:

Raphael Lessard and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team head to Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the 2020 season. The talented teenager will make his first career start at the one-mile facility. Last week, Lessard was in contention to win at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway until a spin and contact from another competitor in the final ten laps relegated the rookie driver to a 20th-place finish.

The 19-year-old Canadian rookie became just the fifth foreign-born driver earn a Gander Trucks victory when he narrowly edged former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne under caution in NASCAR overtime at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Oct. 3. Overall, in 2020, Lessard has 22 starts with one win, 20 laps led, three top-fives, six top-10s, an average starting position of 13.0 and an average finishing position of 15.7.

The rookie driver has delivered improved finishes in the second half of the season. After posting an average finish of 18.3 and a best result of 11th across the first 10 races of the season, Lessard has posted an average finish of 13.6 across the last 12 races, including his win and all six of his top-10 finishes.

While Lessard may be a newcomer to the Gander Trucks, crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. has plenty of experience. The veteran crew chief has 322 Gander Truck Series starts under his belt, with 23 wins, 23 poles, 118 top-five and 176 top-10 finishes with drivers including Todd Bodine, Jeb Burton, Kyle Busch and last season, Harrison Burton. At Phoenix, Hillman has 13 starts, six top-fives, nine top-10s, an average starting spot of 10.2 and an average finish of 6.7. He earned one win in 2005 with Todd Bodine.

Due to Lessard’s presence in the series, all 23 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series races this season will be broadcast throughout Canada on RDS and RDS DIRECT.

The world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1, features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life.

Raphael Lessard, Driver Q&A

It’s the final race of the season. How would you assess your season?

“It’s the last race of the season at Phoenix. I’ve never been there. I’m excited to go and try it out. We are going to try and end on a good note. Overall, I learned a lot this season. I can’t thank everyone enough at Kyle Busch Motorsports, TRD, Mobil 1, JBL, CANAC and everyone that makes it possible. It’s been a crazy year with no practice or qualifying, but we battled through it. We had some challenges. I gained a lot of experience throughout the season. I feel like I am a way better driver than I was at the beginning of the season. I have way more experience, so I am happy with the results we had. Hopefully we can go get a win now!”

As you’ve began studying for this week’s race, how crazy do the restarts look to be with the dogleg right after the start finish line?

“Phoenix looks really unique especially with the dogleg. On the restarts, I feel like it gets crazy. Even during the race, it gets crazy as everyone goes down there trying to cut the racetrack to get the shortest way around. It should be exciting. I’m excited to try it out. Hopefully, we can take the dogleg to our advantage and get more speed out of the truck doing it. I’m excited. I’m just going to go for it again this weekend.”

What’s on top of your list for things to do when season is over?

“There are a lot of things on my list for this offseason that I want to do. Mostly, I feel like it’s going to be going back to Canada and see my family that I haven’t seen all year and spend time with them. I would say I am sad that the season is over already because I wanted to race more and more and race everyday if I could. It’s been a good season. We are going to finish it on a high note and go have a good time with my family.”

Raphael Lessard Career Highlights:

Across 27 career Truck Series starts has produced one win, three top-fives, eight top-10 finishes and an average finish of 14.9.
In 2019, Lessard posted 83 laps led, two top-five and three top-10 finishes across three ARCA Menards Series starts and one win, one top-five and two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. His Pinty’s Series victory came at his hometown track, Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jonction, Quebec, on June 29 when he led a race-high 153 laps en route to the sentimental win.
Won two marquee events driving KBM’s famed No. 51 Super Late Model in 2018: The Short Track U.S. Nationals at Bristol Motor Speedway in May and the Red Bud 400 ARCA/CRA Super Series race at Anderson Speedway in July.
Overall in 16 starts for KBM in 2018 split across the CARS Super Late Model Tour, the Southern Super Series and the ARCA/CRA Super Series, posted two wins, three poles, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 2018.Started seventh and led 68 laps in the prestigious Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.
Captured the 2016 CARS Super Late Model Tour championship after recording four wins, one pole, 157 laps led, eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes across 10 races.

Raphael Lessard’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra:

KBM-062: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team will unload chassis number KBM-062, which has been raced five times. Most recently, Lessard piloted the chassis to an 18th-place finish earlier this season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The Tundra’s best finish was sixth at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in August.

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected five wins, five poles, 914 laps led, 11 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.7 across 28 starts at Phoenix Raceway.
• The organization’s five victories at the Arizona track have come with four different drivers. Kyle Busch won in 2011, Brian Scott in 2012, Erik Jones went back-to-back in 2013-2014 and Daniel Suarez claimed the top spot in 2016.
• KBM holds the NGROTS records for most career wins (80) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).

Christian Eckes: Driver, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass® Toyota
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Overview:
Event: Lucas Oil 150, Race 23 of 23, 200 Laps – 45/45/60; 150 Miles
Location: Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway (one-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Nov. 6, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

What You Need to Know:

Christian Eckes and the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass head to Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the 2020 season. Eckes is coming off a fourth-place finish last week at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The 19-year-old driver finished ninth in his lone NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start at the Phoenix in the 2018 event.

With one event remaining on the 2020 Gander Trucks schedule, Eckes has posted six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.7. He ranks second among series regulars in percentage of laps run on the lead lap (95.43%), fourth in average running position (8.887), and laps in the top 15 (2,562) and fifth in laps led (176).

The 19-year-old driver earned a spot in this year’s playoffs after finishing sixth in the regular season point standings but was eliminated after the Round of 10 when he finished seven points behind the cutoff line after getting caught up in a last-lap accident at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. After the points reset entering this weekend’s event, Eckes sits seventh in the point standings, 17 points behind Austin Hill for the sixth position. With fellow rookie of the year contender Zane Smith making the Championship 4, Eckes will finish second to Smith in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.

The Toyota Racing Development driver earned a career-best runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on July 18, 2020 and then equaled it July 25, 2020 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and Aug. 7 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Eckes is paired with champion crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle. Fugle has guided his team to five owner’s championships (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019) as a crew chief at KBM, including combined owner’s/driver’s championships with Erik Jones in 2015 and Christopher Bell in 2017. The New York native’s drivers have combined for 28 wins, 24 poles, 77 top-five and 117 top-10 finishes across his 158 races calling the shots for the organization. His 28 wins as a crew chief rank second all-time in the Truck Series to former KBM signal caller Eric Phillips (37).

Across seven Truck Series starts at Phoenix, Fugle’s drivers have one win, four poles, 471 laps led, three top-five and five top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.3. The New York native was atop the pit box for Erik Jones’ historic win in November of 2013, when at the time Jones became the youngest winner in Truck Series history.

Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has five victories at the Arizona track. KBM’s five victories at the Arizona track have come with four different drivers. Kyle Busch won in 2011, Brian Scott in 2012, Erik Jones went back-to-back in 2013-2014 and Daniel Suarez claimed the top spot in 2016.

A KBM driver led the most laps in the Phoenix race every year from 2011 to 2018. Busch (2011, 107), Scott (2012, 43), Jones (2013, 84), Jones (2014, 114), Jones (2015, 106), William Byron (2016, 112), Christopher Bell (2017, 90) and Harrison Burton (2018, 46). The streak narrowly came to an end last year when Brandon Jones led 36 laps but was narrowly eclipsed by Ben Rhodes (47) and Stewart Friesen (44).

Safelite AutoGlass, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, will adorn the hood of Eckes’ No. 18 Tundra for all 23 events on NASCAR Gander RV& Outdoors schedule in 2020.

Christian Eckes, Driver Q&A

It’s the final race of the season. How would you assess your season?

“It’s the final race of the year. It’s been a long and interesting year. There has been a lot of opportunities that we’ve missed, but in the same aspect, I learned a lot. I can definitely use this year as a learning process. Hopefully, we can finish the year strong in Phoenix and achieve one of the goals we’ve missed so far.”

Phoenix is a unique track. You had a top-10 run as part of your part-time schedule. Do you like the track? How crazy are the restarts with the dogleg right after the start-finish line?

“I have one start in Phoenix in 2018 with the No. 46 team that was my first year in trucks. We ran OK and ran like eighth or ninth. We had a decent truck. It was not a perfect truck. I learned a lot. Hopefully, I can utilize what I learned then to now. It was a fun track when I went there. It was the first year of the dogleg being right after the restart zone. It’s going to be interesting for sure.”

Now that the season is going to be over, what is the one thing you have highest on your to do list?

“The highest thing on not only my list but the team as well is to get the final win. That wasn’t at the top of the list, but it was the second one down. We didn’t achieve the first one, but we have a shot at the second one. We are definitely going to be running as hard as we can to go do that.”

Christian Eckes Career Highlights:

Across 34 career Truck Series starts has produced three poles, 307 laps led, nine top-five and 17 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3. Earned a career-best runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on July 18, 2020 and then equaled it July 25, 2020 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and Aug. 7 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Captured the 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship after recording four wins, two poles, 400 laps led, 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, resulting in an average finish of 4.8 across 19 starts. Has seven career ARCA Racing Series victories across 46 starts to go along with four poles, 1094 laps led, 23 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes.

Put his name on the motorsports map when he won the prestigious Snowball Derby Super Late Model race in 2016 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. The then 15-year-old battled side-by-side with John Hunter Nemechek for the final two laps before narrowly edging him to the finish line.

Christian Eckes’ No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:

KBM-68: The No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass team will unload KBM-68 for Friday night’s race at Phoenix. The Tundra finished 32nd in its debut at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway after running second early in the Final Stage before experiencing a flat tire and a broken driveshaft.

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected five wins, five poles, 914 laps led, 11 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.7 across 28 starts at Phoenix Raceway.
• The organization’s five victories at the Arizona track have come with four different drivers. Kyle Busch won in 2011, Brian Scott in 2012, Erik Jones went back-to-back in 2013-2014 and Daniel Suarez claimed the top spot in 2016.
• KBM holds the NGROTS records for most career wins (80) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
• The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 21 career victories.