Amid GMS Racing’s Heartbreak, Grant Enfinger Believes “This Is Our Best Opportunity”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be losing a powerhouse from its ranks in 2024. Last week, GMS Racing spilled the beans on their plans to cease all current operations in an official announcement. The news has come as a surprise for the community, which has been witness to GMS Racing’s rise to prominence in stock car racing across various segments.

However, one might feel that the situation would act against their pursuit to win this season’s Truck Series championship. But their star driver, Grant Enfinger, believes it’s quite the opposite. Enfinger’s win at Milwaukee came right after the heartbreaking announcement, and the way he dominated there, it seems like there might be some substance in his opinion.

“We can show up and win”: Grant Enfinger relishes a final chance to win with GMS Racing

GMS Racing’s current Truck Series roster includes some popular young talents aside from Enfinger. Bubba Wallace‘s protégé Rajah Caruth has been making waves in the industry with the glimpses of potential he has shown in both the Truck Series and Xfinity, where he has done well in the limited chances available. 19-year-old Daniel Dye is another promising talent on their roster who looks forward to making his way up in the sport.

Grant Enfinger has been their leading driver during his time with the team, and his performance on Sunday shows exactly why. Dominating the grid in the first race at the Milwaukee Mile since 2009, beating off competition from experienced drivers like Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar.

Speaking about the tension in the air making it harder for them to focus on their target of winning the title, Enfinger speaks on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He says, “No, honestly, it’s been a distraction, but in racing, you’re gonna have that.”

“It doesn’t really matter what is the scenario, there is always different distractions. Jeff Hensley has been our leader, and he’s been the one keeping me focused and everybody focused on our task at hand. Him and I both truly believe this is our best opportunity for a championship together and honestly they have been focused since I came over to begin in the last year.

I feel like if we do our job, if we hit our marks, we can show up and win at any track that we go to.”

Enfinger sits comfortably in third place in the point standings and has been a consistent source of points for GMS Racing this year. Having already secured a place in the playoffs, his confidence will be at an all-time high to try and make the fairy-tale possible.

“We have speed, everything is quick, we’re gonna try to keep doing that till the end of the year and there’s every effort going in to bring home a championship and end this the right way.” continues Enfinger.

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“So I don’t feel like this is gonna be a distraction anymore so than it’s been a distraction for the last couple of months. I feel like overall, everybody has handled it really really well and I don’t see that changing.”

Well, bowing out of NASCAR with a Truck Series win would be a great way to announce their departure. Enfinger and co. will look forward to embracing this final opportunity to the best of their abilities.

GMS Racing’s owner looks back at the team’s success over the years

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In their time in the Truck Series, GMS won the championship in 2016 with Johnny Sauter and most recently in 2020 with Sheldon Creed. They have left their mark on the competition with 44 wins and a new approach to the style of racing that has rejuvenated the competition. Giving out chances to young talents has also been one of their strengths, making them a significant player in the grassroots growth of the sport.

The ARCA Menards Series has been another playground for the team, which oversaw the debut of the team through team owner Maury Gallagher’s son Spencer as the driver. Since then, they have continued to improve in all aspects until now, when everything is coming to a close. Gallagher does not fail to credit everyone responsible for their journey in the sport as he speaks to Autoweek.

“During the past nine years, GMS Racing has become one of the top teams in the Truck and ARCA Series garage. The people who made this happen have been the hard-working men and women at GMS Racing and GMS Fabrication. Every employee, new and old at GMS has always strived to be the very best. Without their effort and dedication, we would have never been able to win two Truck championships, three ARCA championships and 68 wins.”

Vehicle manufacturer Chevrolet has also been pivotal in their rise to popularity. Being a co-owner of Legacy Motor Club alongside the legendary Jimmie Johnson also gave Maury much-needed experience in the top flight of NASCAR and added a new dimension to the way things worked within the team. He explains the same as he sends his flowers to everyone associated with their soon-to-end story.

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“Leadership is always critical in any success story. Since 2015, (team president) Mike Beam has been the catalyst of this race team’s success. Chevrolet and GM has also been critical to our success. With the combination of Chevrolet plus Mike at the helm, we became the team I always dreamed of owning. I can’t thank Mike enough for all his leadership and hard work. We are looking to finish out this year on a high note and close our legacy in this era with another Truck Series championship.”

As for now, the team will shift their attention toward the task at hand: winning the Craftsman Truck Series title. Grant Enfinger will have to recreate some of his heroics in Milwaukee in the playoffs to ensure that their dream doesn’t remain unfulfilled.