A year ago, Grant Enfinger ruled over Friday. The 40-year-old veteran Craftsman Truck Series driver won in Talladega for CR7 Motorsports. He led the final 15 laps and took the checkered flag as the field succumbed to Dega’s signature crashes. Enfinger secured his third appearance (and second consecutive) in the 2024 Truck Series’ championship finale.

The No. 9 Chevy driver was on his way to repeat history at the 2025 Love’s RV Stop 225. After qualifying in 15th place, Enfinger was preparing to execute a good race. But before he could even embark on the main part of the event, chaos descended. As a result, Enfinger needs to capitalize on the next race, which he is particularly not looking forward to.

Grant Enfinger accepts the grim situation

The veteran Truck driver has a good resume at Martinsville Speedway. Grant Enfinger won at the ‘Paperclip’ in 2020, and also flaunts 3 top fives and 6 top tens. However, the CR7 Motorsports Truck racer admitted his dislike for the racetrack, which will host the penultimate Truck race of the year before the series heads to Phoenix for the championship. And the reason for his dislike is simple – Enfinger will have to replicate his 2020 fortune if he hopes to contend for a title. “I don’t like that race being a cutoff race for us in the Truck Series,” Enfinger said after disaster struck in Talladega.

Barely 4 laps had unfolded at Talladega Superspeedway when Grant Enfinger received an errant push from Chandler Smith, who was exiting Turn 4. That got Enfinger loose and sent him spinning before entering the tri-oval. Enfinger did not blame Smith in a post-race interview. “I think he was getting hit from behind. And he hit me while he was crossed up…Unfortunately, one of those Talladega incidents. It’s unfortunate, I feel like there was an opportunity for us. Clearly, Talladega did not bestow the glorious luck on Enfinger like last year.

He was credited with a 36th-place finish, and he left the track 40 points below the elimination line. Presently, Grant Enfinger needs to focus on avoiding another disastrous or lackluster day at Martinsville. He continued, “Yeah, I mean, we knew it was gonna get shaken up. Everybody knew that going into Talladega. Last year, we were on the good end of things; this year, we are on the bad end. Our job’s simple next week, we don’t have to worry about points. We know we gotta win at Martinsville in order to race for a championship. But proud of the effort.”

Grant Enfinger elicited fire from his rival, Layne Riggs, just a few weeks ago. The veteran had wrangled with the 23-year-old star in Watkins Glen and apologized for it. Yet again at the Charlotte Roval, Enfinger sent Riggs into eventual race winner Corey Heim, triggering a multi-truck incident. Riggs had criticized Enfinger: “I don’t really understand what his thought process is. People say you’re supposed to take advice from the veterans and learn from them of how to race, and they race the worst out of anybody.”

As Grant Enfinger nurses his wounds from Talladega, so does a fellow rival. And the two drivers may lock horns in the upcoming race.

In a similar soup

Well, Talladega lived up to its reputation, as Grant Enfinger was not the only victim. As a result of his wreck, even Ty Majeski suffered left front damage, and Jake Garcia incurred right front damage. Another driver slipped into chaos – Daniel Hemric. The No. 19 Truck driver for McAnally–Hilgemann Racing had a fast truck. Yet on lap 52, he had a tire go down during a green flag run. Then, his No. 19 Chevrolet received a hit from Toni Breidinger’s No. 5 Toyota. To top it off, Enfinger’s No. 9 Chevy slammed into the side of Hemric.

Yet Daniel Hemric showed speed, finishing 10th in the first stage. Eventually, however, the tire issue came back to bite him. Hemric reflected on his wrecks: “The right side getting torn off on lap 6 caused it…I guess the 38 [Smith], I think, turned the 9 [Enfinger] into me, and that destroyed our truck their lap, whatever it was, early. And when that happened, yeah, we were playing damage control. Every single caution, [we] had to put a right rear tire on it. It was not cutting the tires down, but it was wearing through the side wall every couple of laps I’d run.”

Now, Daniel Hemric is 32 points below the cutline – presenting a solid threat to Grant Enfinger’s hopes to win in Martinsville.

With the Talladega chaos swirling in these drivers’ heads, the next race may be more chaotic. Let’s wait and see if anybody can capitalize on their last opportunity for the title.