Just days after it was made public that GMS Racing would shut down at the end of the season, its most competitive team over the past half-decade made a statement that they would not go quietly into the night.
Not only did Grant Enfinger win the Clean Harbors 175 at Milwaukee Mile on Sunday afternoon, he dominated with a clean sweep of all three stages with 96 laps led around the legendary Wisconsin Fairgrounds.
This team, and a majority of their infrastructure will be unemployed come November, and that could have been a distraction. It’s not for the driver nor crew chief Jeff Hensley but it certainly could have been for everyone around them.
“For me, it gives me clarity,” Enfinger said. “This week was a good thing for me in that it’s not wishy-washy anymore, we know that none of us have jobs next year so we can just focus on doing our jobs and trying to win a championship.”
GMS Racing is shutting down because its parent organization, Legacy Motor Club is moving from Chevrolet to Toyota next season, and there is no room for support at the latter for another Truck Series team.
It’s not a lack of financial commitment or resources as team owner Maury Gallagher will continue to give this No. 32 team what they need to contend and Enfinger says everyone around them recognizes that too.
“I didn’t know how our guys would take it,” Enfinger said. “We have some good leaders on our team. Sometimes, over the course of our careers, I’ve had to calm Jeff down but Jeff has kept me on the straight and narrow this summer.
“There have been distractions all month but he’s kept focus on what’s important and today is a sign of what we can do together the rest of the year. I believe in Jeff and Jeff believes in me and while there might be doubt around us, our guys have bought into what we’re trying to do and believes we can do this.
“It’s a sign of things to come.”
Despite the pure stats, Enfinger did have to work for this one, as subpar pit stops cost them track position repeatedly throughout the race. And then, on the final run, Enfinger needed to pass leader Carson Hocevar who stayed out on 14 lap old tires.
Hocevar had clean air but weaker tires and forced Enfinger to dig for it.
“It’s kind of a bummer to run second,” Hocevar said. “I haven’t done this in quite a while. Luckily, I’ve been fortunate enough to win three races, so it’s close.”
Playoff update
With his win, Enfinger joins Ty Majeski as winners to automatically advance into the second round of the playoffs. Christian Eckes and Corey Heim also advanced into the second round on championship points, leaving a close battle for the final spots into the Round of 8 this coming weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Grant Enfinger Win, advanced
Ty Majeski Win, advanced
Corey Heim Advanced
Christian Eckes Advanced
Carson Hocevar +56
Zane Smith +29
Matt Crafton +9
Nick Sanchez +3
—
Ben Rhodes -3
Matt DiBenedetto -20
Hocevar can advance purely by scoring just two points next weekend, effectively by merely starting the race and avoiding any kind of early trouble. A 35th place finish gets the job done.
DiBenedetto very well may need to win the race if Crafton and Sanchez do not falter. DiBenedetto struggled all day on Sunday and needs help to advance as a result. Crafton struggled early on Sunday but recovered to a seventh-place stage two finish and fifth overall to move above the cutline.
Sanchez scored 14 stage points, which was super helpful to his cause, considering he drew the short end when he stacked up between Hailie Deegan amd Heim behind him.
Majeski’s superpower
All attention will turn towards the midweek NASCAR penalty report for what happens to Ty Majeski, crw chief Joe Shear Jr. and the No. 98 team. The sanctioning body confiscated their right rear before the race, requiring Majeski to start at the rear of the field and complete a pass-through down pit road at the start of the race. Shear was also ejected from the facility.
Majeski finished seventh and Hocevar jabbed his championship rival about it after the race, telling FS1 that NASCAR took their superpowers away.
Talking to Frontstretch after the race, Hocevar clarified his comments.
“I mean, there’s certain tricks you can use to make yourself way faster and it’s not springs and shocks that make you nearly lap the field at Richmond and haul ass,” Hocevar told Frontstretch. “He was the best truck all day in practice and then they took that away and he ran … I never saw him all day.
“We all push the envelope right?”
Majeski has already won his way into the second round by virtue of the results at Indianapolis Raceway Park. A points penalty before the final race of this round would do nothing to affect the points reset that begins in the second round. If NASCAR elects to subtract playoff points, that could be a detriment to their season and could even force Majeski into needing to win one of those three races to advance into the championship race for a second consecutive season.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.