Grant Enfinger wins in the long awaited return of the NASCAR trucks to the Milwaukee Mile
WEST ALLIS – After 13 years away, NASCAR returned to the Milwaukee Mile for the Craftsman Truck Series Clean Harbors 175 on Saturday, and Grant Enfinger overcame a couple of small setbacks in the pits to grab his third victory of the season.
The victory was particularly timely. His team, GMS Racing, announced in the past week that it would close down after 12 seasons.
“There’s been so much effort put in our truck from everybody, top to bottom, but our core group of guys, they work a ton of hours, they’ve worked their tail off all year and last year,” Enfinger said. “I didn’t know exactly how this was going to go.
“For me, it gives me clarity. Honestly this week was disappointing, but it was almost a good thing as far as, hey, it’s not wishy-washy anymore. Now it’s hey, we don’t have a job next year. Now all we an do is focus on right now, winning this championship.”
Who is Milwaukee Mile NASCAR truck winner Grant Enfinger?
Enfinger, 38, from Fairhope, Alabama, has made 168 starts in the Craftsman Truck Series since 2010 with 10 victories.
Enfinger, making his first appearance at the Mile, was among a handful of drivers to do double duty. He finished fifth in the ARCA Menards Series Sprecher 150 earlier in the day. He won that series championship in 2015.
How did he win?
Enfinger started on the pole and led 95 laps, including the last 17. Enfinger, who'd been boxed in during pit stops twice, was among a group of leaders who pitted for fresh tires with 38 laps to go while leader Carson Hocevar stayed out. Enfinger passed Hocevar in a spirited battle and won by 1.533 seconds.
Kallmann: NASCAR came back at the Mile and Grant Enfinger wasn't the only winner
What’s the future for racing at the Milwaukee Mile?
There’s been no announcement, but promoter Bob Sargent gave every indication the trucks will be back in 2024.
It seems likely IndyCar will return to the track too, although that might not be until 2025. Series owner Roger Penske has said there are areas of the facility that need more improvements.
What happened with Wisconsin driver Ty Majeski
Seymour native Ty Majeski came in as the favorite and was fastest in practice but suffered a major setback late Saturday when his truck failed inspection multiple times. He still managed to finish seventh.
Majeski was forced to start from the rear of the pack and then serve a drive-through penalty on the first lap. He drove up through the field several times, only to have trouble in the pits and get shuffled back.
Majeski raced without crew chief Joe Shear Jr. on the box and had a right rear tire confiscated. Further penalties are coming this week, NASCAR said. Majeski won the playoff opener two weeks ago at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
How did the other Wisconsin drivers fare at the Milwaukee Mile?
Derek Kraus of Stratford ran as high as second after Enginger and others pitted and was pleasantly surprised to hang on to finish eighth in a one-off ride with Spire Motorsports.
“To be 100% honest with you, I was a little scared going into it,” said Kraus, who started 25th. “But we were able to drive through the field (which) showed just how good our truck was right away.”
As for the decision to stay out:
“They all pitted and we stayed out, and I was like, ohhhhh, this is not going to be good and sure enough they came quick, but we were pretty good. I was pretty happy with where we stayed … on four old tires when everyone’s got new stuff.”
Josh Bilicki of Richfield brought out the first caution with a crash on the 10th lap. A hub failure melted the brakes on his Chevrolet and blew the right front tire.
Dexter Bean of Westby was the lone driver to fail to qualify, a disappointment after a solid day of practice Saturday. Bean, who hasn’t made a NASCAR start since 2021, was one of only two drivers entered in Sunday’s race who competed in 2009.
William Sawalich dominates ARCA race; Luke Fenhaus sixth
Sixteen-year-old double-duty driver William Sawalich battled Jesse Love on two late restarts to win by 2.125 seconds in a race he had dominated.
“I didn’t expect it to be that hard; I thought I’d get him in maybe two laps but it took me a little longer,” said Sawalich, who led 145 laps of the Sprecher 150. “It was just a matter of time of when I wanted to make the pass and I wanted to do it smartly. I didn’t want to do it too early and mess up a corner and have him get back to me.”
The victory was his second in the ARCA Menards Series and third on the ARCA East Series, as well as the third straight for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota since ARCA returned to the Mile in 2021.
Wausau native Luke Fenhaus, Sawalich’s closest competitor in the ARCA East championship, got run way wide by Conner Jones in a battle for third and recovered to finish sixth.
“I would have been happy to finish third and just got ran into,” said Fenhaus, conceding he was a longer long shot to win than he hoped. “Spoiled rich kid move. He’s done that too us multiple times and cost us a win at IRP and now a third-place finish.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grant Enfinger wins NASCAR Truck Series' Milwaukee Mile return
