Kansas Speedway Kansas Lottery 200 Race Preview
Race Information
- Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race No. 19 of 23 (Playoffs Round of 10)
- Track Location: Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, Kansas
- Race Name: Kansas Lottery 200
- Broadcast: Friday, September 8th at 9:00 PM ET live on FS1 (TV), MRN (Radio), and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
- Team Entrants:
No. 23 | Grant Enfinger & Jeff Hensley - Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet
No. 24 | Rajah Caruth & Chad Walter - Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet
No. 43 | Daniel Dye & Blake Bainbridge - Race To Stop Suicide Chevrolet
Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
Kansas Speedway Stats
- NCTS Starts: 10; Wins: 1 (Spring, 2023); Best start: 3rd; Top 5s: 6; Top 10s: 8; Laps led: 128
- ARCA Starts: 7; Best start: 2nd; Best finish: 3rd (four times); Top 5s: 4; Top 10s: 4; Laps led: 28
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
- Starts: 18; Wins: 3 (Kansas I, WWT Raceway, Milwaukee); Poles: 1 (Milwaukee); Stage wins: 3; Top 5s: 7; Top 10s: 10; Laps led: 228; Current points position: 3rd (Locked-in to Round of 8)
- About Champion Power Equipment: Since 2003, Champion Power Equipment has earned a reputation for designing and producing the market’s finest power equipment. From our original headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California, Champion has expanded its North American footprint to include facilities in Jackson, Tennessee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Toronto Canada. Today, Champion’s product line has expanded to include portable generators, home standby generators, inverter generators, engines, winches and log splitters. With over 2.5 million generators sold in North America, Champion is a market leader in the power equipment field. Visit ChampionPowerEquipment.com for more information.
- Chassis History/Info: Enfinger and the No. 23 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 346 at Kansas, which was the same truck that he used to win with back in the spring. The team has raced this Chevrolet four times this year, earning top-10s every time it was ran. Grant finished ninth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, won at Kansas, and finished fifth at both Charlotte Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway.
- Milwaukee Winner: Last time the Truck Series held a race, it was all Grant Enfinger who stole the show. Starting off out front, Enfinger earned his sixth career NCTS pole award, adding to the tally of 28 NCTS pole awards for the team, and first since 2021. He would lead every lap in stage one on his way to his second stage win of the year. Grant would have his work cut out for him in stage two after losing the lead on pit road, but would mount a charge and snatch away his third stage win of the season in a late pass. Pit road mishaps hindered the No. 23 team again late in the race, but there was no denying Enfinger the race win. He would go on to take the lead (for the final time) on lap 159, securing his third race win of the year.
- Kansas Winner: Back in May, Grant Enfinger proved that his No. 23 team was putting in the work to become weekly contenders. The hours put in back at the shop had finally paid off, as he displayed pure dominance at Kansas. Though Enfinger qualified 11th, it didn't take him long at all to maneuver his way to the front of the pack. Once he was able to clear himself away from the field in clean air, his speed became unmatched. In total that race, the veteran led a race-high of 65 laps on his way to victory lane.
- Hensley at Kansas: Jeff Hensley has a long list of races in his notebook for Kansas Speedway, making 23 Truck Series starts along with one Xfinity start. Hensley won back-to-back pole awards in 2006 and 2007 with Mike Skinner, and his drivers have made four total front row qualifying efforts. Enfinger's win earlier this year was Hensley's first at the track, but he's been close on several other occasions as well. Since 2004, Hensley's trucks have finished inside the top-five 12 times in addition to 17 top-10 results.
- Not Done Yet: Just days after the announcement was made that GMS Racing will be shuttering its Truck Series operations at the conclusion of the season, Enfinger silenced the critics by making a statement in Milwaukee. There's no laying down here. "None of these guys, including me, have a job next year, but I feel like we proved that we deserve one," was his response in victory lane. The team is more focused than ever to close out in a historic way, and everyone is pushing hard to make a run at the championship.
- #FearTheFinger Playoffs Profile: Grant's win in Milwaukee officially locks him into the Round of 8, which will start next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Entering Kansas, the driver of the No. 23 team is sitting on 24 total playoffs points, which is second highest out of the 10 drivers competing for the championship. He is currently third in points, 12 markers back from the overall series leader, Corey Heim.
- From The Drivers Seat: How big of a relief was it to lock yourself into the Round of 8 following the win at Milwaukee last race?
"Being able to lock into the next round allows our team to be more aggressive for Kansas. We had a great Chevy there earlier this year, and we are able to bring back that same truck. I'm proud of our GMS Racing / Champion Power Equipment team, and feel confident that we can go to Kansas and grab another win."
- From The Pit Box (Jeff Hensley): Since you're locked in now, how do you approach this weekend's race at Kansas from a strategy perspective?
“Anything short of a win doesn’t do us any good. We need to score as many stage points was we possibly can. I mean our goal is obviously to win both stages and win the race like we did in Milwaukee, but we need to carry points with us from Kansas into the next round and the easiest way to do that is to win stages and the race. So, we maybe need to be more aggressive, maybe take a chance with taking tires before the end of the stage and getting track position. It does change your outlook being locked in, but we will see what happens.”
Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST
Kansas Speedway Stats
- NXS Starts: 1; Best start: 27th; Best finish: 25th (Fall, 2022)
- NCTS Starts: 1; Best start: 13th; Best finish: 34th (Spring, 2023)
- ARCA Starts: 3; Best start: 5th; Best finish: 2nd (Spring, 2022); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 2; Laps led: 1
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
- Starts: 18; Best start: 3rd (Nashville); Best finish: 6th (Darlington); Top 10s: 2; Laps led: 1; Current points position: 17th
- About the Wendell Scott Foundation: Founded in 2011, The Wendell Scott Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization inspired by Wendell Scott, Sr. and provides services such as job-skill training, STEM education opportunities, mentoring, and other supportive services to at-risk, underserved youth between the ages of 8-18 years in Danville, Virginia and surrounding areas.
The Foundation's mission of using educational attainment to end racial disparities in education and health is vital in addressing economic inequality and improving future success in African-American communities. For more information, please visit www.wendellscott.org.
- Chassis History/Info: Caruth and the No. 24 team will race with GMS chassis no. 323. This chassis last competed back in July at Pocono Raceway, where Rajah finished 16th. Rajah has driven this chassis four times this season, and his best finish was 11th place at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- Milwaukee Recap: Two weeks ago, Caruth made his third-career start at the Milwaukee Mile, but first in the Truck Series. Starting in 15th, the No. 24 Chevy struggled with grip throughout the day, and hovered around 20th place for most of the race. Changes were made on the stops later on in the race, and Caruth managed to salvage a top-15 finish with the help of his crew's determination. He would be credited with a 14th place finish when it was all said and done.
- Kansas Experience: This will be Caruth’s second NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. He made his first Truck Series start earlier this year, starting the race in the 13th, and quickly passed his way up inside the top-10. Unfortunately, he was swept up in a wreck that ended his night early on lap 72, resulting in a 34th place finish. Caruth has four other starts at Kansas on his resume, including three ARCA Menards Series races and one NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
- Walter at Kansas: Chad Walter has a plethora of experience at Kansas Speedway, spanning all three national series. Calling five Truck Series races, Walter's best finish at this track came working with Rafael Lessard, who finished eighth back in 2021. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Walter has gone to battle nine times, finishing a best of third (in '06 with Kyle Busch and in '07 with Casey Mears), amassing two top-fives and six top-10s. Back in 2012, Walter called his first NASCAR Cup Series race of his career at Kansas with Sam Hornish, who finished 19th.
- Busy "Off" Weekend: This past weekend, Caruth dusted off his Late Model gear and raced in the Locked In 150 at Florence Motor Speedway, a prelude race to the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. This was Caruth’s first time racing on the 0.40-mile asphalt oval track, finishing 19th. He then would go on to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway on Saturday afternoon, where he would earn his best NXS finish of the season with a 16th place result.
- Double Duty: Rajah will take on two vehicles again this weekend, starting off with his familiar No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado RST on Friday night. He also plans to run the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday afternoon driving the No. 45 Camaro for Alpha Prime Racing.
- From The Driver's Seat: In May, you were able to run up front and contend for the race win. What were you able to learn in that race that you can use to your advantage in our second time at Kansas?
"I’ve had Kansas circled all year. I learned so many valuable lessons in the spring race, but none more important than not letting emotions cloud my decision-making. I took myself out of a potential race-winning run by racing too hard early on, and I’ve thought about that race every day since then. Not only have I developed largely over the summer, but my team has as well; so redemption in Kansas City has a nice ring to it."
Daniel Dye, No. 43 Race To Stop Suicide Chevrolet Silverado RST
Kansas Speedway Stats
- NCTS Starts: 1; Best start: 10th; Best finish: 13th (Spring, 2023)
- ARCA Starts: 2; Best start: 2nd; Best finish: 3rd (Spring, 2022); Top 5s: 2; Top 10s: 2
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
- Starts: 18; Best start: 5th (Milwaukee); Best finish: 11th (Gateway); Laps led: 5; Current points position: 18th
- About Race To Stop Suicide: Race to Stop Suicide was co-founded by Daniel and Randy Dye. The nationally trademarked 501(c)3 non-profit works to create awareness, normalize the conversation, and remove the stigma surrounding suicide. Additionally, provide an entry-level amount of education, what to look for, symptoms, and a plan to check in and check up on family and friends. Race to Stop Suicide prioritizes ensuring folks have easy access to helpful resources, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and 988. For more information, please visit www.racetostopsuicide.com.
- Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 348 at Kansas Speedway, the same track that it made its debut at earlier this year. It has been raced three times this year, posting finishes of 13th at Kansas, 19th at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and 22nd at Nashville Superspeedway.
- Milwaukee Recap: Daniel showed strength in qualifying at Milwaukee, starting in fifth position. To date, this was his best qualifying attempt in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. From there, however, the No. 43 Chevrolet would struggle with finding grip, and the rookie would eventually go two laps off the pace, finishing in 28th position.
- Kansas in the Spring: Dye made his first NCTS start at Kansas back in May, and in his first race working with Blake Bainbridge, the No. 43 Race To Stop Suicide Silverado RST was fast. Qualifying up inside the top-10 for the first time in his career, Dye was promising, and nearly earned his first stage points of his career. He was credited with a 13th place finish, which is his best result on a mile-and-a-half track this year.
- Bainbridge at Kansas: The May race was also Blake Bainbridge's first NCTS race at Kansas as well, but he has also called two ARCA Menards Series races in 2019 and 2020. Both of those races were top-10 runs by his ARCA drivers, and the most recent one was his best result at the track when Taylor Gray finished fifth.
- From the Driver's Seat: As the season winds down with only five races left, what are some of the goals that you actively want to accomplish before it's all said and done?
“I think it would be great to get a top-10 finish before we round out the year with our No. 43 team. We've been close so many times this season, but have had trouble finishing off the races. That's something that we all really want to do, especially as I finish out my rookie year and begin to prepare for another season in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series next year. I've learned a lot, but would really like to get a top-10 before the year is over. We should have a good shot this weekend in Kansas, because our truck had plenty of speed here in the spring. I had a lot of fun in that race, and feel like I can take some of that into this weekend.”
