CR7 Motorsports driver Grant Enfinger was caught up in a wreck on Lap 4 of Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway, putting his hopes of advancing to the Championship 4 for the second consecutive season in peril.
Enfinger, the defending winner of the Truck Series race at Talladega, received an errant push from Front Row Motorsports’ Chandler Smith exiting Turn 4, which got Enfinger loose and sent him spinning before entering the tri-oval.
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Fellow playoff driver Ty Majeski also suffered left-front damage when Enfinger’s No. 9 Chevrolet slid in front of him after driving through the tri-oval grass to avoid the multitruck incident. Jake Garcia also incurred significant front-end damage but was able to continue.
Entering Talladega, Enfinger was four points below the cutline to advance from the Round of 8, with Majeski two points below. Enfinger took his No. 9 Chevrolet to the garage and could not continue. He was evaluated and released from the infield care center and will be credited with a last-place finish.
Enfinger left his home state of Alabama 40 points below the elimination line, as Majeski put together a key recovery drive by finishing third, placing the defending Truck Series champion five points out of a Phoenix transfer spot.
Layne Riggs, another playoff contender, also incurred damage in a separate crash at Lap 10 but was able to continue on for a fifth-place finish. The driver of the No. 34 Ford ended the day six points below the cutline.
