Grant Enfinger wins into Championship 4 at Martinsville
Zane Smith rounds out Championship 4 ticket by three points over Matt Crafton
MARTINSVILLE, VA. – A quintessential NASCAR short track race ensued at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night, and after all the physical intensity wound down, Grant Enfinger stood tall above the smoke show, winning his way onto the Championship 4 ballot to battle for a title at Phoenix Raceway next week.
In the closing stages of the race, the dial was cranked all the way up to 11. Enfinger had to win to advance. Ben Rhodes was in the conversation for the victory. Meanwhile, Matt Crafton and Zane Smith were racing for the final spot on points.
Enfinger was able to hold on for the win through all the mayhem, as four others found themselves eliminated at the end of the night.
Those four eliminated on Friday night were Crafton, Rhodes, Tyler Ankrum, and the regular season champion, Austin Hill.
"We were gonna have to take the gloves off and fight for this one." — @GrantEnfinger on his win that secured a spot in the #Championship4. pic.twitter.com/dJA3yJqFp2
— NASCAR Gander Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) October 31, 2020
There were comers, there were goers, and there were plenty of cautions in the final stage. A total of six cautions in the last half, and 11 cautions overall in the 200 lap NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 set the tone for the end, where there was no give, and all take.
Enfinger led five times for 49 laps, second-most to Sheldon Creed, who led 65 laps and won the first stage. Stewart Friesen was victorious in the second stage, and Johnny Sauter was also in contention until a late race dust up with Carson Hocevar.
Enfinger joins the GMS Racing trio of Brett Moffitt, Sheldon Creed, and Zane Smith in the Championship 4, and the highest finisher at Phoenix Raceway next week will be crowned the champion.
There are two more races this weekend at Martinsville, in the Xfinity Series on Saturday, and the Cup Series on Sunday. Those races will also determine who will race for their respective championships.
Check out the photo gallery from the press box! All photos by Justin Melillo / TRE.
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