SPARTA, Ky. – Grant Enfinger earned his second pole of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season during qualifying on Thursday afternoon at Kentucky Speedway.
Enfinger toured the unique 1.5-mile oval in 29.678 seconds (181.953 mph) with his No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford F-150 to earn the top starting spot ahead of the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225.
The pole is the fifth of Enfinger’s Truck Series career. He’s seeking his first win of the season.
“I feel like we have a great truck, good enough to get the job done,” said Enfinger. “I felt like in practice we had a good truck with some speed. It had plenty of speed in it for qualifying, I think it will have speed for the race. The track condition will change tonight when it cools off some. Also, I think … my gut feeling is that we will get this PJ1 activated in turns one and two as well. I think we will start in the middle of the track in both corners and when it comes in in turns one and two, it will help us as well.”
“ThorSport Racing has jumped leaps and bounds this season,” Enfinger added. “Our intermediate program has really come along, and I feel challenged about where we are as a program. Hopefully we can finish it off with a victory lane photo tonight.”
Joining Enfinger on the front row will be rookie Sheldon Creed, who qualified a career-best second with a lap of 29.706 seconds (181.781 mph) in the No. 2 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet Silverado.
Todd Gilliland completed the top three (29.721/181.690) in the No. 4 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, with Enfinger’s teammate Matt Crafton and two-time winner Ross Chastain following.
Harrison Burton was sixth, ahead of defending series champion Brett Moffitt, defending race winner Ben Rhodes, Tyler Ankrum and Brennan Poole.
Johnny Sauter, the 2016 Truck Series titlist, starts 11th. Daytona winner Austin Hill rolls off 22nd.
Stewart Friesen starts last in a backup truck after his primary truck was confiscated by NASCAR during initial inspection earlier in the day. Consequently, he posted the slowest qualifying time.
With 34 drivers on hand for 32 starting spots, Norm Benning and Ray Ciccarelli missed the field.
STARTING LINEUP: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series; Kentucky Speedway; July 11, 2019
- Grant Enfinger
- Sheldon Creed
- Todd Gilliland
- Matt Crafton
- Ross Chastain
- Harrison Burton
- Brett Moffitt
- Ben Rhodes
- Tyler Ankrum
- Brennan Poole
- Johnny Sauter
- Chad Finley
- Gus Dean
- Tyler Dippel
- Jordan Anderson
- Austin Wayne Self
- Natalie Decker
- Joe Nemechek
- Codie Rohrbaugh
- Dylan Lupton
- Spencer Davis
- Austin Hill
- Mason Massey
- Clay Greenfield
- Spencer Boyd
- Tyler Hill
- Brandon Jones
- Jeb Burton
- Camden Murphy
- Josh Bilicki
- Jennifer Jo Cobb
- Stewart Friesen
DNQ: Ray Ciccarelli, Norm Benning