GMS Racing NCTS Race Preview: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Race Information

– Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race No. 2 of 23

– Track Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, Nevada

– Race Name: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200

– Broadcast: Friday, March 3rd at 9:00 PM ET live on FS1 (TV) and MRN (Radio)

– 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 & Travis Sharpe – Solar-Fit / Halifax Health Chevrolet

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Stats

– NCTS Starts: 12, Wins: 1 (2018), Best start: 3rd, Top 5s: 2, Top 10s: 7, Laps led: 47

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

– Starts: 1, Best start: 16th, Best finish: 5th (Daytona), Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1, Current points position: 7th

– 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.

– Starting Strong : The No. 23 team is off to a great start this season, executing a fifth place finish at the season opener, Daytona International Speedway. Grant earned a total of 36 points after Friday night’s race, placing him in seventh on the points leaderboard.

– Chassis History/Info: Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 team will debut a new Chevrolet Silverado RST at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, competing with GMS Racing chassis No. 346.

– Previous Las Vegas Winner:  Enfinger and Hensley have previously visited Victory Lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway together. Enfinger won the 2018 World of Westgate 200 after leading the field for a race high of 40 laps at the 1.5-mile tri-oval.

– GE Appearances:  Fans attending the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 will have an opportunity to meet Grant Enfinger on Friday, March 3rd:

• NCTS Autograph Session: Grant will be attending an autograph session with the majority of the NCTS drivers from 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM local time, in the Neon Garage, in the infield of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

– From The Drivers Seat:  Daytona set the pace for your seventh full-time season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series; running in the Top-10 for most of the race and finishing fifth. What are your expectations and/or strategies going into the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

“The biggest goal for our Champion Power Equipment team this week at Vegas is really to see where we stack up with our intermediate track program at GMS Racing. There’s been so much work put into this part or our program, and we made a lot of improvements towards the end of last year. We are optimistic that we’ve made more gains over the off-season. This is our owner, Maury Gallagher’s, home race so we are going to do everything we can to make him proud.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Stats

– Rajah Caruth will be making his first Truck Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday.

– NXS Starts: 1, Best start: 18th, Best finish: 20th (Fall, 2022)

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

– Starts: 1, Best start: 17th, Best finish: 26th (Daytona), Current points position: 26th

– 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 compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 323 in the desert, which was raced once before at Pocono Raceway last season. In its debut race, Grant Enfinger qualified in eighth position and finished 17th last July.

– No Weeks Off: Despite not having a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event last weekend at Auto Club Speedway, Rajah Caruth made the trip out west to drive in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event on Sunday evening. Caruth started in 20th position and brought his car home on the lead lap in the 21st spot.

– Double Duty: In addition to racing under the lights on Friday night with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Rajah Caruth will take on driving duties of the No. 45 Wendell Scott Foundation / Microsoft Chevrolet Camaro for Alpha Prime Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event on Saturday afternoon.

– Wendell Scott First Start Anniversary: On March 4th, 1961, at the Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Wendell Scott broke down barriers to become the first African-American driver to compete in NASCAR’s most prestigious level. This Saturday will mark the 62nd anniversary of Scott’s first NASCAR Cup Series start; a historic day for the industry, and an important one for both Rajah Caruth and the Wendell Scott Foundation, who will serve as Caruth’s primary partner in both races this weekend.

– From The Driver’s Seat: You’re returning to Las Vegas this weekend running in both the Truck and Xfinity Series. How much of a benefit do you think you will have with all of the extra track time?

“I think the extra track time is going to be a huge benefit for me, especially since I raced at Las Vegas last year. Having one constant that I’ll be used to, in the track itself, should help me get up to speed quicker, as this will be my first time at a mile-and-a-half track in a truck. Overall, I’m feeling pretty good about it; the Chevrolet simulator sessions that my Wendell Scott Foundation team has had has really helped me gain some experience, so I have high hopes for how our race should pan out. The preparation’s been there from the team and myself, so there’s no reason why we can’t go out there and have a lot of speed.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 Solar-Fit / Halifax Health Chevrolet Silverado RST

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Stats

– Daniel Dye will be making his first start in any series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday.

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

– Starts: 1, Best start: 29th, Best finish: 30th (Daytona), Current points position: 27th

– About Solar-Fit: Since 1975, Solar-Fit has been Florida’s first choice for solar energy. Serving customers in seven counties (Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Clay, Putnam, Nassau, and Duval), Solar-Fit solar systems help heat pools, power appliances, and generate the most energy for homes and businesses in our community. Solar-Fit is a Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer. We are ranked one of America’s Top Solar Contractors by Solar Power World. For more information, visit www.solar-fit.com.

– About Halifax Health: Halifax District Hospital opened its doors to the community on January 3, 1928. Founded by the state legislature, the hospital began operations with 125 licensed beds. During World War II, the hospital became a convalescent facility. In 1947, it was remodeled and returned to the community as an acute care general hospital. In 1985, the hospital was designated as the area’s only Level II Trauma Center and changed its name to Halifax Medical Center. In 2007 Halifax Health – Medical Center of Port Orange opened to provide access to residents on the south side of Volusia County. The France Tower was competed in 2009, at which time, many additional services were added, and the Halifax Health Medical Center of Deltona opened in 2020 to round out the three hospital system of care.

Today, Halifax Health is rated one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ in the United States by IBM Watson Health™, Halifax Health serves Volusia and Flagler counties, providing a continuum of healthcare services through a network of organizations including a tertiary hospital, two community hospitals, an urgent care, psychiatric services, a cancer treatment center with five outreach locations, the area’s largest hospice, a center for inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, primary care walk-in clinics, a clinic specializing in women’s health, a pediatric care community clinic, three children’s medical practices, a home healthcare agency, and an exclusive provider organization. Halifax Health offers the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, Center for Transplant Services, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Services, complete Neurosurgical Services, OB Emergency Department and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for babies born earlier than 28 weeks.

– Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will debut a brand new chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, competing with GMS Racing chassis no. 343.

– DD Appearances:  Fans attending the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 will have an opportunity to meet Daniel Dye on Friday, March 3rd:

• NCTS Autograph Session: Daniel will be attending an autograph session with the majority of the NCTS drivers from 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM local time, in the Neon Garage, in the infield of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

– From the Driver’s Seat: Last year in ARCA, you seemed to shine on the intermediate tracks. With Las Vegas being the site of your first intermediate race with a truck, how much of your knowledge from last year can you take with you into consideration for Friday night?

“I’m really looking forward to racing in Las Vegas this weekend. After running in a few intermediate track races last season with the ARCA car at Kansas, Charlotte, Michigan, and a few other places, I feel prepared and hope to use some of that experience on Friday night. I’ve heard that the two different types of vehicles definitely handle differently on these types of tracks, but I know that my No. 43 GMS Racing team will bring me a fast Silverado to compete with, and that’s all I can ask for. Having the opportunity to learn from both of my teammates who have raced here in the past will be key to me taking on the track, so I’ll be sure to bounce off of them and learn as much as I can.”