To say that Grant Enfinger is on one heck of a hot streak is putting it mildly.
Perhaps a better way of saying it is Enfinger is on the verge of achieving one of the biggest records in ARCA history in the ARCA Series in Saturday’s International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 at Talladega SuperSpeedway.
Enfinger has won each of the first three races on the ARCA schedule, only the second time such a feat has been done in the series’ history, the first time occurring in 1970 by Ramo Scott.
Scott was ARCA champion in 1970 and 1971, USAC Stock Car Series champ in 1975 and was the pole sitter for the 1976 Daytona 500.
Enfinger, a native of Fairhope, Ala. (just outside of Mobile) native would love nothing better than to be the first driver in ARCA’s 62-year history to win the first four races of a season, and in his home state to boot.
“(Winning at Talladega) would be huge,” Enfinger said in a team media release. “To be able to make a statement like this would be huge, not only for myself being an Alabama guy, but for Team BCR.
“(Team owners) Howard and Paula Bixman are working so hard to give us what we need to win everywhere we go. I’m so proud of this team, the way they’ve all stepped up.”
What makes Enfinger’s story all the more amazing is this is only his second full season in ARCA.
“Other than that one full season with the Allgaier’s (team owner Mike Allgaier, father of NASCAR driver Justin) in 2011, I don’t think I’ve ever run four ARCA races in a row, let alone win them all,” Enfinger said.
An added bonus of sorts for Enfinger is he’ll be teammates in Saturday’s race with Justin Allison, grandson of NASCAR legend Donnie Allison, one of the original founders of the infamous Alabama Gang.
“Having Justin as a teammate can definitely help,” Enfinger said. “But you’ve also got to get in position at the right time to get the help. If you get a car in between us, it doesn’t matter if you have a teammate. I hope it works out so we can work together.”
Enfinger knows that Saturday will likely be the biggest test yet this season for him, given Talladega’s unpredictable reputation.
“Talladega’s a crapshoot, more than anywhere we go,” he said. “There are just way too many variables at Talladega. Our job is to put ourselves in the right place to make it happen one more time.”
Enfinger’s wins this season have come at Daytona, his home track in Mobile and last weekend in Salem, Ind.
He’s anxious to add Talladega to the list, a place where his best prior finish has been third.
“We’ve got some real good things going,” Enfinger said. “We’ve had three really good race cars to start the year … with the right amount of luck to win.
“We’ve always had a lot of hard work and preparation that goes into our effort. We’re not really doing anything different in that regard. I think the biggest thing was winning our first race last year; it brought a huge sense of relief. Now we can focus more and make better decisions with the ‘monkey’ off our backs.
“You just never know what’s going to happen at Talladega though. But, we have a great plate program and I know we’ll be fast.”
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