LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 25: Grant Enfinger, driver of the #98 Champoin/Curb Records Ford, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Grant Enfinger, driver of the #98 Champoin/Curb Records Ford, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 25, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Grant Enfinger Returns & Hailie Deegan Gets The Call

www.arcaracing.com October 7, 2020

Grant Enfinger is locked in on bringing home the NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series championship.

But with an offweek in the NASCAR playoffs for the Trucks, the 35-year-old from Fairhope, Alabama, is returning to his old stomping grounds – of sorts. The 2015 ARCA Menards Series champion will pilot one of two Chad Bryant Racing entries in the ARCA Menards Series East finale at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, on Saturday.

“I grew up racing at Five Flags, so I’m extremely excited about coming home,” said Enginger, who will drive the No. 77 Champion Power Equipment/Breland Homes Ford. “It just worked out.

“We’d been talking about this for a while, if it was going to work out, we were going to do it. Fortunate enough, it lined up for us and we can go down there and have some fun.”

On the same day than Enfinger, who has three wins and four sits fourth in the playoffs heading into next weekend’s first Round of 8 race at Kansas Speedway, made his official announcement to make an appearance back in ARCA, one of the series top rising young stars announced she was going to make her truck debut at Kansas.

Hailie Deegan will run double-duty next weekend, making her first career NASCAR national series Saturday after concluding the ARCA Menards Series season on Friday.

The 19-year-old from Temecula, California, sits third in the ARCA Menards Series championship points and leads the Bounty Rookie of the Year standings. She’ll pilot the No. 17 Ford for DGR-Crosley at Kansas. She’s finished eighth (2019) and ninth (2020) in two ARCA Menards Series starts at Kansas.

RELATED: Deegan ‘wouldn’t call (2020) a lost year’ | Hailie Deegan Career Stats

Enfinger has made 95 starts over the span off 11 years in the ARCA Menards Series. After winning six times and finishing second in 2014, he tacked on six more wins and the series championship driving for Maury Gallagher in 2015. He has 16 career series wins, including three at nearby Mobile International Speedway in Alabama, but will be making his first series start at the track across the bay in the Pensacola 200 Pres. by Inspectra Thermal Solutions.

He has made a number of starts in 5 Flags Speedway’s premier event for Super Late Models, the Snowball Derby. Enfinger finished second to Augie Grill (2008) and second to Erik Jones (2013).

RELATED: Grant Enfinger Career Stats

Enfinger’s former car owner, Gallagher, will be celebrating the East championship at Pensacola with Mayer and GMS Racing.

Enfinger’s car owner for Pensacola, Bryant, will have to opportunities to keep Mayer out of Victory Lane.

Derek Griffith will drive the No. 22 Original Gourmet Lollipops Ford for CBR. The 23-year-old from Hudson, New Hampshire, has six top 10s in seven ARCA Menards Series starts, and two top 10s in a pair of East starts. That includes the season opener at Florida’s New Smyrna where he won the General Tire Pole Award and led 144 laps before finishing second to Mayer.

Griffith finished 12th in the Snowball Derby at Pensacola last year.

“To finally have a place on the schedule that, man, I’ve been to two Snowball Derbys at that place and run a bunch of laps, that’s going to be huge for me,” said Griffith. “It’s going to be pretty exciting to roll into a place I’ve been before.”

The Pensacola 200 presented by Inspectra Thermal Solutions is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. Fans will be able to attend the race at Five Flags (buy tickets) and can watch the race live on Trackpass on NBC Gold.

The ARCA Menards Series finale at Kansas Speedway is Friday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. CT / 8:30 p.m. ET and will air live on FS1.