"I thank him for that" - Ben Rhodes on Grant Enfinger 'running him clean' during NASCAR Truck Series showdown in Phoenix

Ben Rhodes, driver for ThorSport Racing, clinched his second championship in three years in the chaotic NASCAR Truck Series finale at the Phoenix Raceway. He capped off a chaotic race that saw four overtimes and 25 extra laps alongside multiple crashes and non-finishes.

Rhodes found himself in the fifth position at the end of the race, ahead of the three other Championship 4 drivers. However, it all boiled down to a final showdown between Rhodes and the 37-year-old veteran, Grant Enfinger.

Enfinger's race to this moment was marred by an unfortunate incident with Corey Heim while Enfinger was looking all but set to clinch his first championship.

Despite the setback, Enfinger exhibited remarkable sportsmanship, opting to race clean against Ben Rhodes. In the final lap, he secured a sixth-place finish, just one spot behind Rhodes, narrowly missing out on the championship.

Ben Rhodes, in a post-race interview with NBC Sports, extended his gratitude to Enfinger for his fair play on the track, saying:

"Grant [Enfinger] almost got me. But hats off to him, he ran a great race. I wouldn’t’ want to race against anybody else for the championship. He raced me clean, and I respect the heck out of him for it."

Enfinger's decision to race cleanly in the decisive moments of the race resonated with Ben Rhodes. Recalling Grant Enfinger’s final push in the last corner, Rhodes stated:

"I saw him. He went for everything, but he ran me clean, and I thank him for that. That’s what these championships are all about."

---

Ben Rhodes reflects on winning 2023 NASCAR Truck Series Championship

The 26-year-old driver of the No. 99 Ford F-150 won the second Truck Series Championship of his career at Phoenix. He had previously clinched the title in 2021.

Following the race, Rhodes described the extended laps and overtimes as nothing short of surreal. The ThorSport Racing driver stated:

"I can’t even believe it. It's just so awesome, man. To go 25 laps into overtime, do you know what that feels like? It’s crazy."

He continued:

"I didn’t think we were going to make it. I thought we were going to pop a tire, that anything that could have gone wrong was going to go wrong."

With the victory, Ben Rhodes became the fifth driver to win multiple Truck Series Championships, as well as the youngest to do so.