Best of the Rest: Trucks at Lime Rock and EchoPark Speedway

Last weekend, in a rare occurrence nowadays…the Craftsman Truck Series headed to Connecticut to tackle the road course at Lime Rock Park. Meanwhile, the NOAP Series and Cup Series teams headed to EchoPark Speedway (FKA Atlanta) for some mini superspeedway racing.

A few seasons ago, Atlanta Motor Speedway went through a bit of a make-over. The former oval was redesigned with higher banking to replicate the type of racing you would find at Daytona or Talladega. EchoPark also took over the naming rights of the speedway within the last few seasons, changing the name to EchoPark Speedway.

Combined, this past weekend resulted in a truck winless streak being broken, an almost win in the NOAP Series, and a long overdue Cup win for both a manufacturer and driver.

Next week? The NOAP Series has an off weekend, while the trucks and Cup head to North Wilkesboro for a historic return to action at the track

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LIME ROCK PARK

LIUNA! 150

Winner: Grant Enfinger

Pole: Layne Riggs

#9 GRANT ENFINGER

Finally, it happened for team owner Codie Rohrbaugh, CR7 Motorsports, and veteran Grant Enfinger. Enfinger, a perennial championship contender with almost every organization he has raced with…including CR7 Motorsports last season. 2026 though, has seen it’s share of struggles for the single truck team. From bad luck and a decrease in budget this season, Enfinger sat 11th in points before Lime Rock. The road course, of all places, however snapped a long winless streak and possibly gave the 9 team the momentum it needed to make a run at the championship this season.

Admittedly not a “road course guy”, Enfinger could have fooled me in Lime Rock. Qualifying his now familiar red-and-white #9 Chevrolet 12th, Enfinger found himself at the front of the field, and led the final five laps en route to his 13th career truck series win.

Lime Rock was truly a shot in the arm for Enfinger’s season. Not only was this Enfinger’s best finish since finishing 7th in Nashville, but it was the veterans first win since Homestead in 2024. Interesting note, this also Enfinger’s third win since joining CR7 Motorsports in 2024.

#13 COLE BUTCHER

A strong competitor for many years throughout Canada, Cole Butcher made a bold move to test his skills in a full time Craftsman Truck Series schedule in 2026. Bringing sponsor Atlantic Tiltload on board with him, Butcher signed to take the reigns of the infamous #13 Ford for ThorSport Racing. This sprung from an impressive two-race debut in late 2025 in Halmar-Friesen Racing’s #62 Toyota. A full slate of races in 2026 with a new team though? That is a different animal, and Butcher has faced a steep learning curve.

Fast-forward to race 14 in 2026, at Lime Rock Park. A season that has now seen it’s fair share of struggles for the ThorSport rookie driver took a turn for the better. While not as high as Enfinger above, Butcher had a quietly strong run, and finished 11th after rolling off 22nd.

You have to respect the grind that Butcher and the #13 Ford team have went through all of 2026. While many races have seen Butcher finish mid-pack or worse due bad luck, Lime Rock (11th), Rockingham (10th), and a pair of 14th-place finishes in Daytona and St. Petersburg.

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ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY

FOCUSED HEALTH 250

Winner: Justin Allgaier (again)

Pole: Sam Mayer

#0 GARRETT SMITHLEY

When the NOAP Series arrives at EchoPark Speedway, the expectation of the unexpected is a constant presence throughout the weekend in any series. While chaos managed to hold off the in the opening laps, the waning laps were a different story. Enter car #0 and driver Garrett Smithley…a team and driver who patiently worked the draft to their advantage in the late going. Smithley, who is the anchor driver for SS-Green Light Racing’s #0 Chevrolet, had a surprise career day in the EchoPark chaos.

Starting mid-pack in 26th, Smithley drove a smart race. Keeping both driver and car clean throughout the event led to the #0 Chevrolet taking advantage of several late race incidents. These incidents (which took out most of the top contenders), allowed Smithley to rally for a career best 6th place finish.

To longtime fans, the name Garrett Smithley is quite familiar, having 217 career NOAP starts. Making his debut in 2015, Smithley has been on the grind picking up opportunities to race wherever he can. That grind has paid off in 2026, with him being the anchor driver of SS-Green Light Racing’s #0 Chevrolet. In 12 starts thus far in 2026, EchoPark’s 6th place run far eclipses his previous season best of 14th.

#44 BRENNAN POOLE

Alpha Prime Racing and driver Brennan Poole have made a habit of popping up when nobody expects it several times the past few seasons. The superspeedway drafting-style of racing has been the team’s bread and butter as of late, providing they can avoid the drama that typically ensues throughout these events. The #44 Chevrolet has seen it’s share of time up front this season, but the biggest “almost” came last Saturday. I need to preface by saying the hidden gem of Poole’s race does not exist in the 17th place finish, but how he and the Alpha Prime #44 team got there.

Poole’s now familiar blue Chevrolet rolled off in the 30th position, and evaded the many spins and wrecks that plagued much of the event. As the closing laps drew near, the #44 Chevrolet was able to wrestle away the lead from Carson Kvapil on lap 171 of the 172 laps run, with Poole’s first career win just corners away. The fight for the lead ensued, so did contact…knocking Poole from contention to a 17th-place finish once the dust settled.

Poole and Alpha Prime Racing seem to be coming together this season despite some recent bad luck. In the beginning of the season, the #44 Chevrolet has spent most of the season competing in the top 20, including a top ten finish (10th) in COTA. You have to think, given the teams superspeedway performance, that Daytona in a few weeks time could be Poole’s day. Like Smithley above, Poole debuted in 2015, and has 211 NOAP Series starts to his credit.

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ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY

QUAKER STATE 400 AVAILABLE AT WALMART

Winner: Ryan Blaney

Pole: Ryan Blaney

#12 RYAN BLANEY

This is one of those rare cases, where despite Blaney being a past champion even, deserves his flowers for breaking the stranglehold Toyota has had on the Cup Series in 2026. EchoPark, one of Blaney’s better tracks, not only provided Blaney and his #12 Team Penske Ford a breakthrough second win in 2026, but got the blue oval of Ford back into victory lane after struggling to match the competition.

While Toyota’s did initially dominate the talk early in the race, Blaney’s Ford showed true (Mustang) dark horse energy by winning the pole for the second time this season. The race wore on, Toyota’s making their presence felt, but also the #12 lurking in the background. Taking the lead on multiple occasions, Blaney would go on to lead a historic 171 laps total before collecting his 19th career win.

Ford’s lack of speed in Cup in 2026 has been well documented, so we do not need to dwell on that. However, Blaney’s two wins (he won at Phoenix early in the season as well), have been the lone trips to victory lane for Ford overall in 2026. Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith has also shown speed in a few races this season, but other drivers and bad luck of prevented anything from coming fruition. Ford’s best chances for any success in 2026 seem to exist within the Penske #12 team this season.

#3 AUSTIN DILLON

Understandably, recent events in 2026 (RIP Rowdy) would throw any team off their game for likely the remainder of the season. Never a team to back down from a challenge, Richard Childress Racing has marched this year, attempting to regain a sense of normalcy as the landscape of the Cup Series and team itself abruptly shifted weeks ago. EchoPark Speedway provided the chance for that rebound, with the infamous #3 Chevrolet making a return to the top ten at a drafting track.

With performance at a premium in 2026, Austin Dillon and RCR’s #3 Chevrolet made their presence felt. Following a strong 4th-place qualifying spot, Dillon and the #3 Chevrolet avoided the late race “Big One” accident, and earned a 7th-place finish for their efforts.

The 2026 season has not quite gone to plan for the #3 RCR group. Yes, the team has shown speed some weeks…however bad luck, accidents. and rain delays have stifled any momentum Dillon could have had. Considering the untimely death of teammate Kyle Busch, there have been some highlights preceding EchoPark worth sharing. These include a 12th in Las Vegas, 6th at Watkins Glen, and now 7th in Atlanta.