Grant Enfinger has spent nearly two decades competing in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series and building a reputation as one of its seasoned veterans. Born on January 22, 1985, in Fairhope, Alabama, he worked his way through late models, ARCA and other racing series before establishing himself in the Truck Series. But his journey began long before the wins and recognition, with a go-kart hauled in a horse trailer and parents who supported his racing ambitions from the start. Here’s a closer look at Grant Enfinger’s parents and their role in his journey.

Who are Grant Enfinger’s parents?

Floyd and Linda Enfinger are the folks behind the driver. They’re not racing royalty. However, Grant’s father, Floyd Enfinger Jr., is the son of Rev. Floyd C. Enfinger Sr., a United Methodist minister who spent his entire adult life serving churches across Alabama and Florida.

Linda, whose maiden name is Estes, married into the Enfinger family and built a home in Fairhope where Grant and his sister grew up.

Grant isn’t an only child. He has a sister, and the family has deep roots in Baldwin County. The Enfingers are a close-knit bunch, the kind of family where grandparents, parents, and kids all pile into the same Alabama football game-day rituals. Grant’s grandparents, parents, and sister all attended the University of Alabama, which is why he slept on a Crimson Tide-branded mattress as a kid.

Where did Floyd Enfinger and Linda Enfinger meet?

This is where things get a little fuzzy. The Enfingers aren’t the kind of family that posts their love story on Facebook for the world to see. What we do know is that Linda Estes was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1949, and eventually made her way to Alabama, where she married Floyd Quinton Enfinger Jr.

Floyd Jr. grew up in a preacher’s household, moving from church to church across the South as his father took on new congregations in Slocomb, Eufaula, Montgomery, Mobile, Pensacola, Opelika, and Prattville.

What is the ethnicity of Grant Enfinger’s parents?

The family’s deep roots are in Alabama. Grant’s grandfather was born in Dale County in 1927, and his grandmother, Ruby Inell Hodges Enfinger, was born in Houston County in 1918, pointing to a long lineage of Southern settlers.

That said, Grant and his family are, for all intents and purposes, as American as it gets. They’re Alabama through and through. However, based on the last name, we can assume that they have roots in Germany. But ethnicity-wise, we are looking at a white American family with European ancestry, but the cultural identity is pure Gulf Coast Alabama.

Inside Grant Enfinger’s relationship with his parents

Grant and his parents are tight. That’s the simplest way to put it. Floyd was the one who took him to Talladega as a kid, planting the seed that would grow into a NASCAR career. “My dad and me went to Talladega as a kid and kind of fell in love with it,” Grant said in a 2019 interview. “He had a friend of his that raced at the local track there in Alabama and we would go with him, and watch him. It’s all I wanted to do.”

Linda, meanwhile, was part of the support system that kept the dream alive. When Grant was racing go-karts and Legends cars as a teenager, his parents were there. When he needed someone to pull the trailer to the track, Floyd was the guy. He was “starting and parking” early in his ARCA career, just trying to get laps;

Floyd was often the only one congratulating him. “There were times my dad was the only one congratulating me,” Grant said. “That’s because we were just starting and parking. But, he knew how important it was to me.”

The Enfingers also made sure Grant got an education. They weren’t about to let him skip college to chase a racing dream. Grant graduated from the University of South Alabama with a degree in marketing, something his parents insisted on.