Consistency is key for Ankrum at Nashville
On a beautiful Tennessee weekend, Tyler Ankrum would finish eighth after a caution with six laps remaining in stage three of the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway (NSS). The San Bernardino, Calif. native fought a tight handling truck most of the evening but powered his way back to the front after a great strategy call from crew chief Doug Randolph. Ankrum currently sits 15th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings after 13 events.
The beautiful weekend started with practice on Friday in partly cloudy conditions. Ankrum would report early on in practice that the truck was relatively tight, but he liked the overall balance of his truck for the evening. Ankrum would time in 17th fastest on the speed charts on the afternoon; Ankrum said after practice he liked the direction the truck was heading with the track loosening up over a run. This would show with a good qualifying effort of 17th for the LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and position him on the outside of row eight to start the Rackley Roofing 200.
Ankrum would gain a couple spots early in the race following a few early cautions. After a caution on lap 12, Ankrum would work his way up to position number 11 in the Rackley Roofing 200. Track position would be crucial on the day; Crew Chief Doug Randolph would keep Ankrum and the No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro on the track for the entirety of stage one. Ankrum would slowly work his way up to position number six by the time the green and white checkered flag flew on lap 45.
Stage two would see Ankrum race inside the top-10 for most of the stage, Ankrum would still report a tight No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro as the laps ticked away for the Rackley Roofing 200. With eight to go in stage two, Ankrum would pit to gain track position for the start of stage three. This would see Ankrum and the No. 16 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro finish the second stage where he finished stage one, in position number six; gaining more valuable stage points on the day (+10). Stage three would see multiple strategies play out, where Ankrum would restart in position number five. Ankrum would run inside the top-10 until there were seven laps remaining in the race when a caution came out. Randolph would bring Ankrum down pit road for four tires and fuel. Multiple strategies were used and Ankrum would be the first truck on four fresh tires restarting in the 11th position. Ankrum would use those tires to his advantage, but would run out of time crossing the start-finish line in the eighth position for the Rackley Roofing 200.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“Coming out of a long break from Gateway you never know what to expect when you get back to the track. I felt like this was a great step in the right direction after the last couple races we had before the break. This was one of the more complete races we have put together as a team. Doug and the HRE crew really brought me a great piece and everything seemed to just go our way with a total team effort. We gained some valuable stage points and we will take this momentum and build on it when we hit the track again in a couple weeks at Mid-Ohio. I want to thank all of the Local 386 LiUNA! members for coming out and supporting our program".