Untimely caution overshadows great performance by Ankrum
On a sweltering midwestern weekend, Tyler Ankrum would finish 16th after an untimely caution midway through stage three of the Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR). The San Bernardino, Calif. native fought a tight handling truck most of the afternoon. Ankrum currently sits 15th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings after 12 events.
The hot weekend started with practice on Friday; Ankrum would report early on in practice that the truck was relatively tight. Ankrum would time in 22nd fastest on the speed charts; Ankrum said after practice he liked the direction the truck was heading. This would show with a strong qualifying effort of 12th for the LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. This would put Ankrum on the outside of row six for the Toyota 200
Ankrum would gain a couple spots early in the race; after a caution on lap 13, Ankrum would work his way up to position number nine. 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 until a caution with seven laps to go in stage one. Ankrum, still fighting a tight condition, would pit for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment. This caution saw multiple strategies play out, where Ankrum would finish in position 14 for stage one.
Stage two would see Ankrum race inside the top 20 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 Toyota 200. With three 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 in position 11. Stage three would see multiple strategies play out, where Ankrum would restart position number three. Ankrum would run inside the top ten until there were 38 laps remaining in the race. Randolph would bring Ankrum down pit road on the leading edge of green flag pit stops, Ankrum would cycle back onto the track in the 28th position. An untimely caution would trap Ankrum one lap down for the next 20 laps of the Toyota 200. After receiving the lucky dog with a handful of laps remaining, Ankrum would finish in the 16th position.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“Had a really good run today all things considered, I just want to thank the crew at HRE and Eddie for keeping me level headed today. We were just fighting a tight truck all weekend and that's what hurt us in the middle of the race. In stage three, we just had a caution fall the wrong way for us. You're going to have that from time to time, but we got back on the lead lap late and made up a few spots to come out with an okay day. It could have been a lot worse, but we will build on this with the two week break and be refreshed for Nashville".