FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gander Outdoors Truck Series Advance: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 3 of 23
Event: Strat 200 (134 laps, 201 miles)
Entries: No. 15, Anthony Alfredo
No. 17, Ryan Reed
No. 54, Natalie Decker
Schedule: Thursday, Feb. 28
5:05 p.m……….Practice
7:05 p.m……….Final Practice
Friday, Feb. 23
5:10 p.m………..Qualifying (FS1)
9:00 p.m………..Race (FS1)
(all times ET)
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series will head west to Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway this weekend for the third race of the 2019 season. For the first time in DGR-Crosley history, the team will have three Toyota Tundra entries in Friday’s Truck Series Strat 200. Anthony Alfredo will have a new number this weekend, driving the team’s No. 15 entry. Ryan Reed will be behind the wheel of the No. 17 Tundra and Natalie Decker will drive the No. 54 N29 Technologies entry.
Anthony Alfredo, No. 15 Ceco Building Systems Toyota Tundra
Alfredo will be making his second-career Gander Outdoors Truck Series start on Friday. It’ll also mark the 19-year-old Ridgefield, Conn. natives first trip to the mile and a half track in Las Vegas. While Alfredo will carry the same partners and colors as he did last week in his Truck Series debut, he will have a new number for the Strat 200 as he welcomes the No. 15 back on track. This weekend will mark the first time that DGR-Crosley has used this number in Truck Series competition, and the team will continue using it as a part-time entry throughout the 2019 season. Alfredo will have Chris Lawson calling the shots as Crew Chief and Cup Series spotter Andy Houston on the spotter stand.
Ryan Reed, No. 17 Dexcom Toyota Tundra
Even though he has five full-time seasons in the NASCAR XFINITY Series under his belt, Reed only has one previous Truck Series start. His lone Truck Series start occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2012. Overall Reed has seven starts at the mile and a half track in Las Vegas, where he has an average finish of 17th and a best finish of 9th-place which occurred in 2017. Dexcom, a leader in diabetes care and management, has partnered with the 25-year-old Bakersfield, Calif., native for the Strat 200. Reed, a person living with Type One Diabetes, will have a Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system installed in his No. 17 Dexcom Toyota Tundra to help monitor his glucose levels throughout the competition. Reed will have veteran crew chief, Kevin “Bono” Manion atop the pit box and former Cup Series spotter David Keith on the spotter stand.
Natalie Decker, No. 54 N29 Technologies Toyota Tundra
Decker will be making her third consecutive Truck Series start Friday evening as she takes on Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time in her young career. The 21-year-old Eagle River, Wis. native, has had issues in both of the previous Truck Series starts this season, but looks to turn around her luck this weekend during the Strat 200. While Decker will be hitting the mile and a half track in Las Vegas for the first time, she has spent time in the simulator helping prepare for the race there. In her first start on a 1.5-mile track last weekend at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, Decker came away with a 24th-place finish after having issues early on in the competition. Veteran crew chief Frankie Kerr will guide the No. 54 N29 Technologies team, while Cup Series spotter Kevin Hamlin will guide Decker from the spotter stand.
The Strat 200 will be broadcast live on FS1 beginning at 9:00 p.m., ET.
Alfredo on Vegas: “I’m excited to be heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend after a successful run last week in Atlanta. I learned a lot in my Truck Series debut, and I think the mile and a half experience will help me in Vegas. We are switching numbers this weekend, and I’ll be running the No. 15 Tundra. This number is really cool to me because when I started racing several years ago, I actually ran the No. 15 in stock cars and limited late models. Looking forward to getting back to the track this weekend with my guys and bring home a solid finish.”
Reed on Vegas: “I’m thankful for Dexcom, David [Gilliland] and DGR-Crosley for giving me the opportunity to race again. This next part of my career is all about being competitive and being in equipment I know I can win in. I believe that DGR-Crosley is going to give me that opportunity at Vegas. Really looking forward to getting back on track, and working with everyone at DGR-Crosley this weekend.”
Decker on Vegas: “I’m really glad that we went to Atlanta last weekend. It wasn’t on my original Truck Series schedule, but I think now that I have experience at one of the hardest mile and a half tracks, we can go to Vegas with more confidence. I’m excited to go to Vegas. I’ve been working with my spotter and getting some simulator time, and I think all those factors are going to help us put together a solid race.”
