Track: Dover International Speedway, 1 mile oval
Race: 6 of 23
Event: JEGS 200 (200 laps, 200 miles)
Entries:
No. 17 Tyler Ankrum
No. 54 Natalie Decker
Schedule:
Thursday, May 2
2:05 p.m………..Practice
4:05 p.m………..Final Practice
Friday, May 3
1:10 p.m……….Qualifying
5:00 p.m………..Race (FS1)
(all times ET)
Tyler Ankrum, No. 17 May’s Hawaii Toyota Tundra
After a month hiatus, the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series will be back in action this weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Tyler Ankrum and his No. 54 May’s Hawaii team look to continue the positive momentum after earning a sixth-place finish in their last race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.
The newly turned 18-year-old San Bernardino, Calif. native has four Truck Series starts under his belt after winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship title last season. In four starts, two in 2018 and two in 2019, the Truck Series Rookie Contender has earned two top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 12th.
While Ankrum doesn’t have any previous Gander Trucks experience at the one-mile Monster Mile, he has one K&N Pro Series East start there. Ankrum ran inside the top-five in his lone start at Dover until mechanical issues relegated him to an 11th-place finish. Despite the finish, Dover is special to Ankrum because he was able to finally celebrate his K&N Pro Series East Championship with his No. 17 Modern Meat Toyota Racing team.
Ankrum on Dover: “I’m really excited that we have Dover coming up. We were good there last year in the K&N car, so I already have this idea of how to get around the track. David [Gilliland] was really fast there last year in the Truck and ran 3rd up until the final restart. I’ll have the same crew chief that he had last year, so we’ll have all the notes and roll out of the truck with a good setup. Obviously we want to win, but with it being my first time at such a fast track in close quarters, we will be happy with a podium finish. We had a good day in the simulator, and I think we will be prepared. Really excited to see how my May’s Hawaii Tundra can do and continue to build.
Natalie Decker, No. 54 N29 Technologies Toyota Camry
Natalie Decker will be back in action at the Monster Mile during the Gander Outdoors Truck Series race on Friday night. Decker’s longtime partner, N29 Technologies, will adorn the sides of her No. 54 Toyota Tundra as she buckles in for her first race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Decker will be jumping back in her Toyota Tundra for the first time since Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, where she scored a career-high 13th-place finish. This weekend’s JEGS 200 will mark her fourth start in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series — her first on a track under a mile and a half. With Dover being a high-banked, one-mile concrete oval, Decker is ready to take on the challenge.
Decker and the No. 54 N29 Technologies team is coming off a weekend in the ARCA Menards Series at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway where they lost laps early on after some mechanical issues. It was Decker’s second ARCA Menards Series race of the season, after competing at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway at the beginning of the season. The team’s goal was met when they gained more experience around the track to prepare for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series race later in the year.
Decker on Talladega: “This weekend will mark my first time going to Dover. I’ve talked to some of my competitors to help get ready for Friday’s race, and it seems like most of the other drivers really like this track, and think I will as well. I’ve been working with Kevin [Hamlin] my spotter and going over notes and film. My team and I also spent some time on the Toyota simulator to help me get a feel for the track and it seemed to be pretty fast. I’m excited to go there in my N29 Technologies Tundra and see what it’s like in person.”
