Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 8 of 23
Event: NC Education Lottery 200 (134 laps, 201 miles)
Entries:
No. 15 Anthony Alfredo
No. 17 Tyler Ankrum
No. 54 Natalie Decker
Schedule:
Friday, May 17
9:05 a.m………..Practice
10:35 a.m……….Final Practice
4:40 p.m…….….Qualifying (FS1)
8:30 p.m………..Race (FS1)
(all times ET)
Anthony Alfredo, No. 15 Steelsmith, Inc Toyota Tundra
Anthony Alfredo is ready to jump back in the No. 15 Toyota Tundra this weekend for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Friday’s 134 lap race will be Alfredo’s fourth NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series start this season.
Even though it will be Alfredo’s first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he has been able to spend some time on track. Before the race at Texas Motor Speedway, DGR-Crosley went to the track in Charlotte to get some seat time. During the test, Alfredo was able to learn more about 1.5-mile tracks and get some laps under his belt before heading to his third race of the season.
All three of Alfredo’s races have occurred at 1.5-mile tracks this season. He started his Gander Trucks career at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in February where he drove up ten positions to a 17th-place finish. He then went on to Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway where he had another top-20 finish. The most recent race for Alfredo was at Texas Motor Speedway where he finished 28th due to an incident on lap 48. Alfredo is excited to strap into his Tundra for his Gander Trucks Series start.
Alfredo on Charlotte: “I’ve been super anxious to get back in the seat since Texas. We had a really fast Toyota Tundra there and didn’t get the result we deserved after an incident early in the race. The speed we had there, and the races before, give me a lot of confidence in our Tundras and our team as a whole heading into the weekend. Charlotte puts on a really good show for the fans and is a really competitive race every year. I’m excited to make my first start at Charlotte Motor Speedway under the lights. I’ve been in the Toyota Simulator and even tested there, so we are looking for a strong finish. We have a new sponsor on the hood this week, Steelsmith, thankful for their support to allow us to race as much as we can this year.”
Tyler Ankrum, No. 17 May’s Hawaii Toyota Tundra
Tyler Ankrum is ready to pilot the No. 17 May’s Hawaii Toyota Tundra at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway this weekend for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, where he will make his fifth start of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season.
Friday’s 134 lap race will be the 18-year-old Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contenders first start at the track coined as America’s Home for Racing. Earlier this season, Ankrum and his DGR-Crosley teammates were able to test at the 1.5-mile track in Charlotte. Ankrum was able to get more comfortable behind the wheel before heading to his first speedway start at Texas Motor Speedway. He was able to lay down some impressive lap times by the end of the test session.
Ankrum has visited two other 1.5-mile tracks this season with DGR-Crosley. His second race of the 2019 season was at Texas Motor Speedway where he finished sixth. This past weekend at Kansas Speedway, the No. 17 team qualified second and earned an 11th-place finish after an up and down day in Kansas City. Overall this season, Ankrum has two top-10 finishes in four races this season.
Ankrum on Charlotte: “Our goal this weekend in Charlotte is to have a solid weekend without any issues or mistakes. Texas and Dover we were really good for us but we collectively made too many mistakes, so in Charlotte I just really want to focus on cleaning it up and getting a top-five finish. If we all do our job, we’ll be there at the end contending for the win. I know that my DGR-Crosley guys will bring me a fast Tundra, we all just need to do our part so that we put on a good showing and bring home a solid finish.”
Natalie Decker, No. 54 N29 Technologies Toyota Tundra
Natalie Decker and her No. 54 N29 Technologies Toyota team will head to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway this weekend for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Decker is ready to tackle her first Gander Trucks start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. She has raced there once before in the ARCA Menards Series last season where she went on to finish 15th. Earlier this season she had the chance to test her Tundra at the speedway with her DGR-Crosley teammates. Getting more seat time on 1.5-mile tracks has helped teach her how the Tundra will handle in the race.
Friday’s race will be Decker’s sixth start in the Gander Trucks Series this season. Three of those starts were at 1.5-mile tracks, one ending in a top-15 finish. At Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, Decker rebounded to a 24th-place finish after spinning due to contact with another truck. She then went on to Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway where she moved on to the second round of qualifying and had her season-best finish of 13th-place. This past weekend at Kansas Speedway after an incident on lap 51, Decker was relegated to a 25th-place finish.
Decker on Charlotte: “I’m really excited to race at Charlotte on Friday. There seems to be a lot of excitement around this weekend because it’s a home race for everyone. We tested there a few months ago, and I’ve been working on the simulator to help prepare. My goal for the race is to get a good qualifying lap in, finish all the laps in the race and learn as much as possible. My DGR-Crosley team and I are hoping to get our best finish of the season this weekend in Charlotte.”
