Track: Eldora Speedway, 0.5-mile dirt track
Race: 15 of 23
Event: Eldora Dirt Derby (150 laps, 75 miles)
Entries:
No. 17 Tyler Ankrum
No. 54 Kyle Strickler
Schedule:
Wednesday, July 31
7:05 p.m…………..Practice
9:05 p.m…………Final Practice
Thursday, August 1
7:00 p.m…….….Qualifying (FS1)
9:00 p.m………..Race (FS1)
(all times ET)
Tyler Ankrum, No. 17 DGR-Crosley Driver Development Toyota Tundra
Tyler Ankrum will take on Eldora Speedway for the first time in his young career this weekend as the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series heads to Rossburg, Ohio. Ankrum will pilot the No. 17 DGR-Crosley Driver Development Tundra in the seventh annual Eldora Dirt Derby on Thursday night.
The Eldora Dirt Derby will mark Ankrum’s 10th Truck Series start with DGR-Crosley this season where he has one win, three top-five and five top-10 finishes. He heads to Eldora Speedway coming off a second-place finish in the most recent Truck Series race at Pocono (Penn.) Raceway. That finish came after a win at Kentucky Speedway, which locked the 18-year-old into the Truck Series Playoffs later in the season.To prepare for the event at Eldora, Ankrum has been using simulators and watching race film to get experience and learn his way around the half-mile dirt track.
The Eldora Dirt Derby will kick-off on Thursday, Aug. 1 and will be broadcast live on FS1 at 9:00 p.m., ET.
Ankrum on Eldora: “Looking forward to Eldora this week. It’s definitely something different. With no dirt background or anything, I’ve been spending a lot of time on iRacing and talking with Bono about the race. It’s going to be a learning experience, but my team has a lot of dirt racing experience and I think I’ll be able to adapt to the track quickly.”
Kyle Strickler, No. 54 DGR-Crosley Driver Development Toyota Tundra
Kyle Strickler will join DGR-Crosley for the first time this weekend as the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series heads to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The experienced dirt racer will be backed by Jerovetz Shock Service, Donaldson Grading, JRS Competition Finishes, Canady’s Pest Control, Glen Miller Demolition and G-Style Transport for Thursday’s Eldora Dirt Derby.
A regular in a dirt late model, Strickler recently ran in Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Late Model Dream where he started on the Pole. He led for more than 40 laps before earning two top-15 finishes. Strickler is also a two-time World Short Track Champion at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Although he races dirt late models full time, Strickler does have one Truck Series start which occurred last season at Eldora. In his lone Truck Series start, he was involved in an accident that relegated him to a 31st place finish.
Strickler will have veteran Crew Chief Frank Kerr coaching from atop the pit box. Kerr, a retired sprint car driver, has won four track championships at Eldora Speedway, four All-Star championships, and five Ohio Speed Week championships.
The Eldora Dirt Derby will kick-off on Thursday, Aug. 1 and will be broadcast live on FS1 at 9:00 p.m., ET.
Strickler on Eldora: “DGR-Crosley has a lot of really great people within their organization – many of them with a lot of dirt racing experience. Knowing that I’m going to Eldora in top-notch equipment is a great feeling. The dirt racing community has been so supportive and excited for me to get this opportunity. I’ve had a bunch of individual chip in to make this possible, and I can’t thank everyone enough.”
