The 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season will feature a fielded expansion and a new driver lineup for Hattori Racing Enterprises after it was announced that Tyler Ankrum will be joining the organization as their second competitor.
Ankrum, a 20-year-old native from San Bernardino, California, and the 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, will be driving the No. 16 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro with continuous sponsorship support from LiUNA! in all but three of the 23-race schedule in the upcoming season. Scott Zipadelli, who led the No. 16 team to HRE’s first NASCAR championship in 2018, will retain his role as crew chief for Ankrum.
“This is a great opportunity to join a tight-knit team with a really strong foundation,” Ankrum said. “I couldn’t be more excited to join HRE and return to the Toyota family. To be able to work with Scott Zipadelli and his team on the LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro is a big opportunity for me. I want to get back to victory lane, be a threat in the playoffs, and continue this team’s winning ways. I think we can do that together and I’m looking forward to putting in the work to make that happen.”
Ankrum’s entrance to HRE comes a day after the team announced that Chase Purdy will be piloting the newly-formed No. 61 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for the upcoming Truck Series season, which will mark the first time where HRE will field two full-time entries in the series.
“Tyler has been through the playoffs and has a lot of Camping World Trucks experience,” Shige Hattori, team owner of Hattori Racing Enterprises, said. “Scott [Zipadelli] and our entire team have been successful the last several years and we’re looking forward to seeing Tyler rejoin team Toyota. We want to get him back to victory lane and be a strong playoff contender.”
Ankrum, who will replace Austin Hill in the No. 16 Toyota, joins forces with HRE following a two-year run in the No. 26 Chevrolet Silverado for GMS Racing. He made the 2020 Truck Series Playoffs and tallied three top-five results and 10 top-10 results before achieving a ninth-place result in the final standings. This past season, he missed the Playoffs and settled in 15th place in the final standings despite earning his first career pole at Circuit of the Americas in May, three top-five results and five top-10 results.
Ankrum, who made his first two Truck career starts in two of the final four races in 2018 with DGR-Crosley, campaigned in 20 of 23 Truck races in 2019 between DGR-Crosley and NEMCO Motorsports. He earned his first career win at Kentucky Speedway in July and went on to compete in the Playoffs, where he made it all the way to the Round of 6 before his title hopes came to an end in November. He went on to finish in eighth place in the final standings.
Through 67 previous Truck starts, Ankrum has achieved one career victory, one pole, nine top-five results, 24 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 16.0 as he seeks another bid towards more victories and the 2022 Truck Series Playoffs.
