Team EJP 175 – Race Results
Venue: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
FINISH: 16th
Start: 15th
Stage One: 16th
Stage Two: 28th
NCTS Point Standings Position: 10th
Ankrum’s Thrilling Loudon Performance Secures Final Spot in The Chase
Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet battled a wide range of adversity at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) as he raced his way in to secure the final spot in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) playoffs. The young driver started his day mid-pack in the 15th position. The field spread in chaos early and Ankrum fought to stay in the top 15 until a quick caution arose and he expressed to the team that he was free to fire off but overall, the truck was starting to come to him. The No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet continued to build tight as the run continued and Ankrum settled for a 16th-place Stage One finish. Crew chief Mark Hillman threw a handful of adjustments at the No. 18 as they came down pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel, a trackbar and packer adjustment.
Right off the restart of the second stage, Ankrum noticed a brake issue and reported to the team immediately. The young driver held on until a yellow flag fell on lap 77 and came down pit road to assess the issue. The crew took a quick look under the truck to make sure no fluid was leaking and sent the San Bernardino, Calif. native on his way to avoid going a lap down. Throughout the rest of the stage run, Ankrum worked with spotter Eddie D’Hondt to try and diagnose the problem inside the truck working on his rear brakes to check for leaks but was relegated to the 28th position to round out Stage Two. Under the stage break, the No. 18 crew worked to double check all lines under the hood and make sure there were zero leaks and everything was tight. After a few stops, four tires and fuel, the young driver was back on track and fighting to stay above the cutline.
The 25-year-old driver was fighting with all he had to gain as many spots as possible throughout the remainder of the final stage as he juggled the cutline with competitor Stewart Friesen. The pack was back to chaos as multiple cautions appeared with under 30 laps to go in the Team EJP 175. The green-white-checkered was in sight and Ankrum powered to the white flag as he crossed the line for the final time at just seven points above the playoff cutline. The young driver was able to fight to the finish and claw his way into the final spot in the NCTS 2026 playoff lineup. As the points reseed to begin The Chase, Ankrum will go into the first race of the playoffs at 70 points behind the leader.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“Man, I just wish for once we could have a boring day. It can never be easy. Obviously, happy to be in the playoffs but not happy with how today had gone. We had a lot of mechanical issues in the beginning of the year and I thought we were past that. I don’t like to be in these positions so we are going to take this three week break as a reset and come back to Bristol with momentum and consistency to start The Chase. Thank you to our track house pit crew for awesome stops today and keeping us in the game. Huge thank you to LIUNA and Chevrolet for the constant support and we will go get em’ in Bristol.”
