UNOH 250 – Race Results
Venue: Bristol Motor Speedway
FINISH: 13th
Start: 13th
Stage One: 13th
Stage Two: 15th
NCTS Playoff Point Standings Position: 10th
Ankrum Settles for Top 15 Results to Open The Chase at Bristol
Tyler Ankrum, Driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet Silverado RST
Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet Silverado RST powered through a hard-fought battle at the “Thunder Valley” Thursday night under the lights after a 15th-place finish saw him open up The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) Chase. After qualifying was cancelled due to weather, the lineup was set by the NCTS metrics and Ankrum was relegated to start in the 13th position. Due to the unfortunate conditions of the race track, the young driver found it very difficult to pass and held the 13th position for his Stage One finish. After reporting to the team he was building free and needed more turn, crew chief Mark Hillman called the driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet down pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and a slight trackbar adjustment.
Rolling out 15th, Ankrum found himself in the same position with passing being a major issue and late completed Stage Two also in the 15th position. The San Bernadino, Calif. native was super tight on the second stage run but felt they needed to prioritize track position and try and gain as much as they could due to the passing conditions throughout the night. Under the stage break, Ankrum cruised down pit road for ride-side tires only along with a top off of Sunoco race fuel. After gaining multiple spots on pit road, the young driver was able to restart 10th and start his quest through the top 10.
Juggling spots, Ankrum was fighting to hold inside the top 10 until a caution with 82 laps to go arose in the field. The No. 18 chose to stay out and manage the track the best they could as he currently ran in the eighth position. A battle to the end found the young driver dealing with more tight conditions and ultimately led to a 13th-place finish at Bristol. Nothing to lose and nothing to gain at the “Last Great Colosseum” for the 25-year-old NCTS veteran as he still holds the 10th position in the Chase.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“I really wish we had a little more to gain here at Bristol tonight. We had a really fast LIUNA Chevrolet but if you don’t qualify up front here it is very difficult to make your way there and the weather just was not on our side tonight. Proud of these guys and our Trackhouse pit crew for some solid stops tonight. Huge thanks to Tony Dagley, UCOR and all the folks from LIUNA that came out tonight. Still lots of work to do and we are onto Kansas.”
