Solid Day At Daytona Comes Up Short For Kraus
• NASCAR Truck Series Competes On Historic Road Course
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 16, 2020) – What started off as a solid run by Derek Kraus on the road course at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, ended six laps short of the checkered flag for the driver of the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 ENEOS / NAPA Toyota Tundra.
An eventual fuel pump issue on Lap 41 left Kraus with a 30th-place finish.
In making his first truck series road race, Kraus started ninth on the grid – as the series marked its inaugural event on the road course at Daytona. He raced in the top 10 in the opening laps and then bounced back from an issue at one of the chicanes to finish 10th in the first stage. After getting shuffled back to 18th, as the field cycled through pit stops; Kraus got mired in heavy traffic and battled to gain ground while negotiating the challenging 3.61-mile winding road course.
A Lap 20 pit stop for body repairs led to him finishing the second stage in 28th. He worked his way forward and was up to 19th late in the race, when his truck stalled on track with mechanical trouble on Lap 41 – ending his day.
The finish, which ended a string of top-10 finishes for the 18-year-old series rookie, dropped him from ninth in the championship standings to 11th. He is two points out of 10th, just below the cutoff for making the playoffs.
Derek Kraus – Thoughts about the Daytona Road Course
Your thoughts after having a rough day of road racing?
“It was a long day. I made a lot of mistakes, but the MHR team never gave up.”
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Event:
Race: Sunoco 159 (46 Laps) (Race 12) Aug. 16, 2020
Location: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla. (3.61-mile road course)
Format: Three Stages; Lap 12 / Lap 25 / Lap 46
Derek Kraus
No. 19 ENEOS / NAPA Toyota Tundra
Age: 18
Hometown: Stratford, Wisc.
Stage 1: 10th
Stage 2: 28th
Finished: 30th (fuel pump, completed 40 of 46 laps)
Race Winner: Sheldon Creed
2020 Series Stats:
Races: 12 starts, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s
Laps completed: 1,346/1,356
Series standings: 11th
Next Race:
KDI Office Technology 200, Aug. 21, 2020, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del. (1-mile oval)