Early Incident Leads To Struggle At Darlington
• Kraus Ends Up 16th In Camping World Truck Series Race
DARLINGTON, S.C. (Sept. 5, 2021) – Derek Kraus had a fast No. 19 NAPA AutoCare /NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Tundra at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, but that speed was wiped out after getting sandwiched into the wall early in the race.
The damage to the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Tundra made for an up-and-down day that resulted in a 16th-place finish in the In It To Win It 200 at “The Track Too Tough To Tame.”
Kraus had started 18th on the grid and charged to 13th in the first three laps. He continued to advance and was up to sixth, when he was sideswiped by another truck and pushed against the wall. Although he was able to continue, he started falling back and was 19th at the end of Stage 1.
The crew worked on the MHR Tundra during a subsequent pit stop, but it was a challenge to drive the rest of the race. Nonetheless, Kraus restarted in 32nd and finished Stage 2 in 18th. The team took advantage of a caution on Lap 110 to pit for fresh tires, again, and Kraus was able to go from 23rd to 16th in the final 37 laps of the race.
He remains 12th in the championship standings, with five races remaining on the schedule.
The MHR team welcomed a special group of guests from Walker Auto & Truck’s NAPA AUTO PARTS stores with a VIP experience at the track on Sunday. The group included two VIP Guest Crew Members, Tim Davis and Joey Glezen. They are managers of NAPA AUTO PARTS stores for the Walker Group and earned the VIP Guest Crew Member recognition for large monthly increases in sales.
Derek Kraus – Thoughts about the race
It looked like you were never able to recover from that early incident?
“It killed our speed when we got sideswiped. That ruined our day. Our Tundra was too loose and a handful to drive after that.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event:
Race: In It To Win It 200 (147 Laps) (Race 17 of 22) Sept. 5, 2021
Location: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C. (1.366-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; Lap 45 / Lap 90 / Lap 147
Derek Kraus
No. 19 NAPA AutoCare /NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Tundra
Age: 20
Hometown: Stratford, Wis.
Started: 18th
Stage 1: 19th
Stage 2: 18th
Finished: 16th (Running, completed 147 of 147 laps)
Race Winner: Sheldon Creed
2021 Series Stats:
Races: 17 starts, 2 poles, 1 top five, 4 top 10s
Laps completed: 1,946/2,185
Laps led: 58
Series standings: 12th
Next Race:
UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics, Sept. 16, 2021, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn. (1/2-mile oval).