Ankrum Clinches Playoff Berth at IRP with Top-Five Finish
Venue: Indianapolis Raceway Park
FINISH: 4th
Start: 3rd
Laps Led: 0
Stage 1: 4th
Stage 2: 5th
NCTS Point Standings Position: 6th
Tyler Ankrum officially claimed a spot in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) playoffs after his fourth-place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) on Friday night. The driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet Silverado RST earned a total of 46-points after finishing in the top-five in both stages. With an 83-point margin to the cut line, Ankrum is now locked into the playoffs with one race remaining in the season.
Ankrum began the evening from third place, leading the charge for MHR in qualifying. He held down his position until a caution flag flew on lap 43. Crew chief Mark Hillman made the call to bring the No. 18 Chevy to pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment to improve Ankrum’s rotation. Ankrum came out of pit road in fourth and finished out Stage 1 on lap 60 in that position to earn seven stage points.
Stage 2 began on lap 69, Ankrum made a strong dive in turn one to try and grab that top spot. After running strong in third-place his truck began to fall off at the end of the run. Ankrum finished Stage 2 on lap 120 in fifth to earn another six points.
While under the stage caution, Ankrum came to pit road for his final stop. Hillman gave him four tires, fuel, and a minor wedge adjustment to help with his loose condition. Ankrum restarted eighth on lap 129 due to a tire bouncing away during his pit stop. Hillman’s adjustments seem to pay off as Ankrum found himself as high as third-place in the final segment. Ankrum crossed the line in the Circle City in fourth position, locking himself into the playoff for the first time since 2020.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“To make it to the playoffs in my first year with MHR means the world to me. It’s been my first year since 2020 being in the playoffs and feels great to be back. With all the adversity we have had this year it goes to show how hard this No. 18 LIUNA team has worked all year. We are going to go on and top-fiving them to death to try and go race for a championship in Phoenix.”
