Ankrum Heads for Daytona with High Confidence for ’26
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
Event: Fresh From Florida 250
Date: Friday, February 13th
Location: Daytona Beach, FL
Track Description: 2.5 – mile tri-oval
Distance: 100 laps, 250 miles (7:30 p.m. EST, FS1, SiriusXM)
Back For More … Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet RST returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) season-opener. The 24-year-old is coming off the heels of a spectacular 2025 season where he earned the shot to race for a championship title in Phoenix along side three other contenders. Ankrum is returning with a constant factor in his success, crew chief Mark Hillman. 2026 marks the third season the duo will fight for the top spot come season end and continue their bonding partnership.
Superspeedway Racin’ … The San Bernardino, Calif. native is no stranger to the superspeedway tracks as he has just over 10 NCTS career starts between Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway. The young driver’s best finish at the 2.5-mile tri-oval came about in 2023 where he scored a seventh-place finish. After the updated configuration of newly named EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) in 2022, the 1.54-mile quad-oval now is in the “drafting track” category with Daytona and Talladega. Between the three tracks, Ankrum has captured a best of third at EchoPark just last season in 2025. The driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet is looking to start the year off with a solid top-five result at Daytona or better yet, a victory at the Fresh From Florida 250.
Spoiler Highlights … Tyler Ankrum and the No. 18 NCTS team are excited to welcome aboard LIUNA local contractor CORE Construction to adorn the left-side spoiler of the iconic LIUNA Chevrolet for the 2026 season opener in Daytona. Utilizing comprehensive construction knowledge and industry expertise, CORE provides exceptional building services in 13 markets, including the K-12, Higher Education, Civic, Public Safety, and Healthcare sectors. Our Mission is to earn the trust of our employees, building partners, and clients. Achieving this mission begins by building teams with members who have unwavering, comprehensive trust in one another. Integrity, Fairness, Continuous Improvement, and Results are not just our CORE Values; they are the foundational elements of trust itself.
Tune In …Television coverage on the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season-opener event will begin Thursday afternoon with practice starting at 5:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, and will resume with qualifying on Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET followed by green flag at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Stay connected with the No. 18 LIUNA team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“Man, it’s hard to believe we are already back at the start of the season. 2025 was an awesome season for the No. 18 crew and we are looking to improve even more on that success. Looking forward to having Mark (Hillman, crew chief) back up on the box for our third season together and we have an entire new road crew so also looking forward to seeing what this new team can do. We have been working really hard together in the off-season and I am super stoked to get back to Daytona and hit the ground running.”