Ankrum Looks to Grow His Point Lead in Atlanta
Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Event: Fr8 208
Date: Saturday, February 24
Location: Hampton, GA
Track Description: 1.54-mile quad oval
Distance: 130 laps, 200.2 miles (2:00 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
Keep The Pace… As Tyler Ankrum prepares to head to Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), he brings the momentum of his success earned at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) points leader. The driver of the No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST began the weekend at DIS with making the second round of qualifying. With his time of 50.57, Ankrum started in the fifth position. Throughout the race, he consistently positioned himself near the front of the pack and led 16 laps. With a stage two win and an 11th-place finish, Ankrum leads the NCTS points standings for the first time in his career and is not ready to let it go.
That’s His Style… With Ankrum finding his speed again, he looks to be the contender that he was in his two previous playoff campaigns. Ankrum has a win on a 1.5-mile track under his belt, and looks to add another this weekend at AMS by also exercising his drafting techniques. Dating back to DIS in 2022, Ankrum has led laps in three of the last seven drafting races and was running in the top six during the final laps last year at AMS. With 540 consecutive laps completed at AMS, Ankrum is preparing to keep that streak while adding a career best finish at the 1.54-mile track this weekend.
The Pack Is Back… With AMS being the second-straight drafting track to open the season, Ankrum should be able to find success again in the pack. Ankrum has shown his strength by working in tight packs with two stage wins at DIS in the past two seasons and has a best finish of 11th at AMS (2022). With teammate Christian Eckes winning at AMS in 2023, Ankrum is hoping to give the MHR team its second-consecutive victory in the Peach State on Saturday afternoon.
Tune In… Coverage from AMS begins Friday afternoon on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with pole qualifying at 3:00 p.m. ET. FS1’s coverage on Saturday begins at 1:00 p.m. ET with NASCAR Raceday followed by the green flag at 2:00 p.m. ET. 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:
On heading into Atlanta as the points leader:
“I know it’s hard to defend a points lead in the series. The NCTS is full of unknowns and every week has it’s own challenges. Being the leader makes you have a target on your back, and it only makes me work harder to be able to keep that lead. I feel confident in my No. 18 LiUNA Chevrolet and feel that we can be a real contender throughout the season. I hope we can finish the weekend even stronger and keep this lead going.”