Ankrum Records First Top-Five of the Season in Atlanta

Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway

FINISH: 3rd

Start: 7th

Stage 1: 8th

Stage 2: 15th

Laps Led: 0

NCTS Point Standings Position: 14th

Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No.18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST pulled out all the stops and gave it his all after a solid run at Atlanta Motor Speedway led him to finish the final thrilling laps, third. Ankrum started the Saturday afternoon NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) event seventh as the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing teammates quickly took the top four spots, single file as the first green flag flew. With three laps to go in Stage One, the lanes doubled up and started to take shape as the driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet Silverado RST held on for a strong eighth-place Stage One finish.

Under the stage break, Ankrum reported to crew chief Mark Hillman that his race truck is too tight on exit and he can’t get close enough to his teammates for help. Hillman (Mark, crew chief) called the No. 18 down pit road for gas and a trackbar adjustment then, sent the young driver back out to start Stage Two in the seventh position. The San Bernardino, Calif. native wasted no time getting back up to the top five where he held status for the majority of the stage. As the bottom lane started to stall out, Ankrum got held up and ended the stage 15th.

Shortly after the green flag fell for the final stage, an unfortunate multi-car incident saw the No. 18 Chevrolet to collect some damage on the left front. Hillman (Mark, crew chief) brought Ankrum down pit road under caution for four fresh tires, some Sunoco race fuel and damage control. The team got the young driver patched up and ready to finish strong. Ankrum quickly found the bottom and linked up with teammate Daniel Hemric to make their way back to the front. As the bottom lane started to roll, he found himself back in the top ten with 10 laps to go. In the closing laps, the driver of the No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST gave it all he had and solidified his first top-five effort of the season with a third-place finish at Atlanta.

Tyler Ankrum Quote:

“That was a lot of fun today and I am super proud of this No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet team. I felt like we lacked a little speed early on today but this track and this kind of racing just takes a lot of patience and that is exactly what he had to hold on to today is patience. Huge thanks to my spotter, Kevin Hamin, for getting me back up to the front there so quick at the end and helping to keep us in contention today. Mark and the guys brought a good piece today and I know we can continue this momentum on in a few weeks when we get to Vegas.”