Ankrum Scores Runner-Up Finish at Vegas to Keep Points Lead
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
FINISH: 2nd
Start: 6th
Laps Led: 0
NCTS Point Standings Position: 1st
Tyler Ankrum retained the points lead after a second-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) on Friday night, his best finish of the season. He claimed 42 points, which was fifth–most of all drivers, and allowed him to maintain the points lead by five markers heading into the week off.
Ankrum began at the day at LVMS by qualifying sixth, giving him his third consecutive top-10 starting position. He found comfort running a lower line which helped him gain four places in the opening laps. Ankrum finished the first stage in fourth earning him seven points on lap 30 and followed the leaders to pit road for his first four-tire stop of the night
After the first pit stop of the night, he restarted the second stage in 10th position on lap 35. Ankrum spent the early portion of the stage trying to find a groove. He expressed to his team that he was struggling in the dirty air making his balance tight. With a green flag run in the second stage, Ankrum found his rhythm late and finished 12th place at lap 60. Ankrum’s second pit stop of the night gained him three spots and allowed him to restart ninth for the final segment.
With four tires, fuel, and some adjustments, he was prepared to make a charge back to the front. The final stage began on lap 67 and Ankrum wasted no time showing his speed. He gained momentum on the bottom lane picking off drivers one by one. Ankrum’s final pit stop of the night was on lap 101 under a green flag cycle. He found himself in fifth position after the rest of the field pitted by lap 110. In the last 30 laps of the race Ankrum was storming forward and finished his night in second position just 0.8 seconds behind the leader for his best result at LVMS.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“I’m incredibly satisfied, we started out the race pretty good. Had some great restarts and had a really good long run truck there at the end. We got behind there in the second stage and got tight. We made the right adjustments on pit road and found our way back to the front. We are knocking on the door and I feel that our time is coming soon.”