Ankrum to Headline LiUNA! 150 at Lime Rock
Venue: Lime Rock Park
Event: LIUNA 150
Date: Saturday, July 11th
Location: Lakeville, CT
Track Description: 1.5-mile road course
Distance: 100 laps, 147.8 miles (1:00 p.m. EST, FS1, SiriusXM)
Back To The Woods … Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet has recovered from West coast time and is ready to roll up the East coast to Connecticut for the NASCAR CRAFTMAN Truck Series (NCTS) event at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville. The 1.5-mile road course is hosting their second annual NCTS event after the big success that the track had last season. Ankrum’s primary partner LIUNA will return as the entitlement sponsor for the LIUNA 150. The San Bernardino, Calif. native is looking for road course redemption after what was poised to be a solid top-five finish at San Diego, turned for the worst with just four laps remaining as Ankrum hit the pit road wall coming out of Turn 16 and ended his day just a few laps short. The young driver rallied to a top-10 finish at Lime Rock last season and is confident he can improve on that finish this Saturday afternoon.
Halfway Point … The 100-lap NCTS event will mark the series halfway point of the 2026 season. This year has not gone the way that Ankrum and crew chief Mark Hillman had planned. Through a series of bad luck and wild adversity, the No. 18 team has gone through it all but has put in an extensive amount of hard work and dedication to get the young driver on the right track to the chase. The series is just five races out from the start of the NCTS playoffs and the driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet for McAnally Hilgemann Racing currently holds the ninth position in driver standings and looks to gain a few more spots and points to allow a nice cushion to start the 2026 NCTS Playoff run.
Spoiler Highlights … Tyler Ankrum and the No. 18 team are excited to welcome LIUNA local contractor Tilcon Connecticut Inc.to adorn the left-side spoiler of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet for the 100-lap event at Lime Rock on Saturday afternoon. Headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut, Tilcon is a supplier of crushed stone, hot mix asphalt, and ready mix concrete. From the Massachusetts border to the Connecticut shoreline, they serve customers throughout their home state from more than 20 different locations. Each year, Tilcon supplies millions of tons of aggregate from five quarries and two sand and gravel pits.
They all proudly look back over the accomplishments of Tilcon Connecticut and forward with the confidence that the company they have seen grow and develop is still based upon the traditions of the past: environment, community, quality, experience and a solid reputation for getting the job done well. They hold the future with equal importance and with the pride in knowing that years from now, future generations will walk these same paths and know that their mothers and fathers had a hand in building a safe and accessible world for them to enjoy.
Tune In …Television coverage on the LIUNA 150 will begin Saturday morning with a practice session followed by qualifying starting at 9:00 AM ET on FS1 and will resume with the wave of the green flag at 1:00 PM 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:
“It has been a tough year for this No. 18 group, that is for sure. But, I have high confidence in this team that we can get back rolling in the right direction and gain a little bit more of a cushion to race our way into the playoffs in just a few short weeks. San Diego was such a heart breaker but I am ready for redemption of the lefts and rights. LIUNA is sponsoring the race so this would be a really special one to end it off in the top spot. Looking forward to a great weekend with everyone from the New England Region and hopefully we can meet them in Victory Lane at the end of the day.”