Kraus, Howard Tackle California Road Course
• Camping World Truck Series Returns To Sonoma
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (June 7, 2022) – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to the wine country of Northern California on Saturday as part of a big NASCAR weekend on the road course at Sonoma Raceway.
The DoorDash 250 marks the return to the twisting track that the series last visited 24 years ago.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver Derek Kraus is anxious to return to Sonoma for Saturday’s race. The driver of the MHR No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado RST knows his way around the challenging road course. He notched a top-five finish, as well as a top 10, in his three starts at Sonoma in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, now the ARCA Menards Series West. In addition, he scored a win there in 2019, competing in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli.
Kraus is coming off a strong performance at Gateway, where he led late in the race and came away with a season-best seventh-place finish. He aims to keep the momentum rolling in California, as he looks to challenge for a spot in the playoffs.
His MHR teammate, Colby Howard, will be getting his first chance to tackle the Sonoma track. He drives the No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST, as he competes in his first full season in the series.
The Camping World Truck Series race is part of a big NASCAR weekend at Sonoma, with ARCA West also in action there on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series competing on Sunday.
The Sonoma event, which marks the midway point of the 2022 season for the Camping World Truck Series, is the sixth of eight consecutive weeks of racing on the circuit. It’s the second of three road course events on this year’s schedule.
A special group of guests from NAPA Sacramento will be treated to a VIP Experience at Sonoma. Leading up to the big race, the McAnally team worked with Gates Hydraulics, BBB Industries and NGK on sales events with NAPA store and shop owners. Guests will go behind the scenes with special garage tours and have the opportunity to view the race from two VIP suites. A special treat is available for VIP guest crewmembers to be part of the team.
MHR will also be honoring a couple of special sponsors who came forward and made a big contribution to the Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance during a Gala fundraiser that was held last fall. The names of Mike Stettner and Christian Koszka each will be displayed on one of the MHR Chevy Silverados. Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance is a Northern California non-profit dedicated to serving the needs of children and families impacted by pediatric cancer.
Kraus and Howard are slated to participate in a driver autograph session in the paddock at Sonoma from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. on Friday.
Practice/Qualifying
Sonoma is one of select Camping World Truck Series events this year designated as an expanded weekend, which will feature a stand-alone 50-minute practice session on Friday. Qualifying on Saturday morning will feature two groups, each in a 15-minute timed session. The top five of each group will transfer to a final round, competing in a 10-minute session.
Quote – Derek Kraus
“I’m really looking forward to Sonoma. That place is probably my favorite road course. I’ve got a lot of laps there, in ARCA races and also with Shockwave’s racing sim that I’ve been using to practice on. We expect to put together a good run.”
Quote – Colby Howard
“In the past, I haven’t been a big fan of road courses, but we had a great run going at COTA. So I can’t help but look forward to Sonoma. It’s a new track, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event:
Race: DoorDash 250 (75 Laps) (Race 12 of 23) June 11, 2022
Location: Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. (1.99-mile road course)
Television: FS1 on June 11 at 7:30 p.m.ET
Derek Kraus
No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 20
Hometown: Stratford, Wis.
Career series stats: 61 starts, 2 poles, 4 top fives, 22 top 10s
Most recent series finish: 7th – Gateway (6/4/22)
Best career series finish: 2nd – Darlington (9/6/20)
Sonoma stats: First series start at this track
2022 series stats:
Races: 11 starts, 3 top 10s
Laps completed: 1,444/1,511
Laps led: 15
Series standings: 11th
Colby Howard
No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 20
Hometown: Simpsonville, S.C.
Career series stats: 16 starts
Most recent series finish: 23rd – Gateway (6/4/22)
Best career series finish: 11th – Kansas (5/14/22)
Sonoma stats: First series start at this track
2022 series stats:
Races: 11 starts
Laps completed: 1,388/1,511
Laps led: 9
Series standings: 20th