Salas to Make First NCTS Oval Start at Gateway with MHR
Venue: World Wide Technology Raceway
Event: Gateway 200
Date: Saturday, June 1
Location: Madison, IL
Track Description: 1.25-mile oval
Distance: 160 laps / 200 miles (1:30 p.m. ET – FOX, Motor Racing Network)
Second Time Out … California native Vicente Salas joins MHR at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) for his second start in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) on Saturday afternoon. The 21-year-old is piloting the No. 91 SERVPRO / Pape Material Handling Chevrolet Silverado RST and is carrying the baton for the team one race closer to the NCTS owners’ points playoffs. Salas made his NCTS debut earlier this season at Circuit of the Americas and has previous experience in pro late model competition. Additionally, Salas is one of the industry’s standout iRacing competitors as he’s a full-time driver in the prestigious eNASCAR Coca Cola Series. In fact, Salas is fresh off his second-career victory in the world’s elite iRacing series on Tuesday night when he picked up a victory at the virtual Darlington Raceway.
Points Report … Salas is stepping into one of the most competitive seats in the NCTS as the No. 91 team is ranked 10th in the owners’ points standings after 11 events. The Californian is looking to make a mark in the sport transitioning from iRacing. Salas hopes to continue the No. 91 team’s speed that they’ve displayed throughout the 2024 season and take another step towards the playoffs. The team will have a different look this week as Jack Wood and crew chief Kevin Bellicourt are competing in the ARCA Menards Series West event at Portland International Speedway on Friday afternoon. Veteran engineer Darren Fraley will assume crew chief duties at WWTR.
Season to Date … The No. 91 team has a 23-point cushion on the provisional playoff cut line as Wood and Zane Smith have split driving duties through 11 races. The duo has combined for three top-five’s, four top-10’s, and six top-15 results thus far.
Tune In … Salas will take to the track on Friday afternoon at 6:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Raceday coverage switches to FOX at 12:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Raceday followed by the green flag at 1:30 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 91 SERVPRO / Pape Material Handling team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Vicente Salas Quote:
On making his second NCTS at WWTR with MHR:
“I’m excited about this opportunity. It’s a huge chance for me and an honor to drive for MHR. Thanks to Bill McAnally, SERVPRO, and Pape Material Handling for making this come to fruition. I’ve never been to Gateway before, so the primary objective for me is to get comfortable in practice and carry that info the race on Saturday. I have some great teammates around me this weekend. All three of these guys have been fast this year, so I know I can lean on them to help shorten my learning curve. I’m excited about it and can’t wait to get going on Friday.”