Solid Race For Kraus, Howard At Martinsville

• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Short Track Action

MARTINSVILLE, Virginia (April 7, 2022) – McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Derek Kraus and Colby Howard came away from Martinsville Speedway on Thursday with solid performances in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200.

Kraus battled in the top 10 through much of the race on the historic half-mile track, before finishing 14th in the No. 19 NAPA AUTO CARE Chevrolet Silverado RST.

His finish, combined with bonus points he picked up with a top-10 finish in the first stage of the race, gave him a solid points night. Kraus is 11th in the championship standings, one point out of 10th.

Howard, meanwhile, drove the No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST to an 18th-place finish on Thursday – his best result in the first five races this year.

Kraus started 10th on the grid and moved up to finish seventh at the end of the first stage. Pit strategy by other teams shuffled him back in the pack, however, leaving him to deal with heavy traffic and making it tough to get back up front. He battled his way back into the top 10 late in the race, but slipped back in the final laps as he fought tight handling.

After starting 26th, Howard’s team struggled to find a good balance with the handling on his Chevy and opted to pit early and gain track position for the start of the second stage. He battled to get into the top 10, then slipped back and also had to deal with heavy traffic. A late-race pit stop gave him the boost he needed to gain spots late in the race and finish 18th. His performance moved him up four spots to 25th in the standings.

Rain earlier in the day on Thursday led to NASCAR cancelling practice and qualifying and setting the field by the rulebook, sidelining plans for Jake Garcia to make his series debut in the No. 35 Chevrolet Silverado RST.

Gates Industrial and BBB Industries hosted a special group of NAPA customers at the track. The guests received a VIP experience – including a special tour of the NASCAR garage, a meet-and-greet with the MHR drivers, a tour the inside an MHR hauler and were on the starting grid with the team during pre-race ceremonies. In addition, two VIP guests viewed the race from the MHR pit cart.

Quote – Derek Kraus
“We were just too tight. We had some decent speed in the beginning, but we lost track position and just from there the battle was on.”

Quote – Colby Howard
“We struggled finding a good balance with our Silverado tonight. I think we were going to be pretty good after our last pit stop, but we had our splitter run over and it made us really tight. It was not a horrible day, but would have liked to be better.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event:
Race: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 (200 Laps) (Race 5 of 23) April 7, 2022
Location: Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va. (.526-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; Lap 50 / Lap 100 / Lap 200

Derek Kraus
No. 19 NAPA AUTO CARE Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 20
Hometown: Stratford, Wis.
Started: 10th
Stage 1: 7th
Stage 2: 13th
Finished: 14th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Career series stats:
55 starts, 2 poles, 4 top fives, 20 top 10s
2022 series stats:
Races: 5 starts, 1 top 10
Laps completed: 616/621
Laps led: 1
Series standings: 11th

Colby Howard
No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 20
Hometown: Simpsonville, S.C.
Started: 26th
Stage 1: 23rd
Stage 2: 12th
Finished: 18th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Career series stats:
10 starts
2022 series stats:
Races: 5 starts
Laps completed: 508/621
Laps led: 9
Series standings: 25th

Next Race:
Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt, April 16, 2022, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn. (1/2-mile oval)