Wright Executes Clean Night in Music City

Venue: Nashville Superspeedway

FINISH: 23nd

Start: 32nd

NCTS Point Standings Position: 22nd

After a rain delay pushed the start of Friday’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) race past 10 p.m. local time, Kris Wright and the No. 81 iHeartRadio team for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) brought home a 23rd-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway after an uneventful but steady night of racing. Starting 32nd after qualifying was rained out, Wright avoided trouble and kept the truck intact through 150 laps at the concrete intermediate venue. 

Wright battled a loose condition for much of the opening stage and fell a lap down on lap 25 before taking the green-checkered flag in 30th on lap 45. The No. 81 iHeartRadio team made air pressure and track bar adjustments during the first break, helping improve the balance as the race progressed. 

After minor contact while avoiding an incident in Stage 2, Wright continued to hold steady and take what was given to him, finishing the segment in 27th. The truck showed improved pace late in the race, including a stretch of top-20 lap times in the final stage as the team gambled on staying out during a caution in an effort to earn the free pass and return to the lead lap, before coming down to get fresh tires. While the strategy ultimately did not work out, Wright kept the truck clean and capped the night with a 23rd-place result.

As an organization, MHR turned in a strong overall performance at Nashville with one top-five finish and three trucks inside the top-10. Wright leaves Nashville 22nd in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings and moves forward to Michigan International Speedway next Saturday. 

Kris Wright Quote: 

“We definitely wanted more out of tonight, but this was the kind of race where we needed to stay patient and make it to the finish. If you stay out of trouble in races like this, you usually give yourself a chance at a decent result. It’s unfortunate we slipped out of the free pass position late because Darren (Fraley, crew chief) had a strategy in play that could’ve put us in the top-20. Proud of all my guys and glad to have iHeartRadio on board with us tonight.”