Tyler Ankrum breaks 130-race winless streak with a victory at Rockingham Speedway within the NASCAR Truck Sequence Black’s Tire 200.
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — It had been so lengthy since Tyler Ankrum received his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Sequence race that the motive force of the No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Chevrolet couldn’t discover Victory Lane after profitable Friday’s Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham Speedway.
Tyler Ankrum Victory at Rockingham
After a prodigious effort at saving gas, Ankrum coasted throughout the end line 6.657 seconds forward of pole winner and runner-up Jake Garcia to interrupt a 130-race drought courting to July 11, 2019.
Ankrum’s final win was so way back that the monitor that gave him his maiden victory — Kentucky Speedway — has lengthy since fallen off the NASCAR nationwide collection schedule.
Within the collection’ return to ‘The Rock’ after an 11-year absence, Ankrum needed to battle again from injury sustained throughout an accident on lap 2, an incident that put him a lap down. Ankrum acquired his lap again because the beneficiary below warning for the Stage 2 break after lap 90 and launched into a heroic drive to the entrance.
The trophy wasn’t the one reward Ankrum acquired for the victory. He additionally earned a $50,000 test for profitable the ultimate Triple Truck Problem race.
“It’s unusual — I didn’t know the place Victory Lane was at,” Ankrum mentioned after climbing from his truck. “The way in which today began, going a lap down and (crew chief) Mark (Hillman) making a pit name to get the monitor place again…
“Simply saving gas, man. I knew we had been 5 (laps) brief. I hoped I had saved sufficient, and we did… I simply discovered one thing there the place I used to be just about lifting 60 % down the straightaway, and I used to be capable of draft off of (Matt) Crafton and a few different guys, and I used to be capable of save that approach.
“It’s simply surreal. I really feel like that is just about the best way it went down at Kentucky in 2019.”
Opponents’ Pit Street Technique is Advantageous to Ankrum
Ankrum took the lead for good on lap 172 after Corey Heim and Gio Ruggiero got here to pit highway. The 2 TRICON Storage drivers stayed on the monitor throughout consecutive cautions early within the ultimate stage and ran one-two earlier than coming to pit highway for gas.
Heim appeared confused by the technique that stored him on the monitor whereas different high contenders pitted for the gas they hoped would carry them to the tip of the race.
“I felt like if we had the monitor place we’d have been in actually fine condition from the very begin,” mentioned Heim, who began fifteenth and completed eighth. “Simply didn’t have a great qualifying effort on my finish. It was sort of an uphill battle from there all day.
“I didn’t precisely know what occurred there the final 40 laps there, however we pitted, and it looks like among the different guys didn’t run of gas. Unlucky. Only a bizarre deal in that final stage however need to be higher on my half to qualify higher and have the monitor place.”
Though the Entrance Row Motorsports Fords of Layne Riggs and Chandler Smith pitted after Heim’s ultimate cease, each ran wanting gas and needed to convey their vehicles to pit highway within the closing laps.
Daniel Hemric, Rajah Caruth, and Grant Enfinger benefited from the Fords’ gasoline scarcity, ending third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Kaden Honeycutt, Jack Wooden, Corey Heim, Connor Mosack, and Gio Ruggiero completed sixth by means of tenth.
Ty Majeski Appears for a Break in His Luck
Bother continued to comply with reigning collection champion Ty Majeski, whose truck broke unfastened from the within lane within the first flip whereas racing Enfinger on lap 109. Majeski’s No. 98 ThorSport Ford backed into the surface wall and was eradicated from the race. He completed thirty first after a Thirteenth-place run at Martinsville and a Thirty third-place outcome at Bristol within the earlier two races.
“I can’t actually blame Grant,” Majeski mentioned. “He held me tight, clearly took the air off my proper aspect. Yeah, simply embarrassed, actually. These final three weeks isn’t who I’m as a driver. I really feel so unhealthy for everyone at ThorSport—(homeowners) Duke and Rhonda (Thorson) — yeah, I simply must be higher.”
Heim, who led a race-high 52 laps in comparison with 43 for Garcia and 29 for Ankrum, held the highest spot within the collection standings by 22 factors over Chandler Smith and 62 factors over Ankrum in third. Daniel Hemric and Layne Riggs maintain the fourth and fifth spots.
Up Subsequent
The NASCAR Truck Sequence is taking a break earlier than their subsequent race on Could 2nd at Texas Motor Speedway. The SpeedyCash.com 200 race begins at 8 pm ET on FS1, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. NASCAR Cup Sequence common Kyle Busch received the 2024 Truck race at Texas.
