Derek Kraus drove the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 Shockwave/ENEOS Toyota Tundra to another top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, following an up and down event in the SpeedyCash.com 400.
The 19-year-old series rookie was in the top 10 for most of the race and in the top five on several occasions, but ended up finishing ninth after battling back from a late pit stop. It marked his 12th top-10 finish in 21 starts this season.
After starting 11th on the grid, Kraus quickly charged to fifth place in the first six laps. He was later shuffled back to 11th, where he finished the first stage. He worked his way up to fourth by Lap 60 and finished one position behind that when the second stage concluded on Lap 70. After a pit stop, he restarted 13th.
In a move to gain track position under a subsequent caution at Lap 92, Kraus only took on fuel during his pit stop. He led briefly and battled to remain in the lead pack, running against trucks with fresher tires.
Kraus pitted for tires and fuel during a caution on Lap 106 and lined up 20th for the restart. He battled for track position through the remaining laps, getting back into the top 10 with less than 20 laps to go. He crossed the finish line in ninth in an overtime finish.
Derek Kraus – Thoughts about this week
Another top-10 finish. How was your race as a whole?
“We started off really strong, and just battled for track position all day. It’s really tough to pass when there’s the PJ1 or VHT or whatever you want to call it on the racetrack. It’s really tough to pass; you try to stay up front. We kind of fell back a bit and were crawling trying to make our way back to the front on these restarts. Our SHOCKWAVE Toyota is clean, and overall, it was a good day.”
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Event:
Race: SpeedyCash.com 400, Oct. 25, 2020
Location: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas (1.5-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages: Lap 35 / Lap 70 / Lap 147
Derek Kraus
No. 19 Shockwave/ENEOS Toyota Tundra
Age: 19
Hometown: Stratford, Wis.
Started: 11th
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 5th
Finished: 9th (Running, completed 152 of 152 laps)
Laps led: 2
Race Winner: Sheldon Creed
2020 Series Stats:
Races: 21 starts, 3 top fives, 12 top 10s
Laps completed: 2,821/2,844
Laps led: 31
Series standings: 11th
Next Race:
NASCAR Hall of Fame 200, Oct. 30, 2020, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va. (.526-mile oval)
BMR PR
