Derek Kraus charged to a strong eighth-place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday night.
The driver of the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus / NAPA AutoCare Toyota Tundra had a great points night – picking up stage points with solid finishes in the first two stages, along with the points from his overall top-10 finish.
Kraus started 15th on the grid, after qualifying was cancelled due to inclement weather. He demonstrated the strength of his NAPA Toyota early on, charging into the top 10 in only six laps. He was seventh at the completion of Stage 1, at Lap 30 – then restarted in 11th after a pit stop for tires and fuel.
His charge toward the front continued in the second stage, finishing that segment in fourth at Lap 60. After a second stop for tires and fuel, he was on the move again after restarting from 13th. Kraus steadily worked his way forward to come away with his second top-10 finish of the season.
In advance of the race, Kraus visited some NAPA AUTO PARTS stores and NAPA AutoCare shops with the Dickson Group, as part of a sales promotion with NAPA Power Premium Plus. Great support at the event came via NAPA Charlotte District Manager Robert Goldenstein and the Dickson NAPA Group. Work with Ralph Dickson involved sponsor activation that included a VIP garage group and a guest crew member.
Derek Kraus – Thoughts about the race
How was the race for you?
“It was a really good night with my NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Tundra. We executed everything right. Mark and all of the guys brought a really good truck to the track, so that always helps. We were able to get a lot of stage points and then we were able to run in the top-10 most of the race. It’s really tough to pass. Once that yellow came out, we were like 12th. We stalled out, but that final restart helped us out a lot and we were able to get a few more positions, so overall it was a really good night.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event:
Race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (134 Laps) (Race 10 of 22) May 28, 2021
Location: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. (1.5-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; Lap 30 / Lap 60 / Lap 134
Derek Kraus
No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus / NAPA AutoCare Toyota Tundra
Age: 19
Hometown: Stratford, Wis.
Practice: 10th
Started: 15th
Stage 1: 7th
Stage 2: 4th
Finished: 8th (Running, completed 134 of 134 laps)
Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek
2021 Series Stats:
Races: 10 starts, 2 top 10s
Laps completed: 1,083/1,278
Series standings: 17th
Next Race:
SpeedyCash.com 220, June 12, 2021, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas (1.5-mile oval).
MHR PR
