Talladega Superspeedway has a knack for providing many drivers breakthrough performances in its history spanning more than half a decade, and a wide-open opportunity awaits for Tyler Ankrum on Saturday afternoon. The driver of the No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro produced a strong performance in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), the only prior superspeedway event this year, when he led his first laps with HRE and was in contention for the victory before an incident in the final laps. The last six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events at Talladega have seen drivers earn their first victory of the season, and that’s a trend Ankrum hopes to continue Saturday afternoon and add another superspeedway trophy for HRE.
HRE and Ankrum Superspeedway History … Ankrum took quickly to the intensity of Talladega by earning a seventh-place finish during his debut in 2019 after qualifying second. He returns for his fourth ‘Dega appearance behind the wheel of the No. 16 which has a stout superspeedway history. Crew chief Scott Zipadelli and company have a victory at DIS to their credit in 2019 with driver Austin Hill. The No. 16 squad also earned a best finish of sixth at Talladega in 2019 and banked a stage victory in the 2020 visit to the world’s biggest superspeedway. The combination are well-positioned to recapture past superspeedway success this weekend and be a threat for victory.
Season to Date … Only three races remain in the 2022 season and Ankrum continues to hold the 12th position in the drivers’ championship point standings. He posted a season-best finish of sixth at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July and has earned seven top-10 results with an average finish of 15.0.
Chassis Selection … Zipadelli and the No. 16 team have prepared chassis No. 012 for Talladega. This has been the team’s primary superspeedway Toyota Tundra TRD Pro since the 2020 season, and earned a stage win at Talladega two season ago. Ankrum most recently led four laps at DIS in February and was a major contender for the race victory before being involved in a late-race incident.
Tune In … FOX Sports 1’s coverage from Talladega begins on Saturday at Noon ET with NASCAR Raceday followed by the green flag at 12:30 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 16 LIUNA team by following @Hattori_Racing on Twitter, @hattoriracing on Instagram, and Hattori Racing Enterprises on Facebook.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
On returning to a superspeedway:
“There are a lot of opinions on superspeedway racing, but the fact is there’s a trophy out there and a great opportunity for our LIUNA team this weekend. We had a great Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at Daytona earlier this year and I felt like we were one of the trucks to beat that night. The aggression level gets higher and higher with each lap that you click off, and we just got caught up in a mess coming to the white flag, but it makes all of us feel good that we have such great speed in our trucks. All the guys at HRE put so much effort into these trucks to make sure we have a fast piec. Survival is going to be a major key on Saturday, so if we can make it to the final 10-15 laps, I think we’ll have a great shot at it.”
HRE PR
