Tanner Gray won the pole for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Gray, 24, from Artesia, New Mexico, turned a lap of 180.385 mph (29.936 seconds) in the No. 15 Toyota for TRICON Garage.
“It’s always nice when you can show up and be fast,” Gray said. “We had a bit of a rough practice with some engine issues. All the guys worked really hard to get everything back together.
“I’m proud of everybody in the garage. We’ve been working really hard to get our trucks better. This is a good step in the right direction.”
Ty Majeski was just behind with a speed of 180.180 mph (29.970 seconds) in the 98 Ford with Corey Heim in third in the No. 11 Toyota (180.102 mph).
Friday’s race is the opening event of the Triple Truck Challenge, which gives a $50,000 bonus to the winner.
“In the past the track has freed up going into the night,” Gray said. “We’re going to have to make sure we stay on top of changes. Track position is going to be big. We want as many stage points as we can get. It’s a good opportunity for us to get stage points.”
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 is set for Friday at 8:30 p.m. (FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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