Final Stop for 2023 … Tyler Ankrum comes to the last stop on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule at Phoenix Raceway for the final round of the 2023 season. The driver of the No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro has had two top-ten finishes at the one mile oval in the desert in his career. Ankrum and team will look to play spoiler at the championship race on Friday night.
Ankrum and HRE at Phoenix … Phoenix’s flat one-mile tri-oval is a significant venue for HRE since 2018 when the No. 16 went to victory lane with driver Brett Moffitt. That victory solidified their place in the Championship 4 and the chance to earn the organization’s first championship a week later. Ankrum hopes to duplicate that performance from five years ago and upset the this year’s championship battle. The San Bernardino, Calif. driver took a quick liking to Phoenix by posting a sixth-place finish in his debut at the desert mile in 2018. He added an eighth-place result in 2020 and has four finishes of 14th or better in five starts.
Season to Date … Through 22 of 23 events for the 2023 schedule, Ankrum and the No. 16 LiUNA! team occupy the 17th position in the drivers championship standings. Ankrum’s season-best result came 18 races ago at Circuit of the Americas (fourth) and he has posted six finishes of tenth or better in the 2023 season. Currently, Ankrum has one top five, and six top-10’s for the 2023 season.
Chassis Selection … Chassis No. 008 will make it’s fourth start of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season at Phoenix Raceway. This Toyota Tundra TRD Pro made it’s last start at The Milwaukee MIle, where Ankrum would run around the top-10 most of the day. The No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro crossed the start finish line in the 20th position.
Tune In … The Craftsman 150 at Phoenix Raceway will kick off with practice starting on Thursday at 8:00 pm ET, however there will be no live TV coverage. Qualifying kicks off Friday at 6:05 PM EST. NASCAR RaceDay will follow soon after at 9 PM ET (FS1), then green flag action on Friday at 12:00 pm ET (FS1). 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 Phoenix:
“I’ve enjoyed racing at Phoenix since day one in the Truck Series and have had some good runs there. Our flat track performances have been pretty solid this season with our LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. It’s going to help having a longer, traditional practice this week, and then being able to think about what we need in our Toyota Tundra TRD Pro overnight. I’d love to get up there and spoil the championship race, but hopefully we can put a solid night together and finish the season out on a positive note. We have 30+ LIUNA members attending from the Pacific Southwest Region and Local 1184, so it would mean a lot to close out the season strong, for all of my brothers and sisters.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises PR
