Tyler Ankrum earned 36-points at The Milwaukee Mile after crossing the line in the sixth position and scored his best-career playoff finish. The driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet Silverado RST stayed inside the top-10 for the duration of the LIUNA 175 and notched five stage points. Ankrum is now tied for fifth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) playoff standings, 13-points above the cut line with two races remaining in the first round.
Ankrum began his weekend by posting the ninth quickest time in qualifying of 30.18 seconds on Saturday. While maintaining the eighth position the first caution of the day appeared on lap 48. Ankrum told crew chief Mark Hillman that he was very tight on the exit of the corners, and brought the No. 18 down to pit road for his first stop of the day.. Under the caution, Ankrum received four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment to help fix the tight truck. Stage 1 concluded on lap 55 under caution with Ankrum earning one-stage-point from the 10th position.
Ankrum started Stage 2 on lap 63 in the eighth position after two other drivers made pit stops. The 23-year-old drove back to the ninth position after telling his team he was struggling on short runs with the tight conditions. With a caution free second stage, Ankrum was able to advance to seventh at the end of Stage 2 on lap 110 to earn four points.
Ankrum made his final stop of the day under the second stage caution. Hillman gave Ankrum’s No. 18 Chevrolet a wedge and air pressure adjustment with four tires and fuel to help with the tight condition. The final segment began on lap 120 as Ankrum restarted in the seventh position. With another caution free segment, the LIUNA 175 ended on lap 175 with Ankrum finishing in sixth-place and scoring 36 points.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“Overall, a pretty good day for our No. 18 LIUNA Chevy. We had some struggles with being too tight throughout the race, but we were able to manage and gain some spots. I feel we had a good points day after our two stage results and a top-10 finish. I am very grateful for all the LIUNA members that came out this week and supported me. It was really cool coming out of turn 4 and seeing the crowd of orange in the stands. This was a good way to start our run in the playoffs and excited to head back to Bristol for the next race. ”
McAnally Hilgemann Racing PR
