A Hill to Climb… Tyler Ankrum heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS) for the second race in the “Round of 8” of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) playoffs eighth on the playoff grid. Piloting the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet Silverado RST, Ankrum aims to make a solid push towards the championship round following a 14th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. Ankrum looks to seize on the opportunity at HMS to close the 23-point gap on the provisional cut line.
Points Hunt… As he returns to “Vice City”, the San Bernardino, Calif. native is aiming to surpass his career-best finish at HMS of second-place in 2020 and secure a place in the championship’s final four. With two races remaining, Ankrum is fighting for one of the three remaining spots in the final round. Since the May event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he has competed in nine races, amassing 283 points and 30 stage points. Notably, Ankrum has scored 34 or more points in five of those nine events. His highest earned was at Indianapolis Raceway Park with a total of 46 points after his fourth-place drive.
1.5-mile Season Stats… Homestead-Miami Speedway will mark the eighth 1.5-mile oval race for Ankrum in the NCTS this season. Thus far, he has secured three top-five finishes, including a runner-up earlier in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ankrum is aiming for another strong points day, similar to his performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he racked up 18 stage points and 48 total points. Ankrum looks to make HMS another 1.5-mile oval to excel at as he seeks his first Championship 4 berth.
Tune In … Coverage of the Baptist Health 200 will begin on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Stay connected with the No. 18 LIUNA team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
On his approach heading into Homestead:
“Talladega put us in a tougher spot than we’d hoped for, but we know what’s at stake, and we’re ready to fight for a place in the final four. Homestead is a track where I’ve had success before, and we need to have a big day this weekend to keep ourselves alive. This LIUNA team has been great all season long and hopefully we can continue that at Homestead to give ourselves a shot to win.”
McAnally Hilgemann Racing PR
