Derek Kraus came away with an 11th-place finish in NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series competition at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday – turning in another solid performance behind the wheel of the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Toyota Camry.
The 18-year-old series rookie remains 11th in the championship standings, just 11 points out of 10th place.
After rolling off 17th on the grid, Kraus quickly mounted a charge to the front. He was up to 14th by Lap 5 and by Lap 25 he was in 11th – which he maintained through the end of the first stage on Lap 40. He restarted 14th and quickly made his way up to eighth.
Kraus opted not to pit during a caution just before the end of the second stage. Although he finished that stage in seventh, he restarted deep in the field after making his pit stop. He made it back up to 11th, but battled throughout the remaining laps in trying to break into the top 10 again. He got to 10th in the closing stages of the race, but was edged out for the spot in the final laps.
Derek Kraus – Thoughts about the Texas race
“It was an okay night. We just struggled to get track position.”
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Event:
Race: Vankor 350 (167 Laps) (Race 8) July 18, 2020
Location: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas (1.5-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; Lap 40 / Lap 80 / Lap 167
Derek Kraus
No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Toyota Tundra
Age: 18
Hometown: Stratford, Wisc.
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 7th
Finished: 11th (Running, completed 166 of 167 laps)
Race Winner: Kyle Busch
2020 Series Stats:
Races: 8 starts, 1 top five, 4 top 10s
Laps completed: 938/942
Series standings: 11th
Next Race:
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series doubleheader, July 24 & 25, 2020, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan. (1.5-mile oval)
BMR PR
