Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: DGR-Crosley

  • Tanner Gray to make 100th Truck career start at Martinsville

    Tanner Gray to make 100th Truck career start at Martinsville

    Tanner Gray is set to achieve a milestone start when he competes in his fifth full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. By competing in this weekend’s event at Martinsville Speedway, the driver of the No. 15 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro will reach 100 career starts in the Truck Series. 

    A native of Artesia, New Mexico, and the 2018 NHRA Pro Stock champion, Gray made his inaugural start in the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in October 2019. By then, he had completed his first full-time campaign in the ARCA Menards Series East for DGR-Crosley, where he had notched a victory in South Boston Speedway, finished third in the final standings, and had made seven career starts in the ARCA Menards Series.

    Driving the No. 15 Toyota Tundra for DGR-Crosley, Gray started 15th and finished 20th in his Truck debut despite being involved in a final lap incident. He returned in November to compete in the final two Truck Series events of the season for DGR-Crosley at Martinsville Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway where he piloted the team’s No. 7 entry to finishes of 17th and 16th, respectively.

    The following season, Gray graduated to a full-time racing role in the No. 15 Ford F-150 for DGR-Crosley in the Truck Series, where he contended for the rookie title. Commencing the season with a 23rd-place finish at Daytona International Speedway despite being collected in a late multi-truck wreck, Gray would rally the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and collect his first top-10 career finish in eighth place. He would then finish in the top 12 in four of his next five starts.

    After retiring at Texas Motor Speedway due to a transmission issue and finishing 18th in the first of a Kansas Speedway doubleheader feature during his next two starts, Gray notched two consecutive top-five results: a fourth-place finish in the second Kansas doubleheader event and a third-place run at Michigan International Speedway.

    Despite managing four top-20 results in the final five regular-season events, Gray did not qualify for the 2020 Truck Series Playoffs. He would commence the Playoffs by posting back-to-back third-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After managing only a single top-10 result during the final five events on the schedule, Gray capped off his first full-time Truck season in 14th place in the final standings and in fifth place in the rookie standings. By then, he had notched a total of four top-five results, eight top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 16.1. 

    In 2021, when DGR-Crosley changed names to David Gilliland Racing, Gray began the season with a 35th-place result at Daytona due to a drivetrain issue. He would finish no higher than 10th during his next nine starts before posting his first top-10 result of the season in ninth place at Texas Motor Speedway in June. Finishing no higher than 14th during the final four regular-season events, Gray did not make the 2021 Truck Series Playoffs. Despite managing a third-place result at Martinsville in October, Gray concluded his sophomore Truck season in 18th place in the final standings with an average-finishing result of 22.3. 

    Gray commenced the 2022 Truck season on a high note with a fourth-place finish at Daytona. He finished fifth during the following event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and eighth at Atlanta Motor Speedway before finishing no higher than 15th in the next six consecutive events. Managing only two additional top-10 results during his next seven events, Gray fell short of making the Truck Series Playoffs. Throughout the Playoffs, he finished no higher than 16th twice before capping off the season in third place during the season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway and in 15th place in the final standings. By then, he had improved his average-finishing result to 18.0 compared to the 2021 season. 

    This past season, when David Gilliland Racing was rebranded to TRICON Garage and returned to fielding Toyotas, Gray started the season by notching a career-best runner-up result at Daytona amid a rain-shortened event. He then posted four top-10 results during his next eight starts, including a third-place result at Darlington Raceway in May. After finishing 18th at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Gray notched his first Truck career pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he would end up 27th.

    Managing only one top-11 finish during the final four regular-season events, Gray fell short of making the Playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. With a ninth-place result in the season-finale event at Phoenix, Gray ended up in 14th place in the final standings. By then, he tied the number of top-10 results from his previous season to six, claimed an extra top-five result from his previous season to three, led a career-high 26 laps and posted an average-finishing result of 16.7. 

    Through 99 previous Truck starts, Gray has achieved one pole, 10 top-five results, 23 top-10 results, 51 laps led and an average finishing result of 18.1. He recently recorded his first top-10 result of the season at Circuit of the Americas in late March by finishing in 10th place and is currently ranked in 10th place in the regular-season standings as he continues his pursuit for both his first series victory and Playoff berth. 

    Tanner Gray is scheduled to make his 100th Craftsman Truck Series career start at Martinsville Speedway for the Long John Silver’s 200. The event is scheduled for Friday, April 5, and will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. 

  • Tyler Ankrum to make 100th Truck career start at North Wilkesboro

    Tyler Ankrum to make 100th Truck career start at North Wilkesboro

    Competing in his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Tyler Ankrum is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s series’ return to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the driver of the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra TRD Pro will be making his 100th career start in the Truck circuit.

    A native of San Bernardino, California, Ankrum made his first career start in the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in October, where he piloted the No. 54 Toyota Tundra for DGR-Crosley. By then, he had achieved the 2018 ARCA Menards Series East championship on the strength of four victories and 12 top-10 finishes in 14-scheduled starts. Starting 19th, Ankrum finished 18th in his series debut. He would return for the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he drove DGR’s No. 17 Toyota to a strong sixth-place result after starting 15th.

    In December 2018, Ankrum was named a full-time competitor for DGR-Crosley for the 2019 Truck season. He, however, was forced to miss the first three events on the schedule due to age restrictions, with his first start occurring at Martinsville in March as he finished 19th. During his next five scheduled starts, he racked up a total of three top-10 results, including a career-best third-place run at Texas Motor Speedway in June. For the following two events, however, Ankrum competed for NEMCO Motorsports after initially losing his ride at DGR due to sponsorship issues. After reuniting with DGR at Chicagoland Speedway in late June, he then achieved a breakthrough moment by notching his first Truck career victory at Kentucky Speedway in July after overtaking reigning series champion Brett Moffitt, who ran out of fuel, prior to the final lap. With a guaranteed spot to the 2019 Truck Playoffs, Ankrum finished in the top 10 in two of the final three regular-season events before the Playoffs commenced. With three consecutive top-20 results during the Round of 8, he managed to claim the final transfer spot to the Round of 6 by a mere margin. His title hopes, however, came to an end after finishing no higher than seventh during the Round of 6. With a 22nd-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, Ankrum capped off the 2019 season in eighth place in the final standings. He also emerged as the 2019 Truck Rookie-of-the-Year recipient.

    Prior to the championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2019, Ankrum announced that he will be joining GMS Racing for the 2020 Truck season. Piloting the team’s newly formed No. 26 Chevrolet Silverado, the Californian commenced his sophomore season with a 27th-place result at Daytona International Speedway in February after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck before notching three consecutive top-15 results. He then backed up the results by finishing in second place at Homestead in June before proceeding to finish in the top 10 six times during the final 11 regular-season events. The results were enough for Ankrum to make the 2020 Truck Playoffs, which he managed to transfer from the Round of 10 to 8 before being eliminated prior to the finale. With an eighth-place result in the finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, Ankrum concluded his second season in ninth place in the final standings. While he concluded the season winless, he tied his top-five results from the previous season (three), but earned two additional top-10 results (10) and improved on his average-finishing result from 15.3 to a career-best 13.4

    Remaining at GMS Racing for the 2021 Truck season, Ankrum’s season commenced on a rough note by finishing no higher than 18th during the first five scheduled events before racking up his first top-five result of the season at Richmond Raceway in April. Another three races later, he achieved a strong run in the series’ inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas after finishing third while starting on pole position for the first time in his career. With only three additional top-10 results during the final six regular-season events, Ankrum failed to make the 2021 Truck Playoffs. By finishing no higher than 14th throughout the Playoffs, he concluded his junior campaign in 15th place in the final standings.

    Following a two-year run with GMS and while driving a Chevrolet, Ankrum returned to the Toyota camp for the 2022 Truck season as he took over the No. 16 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Hattori Racing Enterprises. Commencing the season with a 28th-place run at Daytona after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck, he achieved a total of six top-10 results during the 16-race regular-season stretch, which were not enough for him to make the Playoffs for a second consecutive season. He, however, rallied by finishing no lower than 14th on the track throughout the Playoffs as he capped off the season in 12th place in the final standings. With a total of eight top-10 results throughout the 2022 campaign, Ankrum’s overall average-finishing result ended up being 14.6.

    Through 99 previous Truck starts, Ankrum has achieved one victory, one pole, 10 top-five results, 35 top-10 results, 144 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.9. He is currently ranked in 14th place in the driver’s standings and has finished in the top 10 three times, including a fourth-place result at Circuit of the Americas in March, through the first nine scheduled events.

    Ankrum is scheduled to make his 100th career start in the Craftsman Truck Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, May 20, with the event’s coverage to commence at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Interview: Locked Down With Thad Moffitt

    Interview: Locked Down With Thad Moffitt

    In continuation of our series “Locked Down,” Speedway Media catches with DGR-Crosley ARCA driver, Thad Moffitt, to find out what he has been up to during the break from racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    SM: It has been a while since we’ve had racing on-track. How have you been holding up during this time off?

    TM: ” It has been tough, but I’ve been doing a lot of iRacing and working out keeping myself prepared for when we go back racing,” Moffitt said. “Also I’ve enjoyed a lot of quality family time that I usually don’t get being on the road so much.”

    SM: Virtual racing has taken off by storm. Have you been one of the few that have been participating in virtual races? If so, what kind of races have you been partaking in?

    TM: “I have been running the Saturday Night Thunder races,” he said. “I’ve also run a few of the short track series by NBCSN. I’ve also been running a lot of the fixed races.”

    SM: Drivers are always looking to learn more about specific tracks. With this time off, do you feel as though iRaces are preparing you to keep your mental focus when you revisit the tracks you race later this year?

    TM: “I believe that it is a great tool to help with throttle control and your hand-eye coordination but I don’t think you can simulate the actual feeling of going 200 mph,” Moffitt said. “But, iRacing is definitely the closest I’ve been to real racing without driving a car.”

    SM: You have a unique story/background, as you are Richard Petty’s grandson. How much has he meant to you in your early career? I’m sure he has given you some great advice.

    TM: “I have definitely been surrounded by many great people early in my career with my Grandpa and my uncle Kyle being two of my biggest mentors,” he said. “My grandfather is always the first person to give me constructive criticism because he knows I can run better at times, but also tells me when I do something right. He’s given me many pointers from day one. Things as small as to how to hold the steering wheel based on handling conditions of the car.”

    SM: Only two races have been completed this year but do you feel as though this year has started off better than last year? If so, how is this year better than last year?

    TM:  “I feel more confident going into this year,” Moffitt said. “We showed great speed in both of the races thus far with the exception of blowing a tire at Phoenix. I made multiple mistakes at Phoenix but I know I had a top-five car for sure. I believe you will see me and my DGR Crosley team in victory lane multiple times before it’s all said and done this year. They are a great group of guys and we all work very well together and show up to win every time we hit the track.”

    SM: Speaking of wins, whenever you get that first what will the celebration be like?

    TM: “Ha-ha. I guess we will have to wait and see later this year but I’m sure it will be special.”

    SM: Is there anything you have in mind in 2020 that you would like to improve on from last year?

    TM: “One of the biggest things I need to improve on is being more aggressive,” he said. “I’ve lacked aggression in certain situations and I realize that and know it’s something I need to work on.”

    SM: Once we get back racing, whenever that is, what tracks do you have your eye on that you think you can perform well at or maybe win at?

    TM: “With the schedule kind of up in the air, I have no idea where that race will be but I feel like Charlotte will be a really good race for us because I ran well there last year and so did the DGR-Crosley team,” Moffitt said. “I believe in their car we will have a shot to win. I’m also eyeing some of the short tracks that I’m returning to for a second time like Salem and Lucas Oil Raceway.”

    SM:  During this time off, have you been able to catch up on anything or find a new hobby that you might otherwise not have the time for?

    TM:  “I’ve more so been watching my old races and old Cup races just waiting to get the call to get back into the car,” Moffitt said. “My whole family lives and breathes NASCAR so it’s always been our main focus at any point in time.”

    SM: This time can also be discouraging to everyone. What have you done to keep positive and look at the big picture moving forward?

    TM:  “Luckily I’ve been surrounded by very positive people and we’ve all kept a great outlook on the situation,” he said. “But, most of all, I’ve been looking to the man upstairs because I believe everything happens for a reason and he has a greater plan for each of us that we just don’t know yet.”

    SM: What’s one thing you miss about being at the track?

    TM: “The biggest thing I miss is the feeling when you strap in and the green is about to drop and nothing else in the world matters,” Moffitt said. But another thing I miss is getting to meet all the new people every weekend and interact with the fans and letting them get to know me a little better.”

    SM: Wrapping it up, what’s one goal or objective that you hope to achieve before the 2020 season is over?

    TM: “One of the biggest goals coming into the season was to win and then win again and again, so I stand by that goal and hope to win multiple races in the 2020 season.”

    Fans of Thad can follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

    So far in Moffitt’s young racing career, the North Carolina native has made 17 starts during a span of over four years dating back to his first ARCA start at the age of 16 at Nashville. Out of those 17 starts, the 19-year-old has one top-five and six top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth occurring in the season opener at Daytona.

  • David Ragan will return to Truck Series for one race at Richmond

    David Ragan will return to Truck Series for one race at Richmond

    Announced today via DGR-Crosley retired Cup Series star David Ragan will make his return to the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series on Saturday, April 18 at Richmond International Raceway. Ragan is scheduled to drive the No. 17 Ford Performance F-150 Ford out of the DGR-Crosley stable. This will be the first time since 2006 that Ragan has competed in the Truck Series and will be the first time he’s competed in a Truck at Richmond.

    “I’m really looking forward to racing one of DGR-Crosley’s F-150’s at Richmond,” said Ragan. “I’ve been friends with David [Gilliland] for a long time, and I see how much work he’s putting into this team and the success they’ve had early on. They have a shop full of great people and I’m glad that we could make all this happen.”

    The last time Ragan raced in a Truck was 2006 at Phoenix, where the Georgia native finished 17th after starting 20th. Ragan notes that this is something he’s planned on ever since retiring from full-time competition last year in the Cup Series.

    “It’s been a long time since I’ve raced in the Truck Series, and I’m incredibly thankful to Select Blinds for supporting me and allowing me to do this,” remarked Ragan. “This is what I wanted to do when I decided to stop racing full-time at the end of last season; I want to race in different series, with different teams. Obviously, we want to be competitive, and I have no doubt that DGR-Crosley will bring me a great truck. Richmond has always been one of my favorite tracks that we race at; hopefully, we can get the folks from Select Blinds another good finish this year and put on a good show for the fans.”

    Ragan will carry sponsorship with Select Binds.

  • Tanner Gray NGROTS Advance: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    Tanner Gray NGROTS Advance: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    No. 15 Ford Performance F-150, Tanner Gray

    Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
    Race: 2 of 23
    Event: Strat 200 (201 miles, 134 laps)

    Schedule:    
    Friday, Feb. 21
    11:05 a.m…………Practice
    5:05 p.m…………Qualifying (FS1)
    9:00 p.m…………Race (FS1)
    (all times ET)
    Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150
    Tanner Gray and his No. 15 Ford Performance team will head west this weekend as the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series takes on Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. Friday’s Strat 200 will mark the first time that the Rookie of the Year contender has raced at the mile-and-a-half track in Las Vegas.

    The 20-year-old Artesia, N.M. native, will visit many tracks for the first time this season as he’s on his first full-time NASCAR national series campaign. While Gray doesn’t have any prior experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he does have one mile-and-a-half Truck Series start, which occurred last season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gray also has four starts at 1.5-mile tracks in the ARCA Menards Series. In those four starts, he had first, second, and third-place qualifying efforts as well as one top-five and three top-ten finishes.

    The Strat 200 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway will take place on Friday, Feb. 21, at 9:00 p.m. ET with a live broadcast on FS1. The 134 lap race will be broken into three segments with stage ending cautions occurring on lap 30 and lap 60.

    Gray on Vegas: “I’m excited to head to Vegas this week. I’ve never even been to the track there, but I really enjoy racing on the mile-and-a-half tracks. I think it’ll be a good test for us to see where we stack up and what we need to work on to improve our speedway program. With the transition to Ford, we’re always learning and continuing to work with them to get better and find more speed in our F-150’s. I’ve watched a lot of film and talked with my Ford teammates, and everyone says that it’s a racers track and allows you to move around a lot. We only have one practice session to figure it out, but I’m ready for it. Hopefully, we can put the bad luck from Daytona behind us, and get a solid top-10 finish in Vegas.”

  • Opinion: DGR-Crosley, Decker should re-evaluate career path following Bristol

    Opinion: DGR-Crosley, Decker should re-evaluate career path following Bristol

    The frustration in Kevin Hamlin’s voice was obvious following his driver Natalie Decker’s most recent incident: “Inside, inside, inside, inside, inside…we’re wrecked.” The frustration only compounded following the crash, when Hamlin voiced his displeasure with Decker’s actions saying, “I don’t know how the [expletive] I call inside all the way down the backstretch and she still dives inside.”

    It only got worse for the team (or better if you take in the internet’s delight in the team audio) when his driver received a push back to the pits from the tow truck only for the tow truck to spin her out.

    Decker: “Don’t push me so fast, how am I going to [expletive] stop?” Hamlin: “I’m completely [expletive] lost. I don’t even know why I’m up here. She’s out. I’m taking my [expletive] off. See you guys later.”

    The Bristol incident was another in a long line for Decker in 2019, as comments from both Hamlin and Crew Chief Frank Kerr highlighted the continuing lack of confidence they have in their driver. Decker has seen a career’s worth of incidents in her limited 2019 run, several of which were avoidable and most have happened due to driver error. That isn’t to say all of the incidents were her fault (see Daytona, Kentucky, Michigan, Bristol tow truck), but with her level of inexperience and lack of drive, it’s clear that what started as a possibly promising limited run has failed to meet expectations.

    That isn’t to say that she doesn’t have talent. Her 2018 ARCA campaign wasn’t enough to set the racing world on fire, but it was consistent enough to net her a seventh-place points finish; a pole, two top-fives, and nine top-10s aren’t anything to sneeze at. But an extended stay in ARCA with Venturini Motorsports or DGR-Crosley would have been good for her instead of being rushed into the No. 54 Toyota Tundra.

    However, hindsight’s always 20/20. The reality we have is simple. In 14 starts in 2019, Decker has eight DNFs, all listed as crashes. This isn’t including the multiple cautions she’s brought out in races she has finished, like at Atlanta. There’s the countless soundbites of Kerr and/or Hamlin getting on their driver’s case. There’s the lack of respect from her peers. There’s the obvious fact that Decker isn’t taken seriously as a driver. That’s the reality for Decker and DGR-Crosley.

    It’d be naive to assume that this isn’t lost on DGR-Crosley; they are footing the bill after all. But Bristol needs to be a wake-up call for both team and driver. The idea that Decker has a future in stock car racing as a driver isn’t sustainable. If there hasn’t already, then there needs to be an in-depth meeting where all parties involved should face facts about where Decker’s career should be going following 2019.

    She’s been referred to as an Instagram model masquerading as a driver, a notion she’s done nothing to expel. It’s been mentioned more or less in a derogatory manner, but she does know how to market her brand. That is a plus for her, one of the reasons why her following is as big as it is when compared to teammates Anthony Alfredo and Tyler Ankrum. If put to good use for a team instead of her own brand, it could become an asset for whatever team she’s on as opposed to a liability.

    Otherwise, she’s done herself no favors on or off the track. With that being said, the only real option left is to get her out of the truck right now. As mentioned before, she’s not happy behind the wheel and her crew isn’t happy either. Why prolong that? Why not spend more time helping her learn the ropes? They’ve done nothing more than turn her into another Danica Patrick and that’s not a good thing. Patrick was a failed experiment in NASCAR and if they’re not careful Decker will be as well. The merciful thing to do for all involved is to sit down and have a realistic look at what’s been done and what can be done to fix it.

  • 1-on-1 with Gander Outdoors Truck Series rookie Tyler Ankrum

    1-on-1 with Gander Outdoors Truck Series rookie Tyler Ankrum

    Among the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series rookies, DGR-Crosley driver Tyler Ankrum has already established his credentials as a contender by already scoring a victory when he won at Kentucky in July. Afterward, he followed his win with a runner-up finish at Pocono and a ninth-place run at Eldora. He now heads into the Michigan race weekend with a solid spot in the NGOTS Playoffs and is poised for a solid run for the Homestead finale.

    SM: You established your crendetials as a top rookie contender with your win at Kentucky, followed by a runner-up finish at Pocono and a ninth-place run at Eldora. That said, how do your feel about your odds winning the Rookie of the Year battle against fellow rookies like Sheldon Creed and Harrison Burton?

    Ankrum: I think they’re really good. With Michigan being the last race of the regular season, both Sheldon and Harrison have to win to make it into the Playoffs.

    To be frank, Sheldon’s showed a lot of speed on these mile-and-a-half and two-mile race tracks, so I think his odds are pretty good. I’m not too sure about Burton; [Kyle Busch Motorsports] as a whole has struggled all year. But overall, they’re both great racers and both are going to have equal opportunities and equal chances to make it in. I think our chances are really good, and going into Michigan all we’ll really need to do is to keep on doing what we’ve been doing.

    SM: Now that you’ve solidified your spot in the NGOTS Playoffs, have you updated any of your previous goals in regards to your Playoff campaign?

    Ankrum: No. At the beginning of the year our goal was to go win a championship. The goals have stayed the same. We’re aiming high, and that’s how we’re going to continue to push forward and continue to run up front like we have been doing these past few weeks.

    SM: Considering that DGR-Crosley is still somewhat new in the NASCAR garage, how did it feel scoring their first national touring series victory?

    Ankrum: Oh, it’s awesome because David [Gilliland, team owner] gave me the opportunity to drive Late Models when I was first getting started in stock cars, then he gave me the same opportunity in his K&N car, and now he’s doing it in the trucks. It’s pretty special for me, and I’m super thankful for all the help I’ve had along the way.

    SM: Who do you feel is your toughest competition on the track right now?

    Ankrum: That’s pretty tough because the truck series is so competitive right now. This is the most competitive it’s been in a really long time; the top 15 trucks have a chance to win every week and whenever they show up.

    The greatest competition right now? I’d have to say either the GMS Racing or ThorSport trucks. It’s either going to be Brett Moffitt or Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen (Friesen drives a GMS satellite truck), Ben Rhodes or Matt Crafton even though they’ve struggled a little bit this year. Those two teams alone right there have almost eight trucks, so competition has been real stiff. But I think we can hang with them. We’ve been hanging with them the past few weeks. We’ve been doing things a lot different in the race shop, been making a lot of improvements on our equipment and I’m really proud of what we’ve done.

    Just going forward, I have the utmost confidence in our guys and I think they have confidence in me, so at this point we’re starting to really figure things out. I think they’ll have to worry about us more than we’ll have to worry about them.

    SM: Due to some sponsorship issues you had to step away and run a couple of races for Joe Nemechek at NEMCO. How did that come about?

    Ankrum: When we announced that I was no longer full-time, we knew that for me to maintain my points eligibility you have to participate or at least try in every race. It wasn’t about a day later that Joe Nemechek called me and offered me the opportunity to go drive one of his trucks at Iowa and Gateway. He so graciously let us drive that truck and I’m so thankful to him as well and there’s such great guys over there and they’re super easy to work with. Just super guys who were a blast to be with.

    SM: Where do you feel your DGR-Crosley team has been the strongest in the 2019 campaign?

    Ankrum: We haven’t run too many short tracks, but we’re really good on the mile-and-a-halfs. We’re really good on working on the setups to what I like and what I can drive to. We’re good at keeping our nose clean during long distances and staying out of everyone’s mess; it’s really been the key to our success to go on up there and try to win every race and not get too caught up in points.

    Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No. 17 Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway on July 11, 2019 in Sparta, Kentucky. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images.

    SM: On that note, where do you as a driver feel your biggest strengths have been?

    Ankrum: I feel like my ability to learn is one of my biggest strengths. I can go out there behind a truck on the race track and watch and see what he’s doing while also paying attention to what I’m doing. I feel like I can learn a lot better that way than I could learn on a simulator or watching film. Learning that way helps me a lot when I’m out inside the truck.

    I also feel I can put my truck on the edge and leave it there. I feel like I can be consistent and smooth on the wheel, and I feel that’s what really makes a fast car or a fast truck. It’s easy to go out there and throw down a lap but it’s harder to go out there and do that lap after lap. I work on that quite a bit with myself and I think it’s been working so far.

    SM: Inversely, where do you feel that you need the most work in regards to your on-track performance?

    Ankrum: My restarts. My restarts are pretty poor. Really need to just figure out the transmission ratios for the most part, but I’ve been getting better these past few weeks. So the adjustments we’ve been making to the truck and to myself and just learning, it’s helped a lot.

    SM: Going back to your recent streak of a win, a runner-up, and a ninth-place finish, that’s three strong runs on three different kinds of tracks. To what do you owe your performance to?

    Ankrum: I would have to go back and owe that to my ability to learn. The ability to just take in as much as possible as fast as possible. Just the least amount of time working on the drivers and the most amount of time working on the truck and making it faster, with you making it faster along the way.

    I appreciate [Crew Chief Kevin] “Bono” Manion. He’s huge, in that department he’s a genius. He just knows so much and he’s so knowledgeable it helps. Having all those guys in my corner, it’s huge.

    SM: In regards to the Playoffs, there are those on social media who are quick to use you and Matt Crafton as two examples that the Playoffs are supposedly “flawed” towards “deserving” drivers: You started the season late, yet sit solidly in Playoff contention with the regular season finale at Michigan right around the corner, while Crafton sits second in points but could possibly miss out on the Playoffs if another series regular pulls off a surprise win. What’s your take on the assumption that some drivers are more “deserving” than others?

    Ankrum: Well, I mean, I feel that that’s the one word everyone gets caught up on – “deserve” – right? No one deserves anything in this world. I don’t deserve someone’s love or respect; that’s why you earn things. I feel like once you earn something you deserve to have it. I feel like that’s what we’ve done this year.

    We earned that win at Kentucky. With our hard work and blood, sweat, and tears we earned that win and earned our spot in the Playoffs. Even though I missed the first few races of the year, to me, that just meant I had to work harder to beat the rest. In my mind. Now, if that means that I don’t deserve it? That’s just a matter of opinion.

    But my opinion, we earned it and in a way I feel we earned everyone’s respect because they have to take DGR-Crosley seriously now. I feel that, in a sense, means that we deserve to be in the Playoffs. Whether that means there’s a rule that you have to run the entire season, granted, I couldn’t do so because of my age, and once again I did also have to get a waiver.

    I’ve seen a lot of the articles saying that NASCAR is abusing this rule because blah blah blah blah blah, I feel that it’s just keyboard warriors out there on Twitter just trying to make a story and stir the pot up. But that’s just my take. I don’t think anything in this world has to do with “deserve,” it has to do with earning and respect. That’s what I really out here trying to do, just earn my right to have everyone’s respect.

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Kentucky

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Kentucky

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series came to Kentucky Speedway for race No. 13 of the 2019 season and what an exciting race it was.

    The NASCAR Truck Series saw another first-time winner Thursday night just days after Justin Haley scored his first victory at Daytona. This time, it was Tyler Ankrum for DGR-Crosley who took home the checkered flag and earned his first career win.

    Ankrum took the lead from Brett Moffitt with a lap and a half to go, as Moffitt ran out of gas on the backstretch, and Ankrum claimed what was a popular win across the NASCAR community.

    While it was a great night for Ankrum and his team who put themselves in a possible playoff spot, there are still potential sponsorship woes for the youngster who hopes to be fighting for the championship at Homestead-Miami.

    The 17-year-old got his first win in only his 12th start.

    Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.

    1. Stewart Friesen – Friesen delivered another top-five finish for his No. 52 Halmar Racing team. The Canadian finished second for his eighth top-five finish of the year. It was a wild day for Friesen, however, as NASCAR confiscated his primary truck for a firewall issue which could have been a potential competitive advantage. Friesen would have to start last, but it didn’t take him long to get up front and contend for the win. He finished sixth in Stage 2. And as others were running out of gas, Friesen ran out of time and finished 7.373 seconds behind Ankrum. Friesen matched his second-place finish from Texas earlier this season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third

    2. Ross Chastain – While many other drivers had trouble, Chastain did not, despite racing in an unsponsored truck. He qualified fifth and finished fifth, and second in both stages, respectively. Chastain didn’t lead any laps but by finishing inside the top-10 for both stages, he earned a playoff spot and is now in the top-20 in the point standings. Things continue to look up for the Floridian, as he continues to chase the Truck Series championship. Hopefully, it’s the only time Chastain is an unsponsored truck.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

    3. Harrison Burton – Burton got himself another top-five finish for the 2019 Truck Series season. The No. 18 Safelite driver qualified sixth and stayed there for most of the night. Burton finished sixth in Stage 1 but found trouble in Stage 2 as he went sideways after a restart and received minor damage. Due to the incident and being off strategy from everyone else, Burton would only finish 16th in the second stage. He made the most of it, however, and climbed up to fourth as the final stage began. At the end of the night, the 18-year old wound up third for his sixth top five of the season. Unfortunately, despite earning a third-place finish, Burton is in danger of missing the playoffs as he sits ninth in the standings with only three races left until the playoffs began.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    4. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt came oh so close to taking home his second consecutive win of the season Thursday night in Kentucky. But the No. 24 GMS Racing driver pushed his truck too far, as he fell a lap and a half short of victory when his truck ran out of gas. Before then, it wasn’t until lap 110 when Moffitt took the lead. In his first stint, he would only lead 11 laps before taking the lead again on Lap 125. From there, the Grimes, Iowa native led for 24 laps until running out of fuel. Moffitt finished a disappointing seventh after leading a combined 35 laps. For his efforts, he finished seventh in Stage 1. Moffitt leads the playoff points standings.

      Previous Week Ranking – First

    5. Austin Wayne Self – A driver who benefited from other drivers running out of gas late was Texan, Austin Wayne Self, who finished sixth. Surprisingly, it was his first top-10 finish since the season opener at Daytona. Self also finished eighth in the second stage. It was a great outing for his family owned No. 22 team.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

      Unranked

      1. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger had a great day going, qualifying on the pole, his second of the year. The Alabama native finished second in Stage 1, but bad luck hit in Stage 2 when Enfinger got loose in Turn 4 and went up the track and taking Brandon Jones with him, smacking the wall hard. Enfinger’s night would be cut short early on Lap 66 after leading 22 laps.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

      Honorable Mention

      1. Spencer Davis – In just his third Truck Series start of the season, Davis finished eighth after starting 21st. The Georgia native even finished fifth in the second stage. It was his first top-10 finish since Texas of 2018.

      2. Tyler Hill – Hill is making the most out of his first Truck Series season. It was his third start of 2019 with a still new team. Hill, the brother of Timmy Hill, finished 11th, one spot outside the top-10. It’s the best finish that the No. 56 Truck has seen so far in its short career.