Two teams dominated most of the Craftsman Truck Series race earlier this evening. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and Thorsport Racing fought it out until the former prevailed in the end. Christian Eckes stole the thunder from Ty Majeski’s wheels. Yet another MHR star gave the team its dominant edge in the race: Tyler Ankrum.

The No. 19 driver has fared well this season, scoring two top-five finishes in Las Vegas and Bristol. Ankrum looked all set to build on his momentum in Thunder Valley at the season’s second short track in Martinsville. However, he could not do better and was visibly irked when interviewed after the race.

Tyler Ankrum settles a score amidst static performance

A little over a month ago, MHR driver Tyler Ankrum found his fortunes scaling upward. He took home his season’s first top-ten finish, finishing P7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Yet he had to struggle for that good result, with restarts stunting his momentum. Ankrum was frustrated, and Eddie D’Hondt and Chase Elliott had said condescendingly that there was a long way to go for the 22-year-old.

Now Ankrum can rub it in his face, as his team excelled in the restarts in Martinsville. In a post-race interview, Tyler Ankrum put on a particularly glum face while describing his experience with the restarts. “I mean it’s always difficult, but we were so fortunate on restarts tonight. I had great restarts all night long. Eddie D’Hondt, he was phenomenal in helping me out with the restart juice. I can say there’s only one time where I proved him wrong tonight on the juice. But we need to do that again, so it’s always fun.”

Yet overall, Tyler Ankrum was happy with his progress. “I mean, big picture, we’re doing exactly what we set out to do. In the beginning of the year, our goals were not as high as they are now. For us to come out to the first 6 races and have a speed that we are at 2nd or 3rd in points…it’s a great position to be in.” 

He also credited his ride for displaying exemplary speed that flew him across the field. “We had a great truck, It’s a lot of fun to come to Martinsville when you got fast trucks.” Ankrum further added: “So to come out of Martinsville with a truck that’s in one piece and with a good points stage…we’re going to go into Texas, stack’em up again, knock’em down.” Tyler Ankrum returned for his fourth full-time season in the Truck Series under MHR this year, and his team owner had faith in his talents.

McAnally trusted Ankrum’s speed in 2024

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With three top-fives already under his belt, Tyler Ankrum is on a roll this season. Before signing up for MHR, Ankrum spent the last two years working for Hattori Enterprises. Last year, he bagged six top-ten finishes with a best run of fourth at the Circuit of the Americas. Clearly, he did his homework, as he is now slowly edging up the ranks. Ankrum’s current team owner believed in his potential while signing him up for 2024.

“We’re really glad to have Tyler join the team as we continue to grow in 2024,” said team owner Bill McAnally. “Tyler has shown he can get the job done at this level, and we want to get him back in the playoffs and be a strong contender this year. Surrounding him with Mark and the #35 team from last season will be a great fit for Tyler and we’re excited he’s joining our expanding program.”

With a good team’s support, Tyler Ankrum may rein in a Truck victory soon.

Truck Series Star Unapologetic After Jeopardizing “Pinch” Move on Ty Majeski at Bristol