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Motorsport

130 races later, Tyler Ankrum snaps winless streak in Rockingham Truck race

Tyler Ankrum Chevrolet Truck Ford Toyota Rockingham NASCAR Corey Heim Stewart Friesen

McAnally-Hilgemann Racing's Tyler Ankrum is once again a NASCAR Truck Series winner. For the first time since July, 2019, the Truck Series regular has returned to Victory Lane, and it wasn't easy, falling a lap down early in NASCAR's return to Rockingham. But he never gave up, stretching the fuel longer than anyone around him during the final run.

Ending a six-year winless streak after 130 races means Ankrum now holds the record for the longest winless streak ever broken in the history of the NASCAR Truck Series.

"I can't thank these guys enough for the way this day started and going a lap down and (my crew chief) making the pit call to get the track position back," said Ankrum, who struggled to find the winner's circle. "Just saving fuel. I knew we were five short and I was just hoping I saved enough and we did."

Talking about how he was able to save fuel, Ankrum continued: "I know being five or six laps short is like six miles, so you just have to be able to give up everything. I just found something there where I was lifting about 60% down the straightaway, but I was able to draft off of [Matt] Crafton and a couple other guys and I was able to save that way. It's just surreal. I feel like this is pretty much how it went down at Kentucky in 2019. But here we are now."

Tyler Ankrum, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet (Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

Just enough in the tank

It was remarkably impressive for Ankrum to make it as drivers who had pitted later than him still ran out of fuel. Corey Heim, who has figured out how to lose races in the most unique ways early in this 2025 season, was firmly in control for most of the final run. However, with his last stop coming on Lap 94, he had no chance of making it. With 30 laps to go, he relinquished the race lead and dove to the pits.

Ankrum's final stop came on Lap 112. Andres Perez was on the same strategy but failed to make it. Front Row Motorsports teammates Chandler Smith and Layne Riggs both pitted seven laps later than Ankrum, but shockingly, neither could go the distance. Pitting from second and third, it allowed Ankrum to pull out to a massive lead, allowing him to cruise on the final two laps of the race.

At the checkered flag, Jake Garcia was second, Daniel Hemric third, Rajah Caruth fourth, and Grant Enfinger fifth. Kaden Honeycutt, Jack Wood, Heim, and Connor Mosack rounded out the top ten.

The race was also slowed by two red flags. One for wall repairs following a crash involving Ty Majeski, and the other for cleanup follow a major three-truck incident with Stewart Friesen. Afterwards, a dejected Friesen questioned if he even wanted to continue racing at the Truck level.

Photos from Rockingham - Race

Tyler Ankrum, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet

Cla	Driver	#	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Interval	Pits	Points
1	T. AnkrumMcAnally Hilgemann Racing	18	Chevrolet	200	1:49'36.603		5	40
2	J. GarciaThorSport Racing	13	Ford	200	+6.657 1:49'43.260	6.657	6	52
3	D. HemricMcAnally Hilgemann Racing	19	Chevrolet	200	+9.980 1:49'46.583	3.323	6	34
4	R. CaruthSpire Motorsports	71	Chevrolet	200	+10.952 1:49'47.555	0.972	6	33
5	G. EnfingerCR7 Motorsports	9	Chevrolet	200	+12.057 1:49'48.660	1.105	6	36
6	K. HoneycuttNiece Motorsports	45	Chevrolet	200	+20.232 1:49'56.835	8.175	6	48
7	J. WoodMcAnally Hilgemann Racing	91	Chevrolet	200	+20.421 1:49'57.024	0.189	7	30
8	C. HeimTRICON Garage	11	Toyota	199	+1 Lap 1:49'38.979	1 Lap	6	42
9	C. MosackMcAnally Hilgemann Racing	81	Chevrolet	199	+1 Lap 1:49'43.956	4.977	7	28
10	G. RuggieroTRICON Garage	17	Toyota	199	+1 Lap 1:49'46.902	2.946	6	35
11	L. RiggsFront Row Motorsports	34	Ford	199	+1 Lap 1:49'52.167	5.265	7	46
12	A. Pérez de LaraSpire Motorsports	77	Chevrolet	199	+1 Lap 1:50'01.073	8.906	7	25
13	C. SmithFront Row Motorsports	38	Ford	199	+1 Lap 1:50'06.593	5.520	7	38
14	N. ByrdYoung's Motorsports	02	Chevrolet	198	+2 Laps 1:49'51.180	1 Lap	7	23
15	S. BoydFreedom Racing Enterprises	76	Chevrolet	198	+2 Laps 1:49'59.545	8.365	7	22
16	S. SmithSpire Motorsports	07	Chevrolet	197	+3 Laps 1:49'50.182	1 Lap	9
17	B. JonesTRICON Garage	1	Toyota	196	+4 Laps 1:49'42.717	1 Lap	7
18	T. BreidingerTRICON Garage	5	Toyota	196	+4 Laps 1:49'44.191	1.474	8	19
19	D. SuttonRackley W.A.R.	26	Chevrolet	196	+4 Laps 1:49'57.598	13.407	9	18
20	B. CurreyNiece Motorsports	44	Chevrolet	195	+5 Laps 1:49'44.454	1 Lap	8	17
21	T. HillHill Motorsports	56	Toyota	195	+5 Laps 1:49'49.003	4.549	7	16
22	C. DaySpire Motorsports	7	Chevrolet	194	+6 Laps 1:49'57.400	1 Lap	10
23	F. MunizReaume Brothers Racing	33	Ford	176	+24 Laps 1:49'45.503	18 Laps	10	14
24	M. CraftonThorSport Racing	88	Ford	156	+44 Laps 1:50'00.727	20 Laps	8	13
25	P. KligermanHenderson Motorsports	75	Chevrolet	147	+53 Laps 1:29'12.573	9 Laps	8	14
26	L. FenhausThorSport Racing	66	Ford	136	+64 Laps 1:24'45.912	11 Laps	8	12
27	C. DennisonReaume Brothers Racing	22	Ford	131	+69 Laps 1:49'51.680	5 Laps	9	10
28	T. GrayTRICON Garage	15	Toyota	117	+83 Laps 1:10'45.784	14 Laps	5	13
29	S. FriesenHalmar Friesen Racing	52	Toyota	117	+83 Laps 1:10'45.786	0.002	4	8
30	M. MillsNiece Motorsports	42	Chevrolet	117	+83 Laps 1:10'46.266	0.480	4	7
31	T. MajeskiThorSport Racing	98	Ford	109	+91 Laps 1:02'54.377	8 Laps	5	15
32	B. RhodesThorSport Racing	99	Ford	71	+129 Laps 40'14.225	38 Laps	8	5
33	S. MallozziReaume Brothers Racing	2	Ford	41	+159 Laps 58'43.694	30 Laps	8	4
34	J. CarrollTerry Carroll Motorsports	90	Chevrolet	34	+166 Laps 21'41.131	7 Laps	6	3
35	N. BenningNorm Benning Racing	6	Chevrolet	17	+183 Laps 12'12.860	17 Laps	4	2