In his first victory since 2019, Tyler Ankrum gets it done! NASCAR makes a big return to Rockingham and Ankrum wins. His last win came at Kentucky, a track no longer on the schedule. Now, his latest win comes at a track that hadn’t been on the schedule for 12 years.
When Tyler Ankrum joined McAnally-Hilgemann Racing last season, winning was a must. He didn’t get it in 2024, but he does in 2025. As the field ran out of fuel, Ankrum coasted to the finish line for the win.
First win since 2019, first win at MHR, and a ticket punched to the playoffs! What a day at Rockingham for NASCAR and Ankrum. There are 500,000 LiUNA! members out there celebrating this win!
Tyler Ankrum also gets the $50,000 Triple Truck Challenge bonus. Just a great weekend for that 18 team.
TYLER ANKRUM WINS AT ROCKINGHAM! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/gIKJ39lfVC
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 18, 2025
It took 130 races between Kentucky 2019 and Rockingham 2025, but Tyler Ankrum did it. That 130-race winless streak is the longest streak to ever be broken in the Truck Series, according to NASCAR Insights. Maybe this is the year we see multiple wins for Ankrum?
This win was not a fluke. Yes, he did it by saving fuel, but Ankrum had to fight. He was a lap down at one point, got his track position back. When Corey Heim and Gio Ruggerio had to go to pit road, Ankrum was out there alone. Then things got intense when trucks began to run out of fuel.
Look, I said it last week and I’ll say it again, Tyler Ankrum is having a great season. His numbers since Daytona have been right there with the best in the Truck Series. P3, P10, P4, P2, P4, and P1.
The only thing holding Ankrum back from competing for the regular season championship is stage points. He had 44 stage points this year before this race. Corey Heim, Chandler Smith, and Ty Majeski all had 71 or more stage points.
Today was not easy for the NASCAR Truck Series. This was more or less a brand-new experience for everyone involved. Tyler Ankrum was not alone in his up-and-down day. The racing was good, and it challenged these drivers immensely.
Defending Truck Series champion Ty Majeski got loose and wrecked hard into the wall. There were multiple mechanical failures in the field, particularly with ThorSport. Everyone from 23rd on back today was 24 laps down. Only seven drivers finished on the lead lap.
Not only was this a return to Rockingham, it was a return to old NASCAR racing. Lots of trucks unable to stay on the lead lap, fuel mileage was important, the tire strategies were varied enough to keep you guessing the entire time. It was fantastic.
Tyler Ankrum wins the first Rockingham race in over a decade. He has his first Truck Series win in six years. What other streaks and blasts from the past will we witness in 2025? If you didn’t like that race, you just don’t like NASCAR. A lot of fun. Let’s hope the Xfinity Series gives us another great race going into Easter Sunday.
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