Tyler Ankrum hits the wall, causes pileup in Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is getting interesting. This Tyson 250 just had a huge wreck that changed a lot in this race. Tyler Ankrum got pushed out while racing hard. He ended up hitting the wall and the rest was just aftershock. Trucks driving into the back of trucks.
This Tyson 250 field had a lot of talent in it. With five Cup Series drivers, all of who have won races in the Cup Series, these truck drivers were giving them all they could handle. Kyle Larson was out front and then we had a middle-of-the-pack pileup.
Ankrum hits the wall, slows WAY down, Rajah Caruth can’t do anything and drives into him. In the mess, Ben Rhodes and Zane Smith, both Truck Series champions, had heavy damage and couldn’t finish. This was an ugly one.
This was the 10th caution of the day and officially a record in 250-lap Truck Series races held at North Wilkesboro. Even if there are only two ever, it is still a record.
You hate to see trucks get torn up like this. Especially with how much great racing we saw and a few good saves… this left drivers with no option. When you’re on the throttle and the car in front of you pulls up, you can’t move. Bubba Wallace barely avoids disaster in the No. 1 TRICON Grage truck.
As they say, cautions breed cautions. This one happened not long after the last yellow flag that came out.
Tyson 250 gets chippy in final laps
You just knew these Craftsman Truck Series drivers were going to put on a show. While they drove clean to start the race, once the field got a feel for the track and the faster parts of the asphalt, it was over. With points on the line, drivers are fighting for every place.
Enter Tanner Gray and Josh Williams. Williams gave Gray a bump under caution after Gray caused an incident with less than 100 laps to go. The 22 was sent into the barrels on pit road as Gray came in and made it four-wide at North Wilkesboro! Who would have thought? Of course, it didn’t work.
Williams had to give the bump under caution just to make sure he was heard. These cautions have a way of building up. It wasn’t long until we saw Ankrum hitting the wall under green and causing that mess above.
After that caution, which was the seventh of the day, it seemed like trucks couldn’t stop spinning out. We had short spurts of green flag runs between cautions until this race got into overtime.
Kyle Larson was able to go on and win this race. He stayed out of trouble by leading 138 laps and taking the checkered flag in a truly historic race.