2020 GMS Racing Gander Trucks Pocono Recap

Sheldon Creed, No. 2 Chevy Accesories Chevrolet Silverado

START: 2nd

FINISH: 3rd

POINTS: 4th

Notes & Quotes:—

– Sheldon Creed started second, but was able to claim the lead on Lap 1 and held the lead until Lap 30, claiming the stage win for both Stage One and Two. Creed pitted during Stage Two break for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Creed restarted third on the final restart and made an aggressive three-wide pass for the lead in the closing laps, before getting passed on the high side on the final lap to ultimately finish third.

– This is Creed’s second top-five and fourth top-10 finish of the season.

– Creed led twice for a total of 31 laps.

– Creed is currently fourth in the points standings, 64 points behind the leader.

“I was just a little tight there, but we had a really good truck other than that. Air is so difficult here, we saw that when I was leading there in front of the 16 and he couldn’t get around me. I didn’t know what they were going to do and I had a huge run going down the backstretch. I knew if I stayed behind the 51 I was going to get tight and found the hole and it stuck. Man, I gave it away honestly. I gave Jones the top on the front straight away and that’s where the race was won. I should’ve stayed on top and let him get next to me. Hats off to my guys, we’ve been struggling honestly. I’ve been working so hard with Josh Wise and I was starting to think it’s me, maybe something I’m doing wrong. We finally had a really good truck today and I was able to race how I wanted. I could be really agressive and put it wherever I wanted, which was really nice. Just want to thank Chevy Accessories, GMS, all my guys, my family back home. Just thank you to everyone, it feels good to be running good.”

Zane Smith, No. 21 La Paz Chevrolet Silverado

START: 7th

FINISH: 14th        

POINTS: 7th

Notes & Quotes:—

– After starting 14th, Zane Smith quietly worked his way into the top 10 and scored valuable stage points with an eighth-place finish in Stage One. Smith pitted during the Stage One break for fuel only and started Stage Two in the 23rd position. Smith took over the lead during the Stage Two break when crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion kept him on the track with instructions to “save fuel like there is no tomorrow.” The handling quickly went away on Smith’s Silverado and the team pitted for fuel and four tires during the Lap 50 caution. Smith reported potential engine issues with eight laps to go, but salvaged a 14th-place finish.

– Smith led twice for a total of seven laps.

– Smith is currently seventh in points, three spots above the playoff cutoff line.

“Today was an up and down day for us. We had motor issues with eight laps to go, right after we finally got tires which really hurt our chances. Luckily we were able to lead some laps and score some stage points so not bad for the big picture. We’ll move on to Kentucky.”

Brett Moffitt, No. 23 Chevy Cares Chevrolet Silverado

START: 9th

FINISH: 7th

POINTS: 9th

Notes & Quotes:—

– Brett Moffitt started Saturday’s race in the ninth position. The No. 23 team pitted from the 11th position during the second caution of the day taking rounds out of the front and rear in an effort to help overall grip. Moffitt stayed out during the Stage One break and reported his Silverado was free on entry and would progressively get tight during the second stage. Moffitt reported a right front tire going down and the team pitted just before the caution flew on Lap 50. Moffitt took advantage of the fresh tires and was able to rally to a seventh-place finish.

– Moffitt is currently ninth in the championship points standings, one spot above the playoff cutoff line.

“Not the run we wanted, but we made the most of it. Made adjustments all day long and earned some stage points in Stage TWo. We had a right front tire going down and had to pit just before 10 laps to go and that set us back, but we rebounded for another top-10 finish and we’ll move on to Kentucky.”

Chase Purdy, No. 24 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado

START: 13th

FINISH: 21st

Notes & Quotes:—

– Chase Purdy started 13th in his first Gander Trucks start since 2018. The team pitted during the third caution of the day for four tires, fuel, track bar adjustments and air pressure adjustments to help tighten the truck up in the entry of the corner. Purdy made contact with another truck on pit road during the Stage Two break, forcing the team to make an additional stop under caution to address possible damage and change tires. Purdy ultimately finished 21st in Sunday’s event.

“Overall wasn’t a bad debut back. We had an incident with another truck on pit road and we had to come back in which put us behind a bit. Overall wasn’t a terrible day, truck is in one piece and we’ll move on to Kentucky.”

Tyler Ankrum, No. 26 LiUNA Chevrolet Silverado

START: 11th

FINISH: 9th

POINTS: 8th

Notes & Quotes:—

– Tyler Ankrum started 11th for Sunday’s event at Pocono and earned valuable stage points with a third-place finish in Stage One. The team pitted for fuel only during the first stage break after Ankrum reported being very happy with his LiUNA Silverado. Ankrum collected more stage points with a sixth-place finish in Stage Two. Ankrum made slight contact with the wall towards the end of the final stage, but the team reported no significant damage and Ankrum was able to secure a ninth-place finish in his second start at Pocono Raceway.

– This is Ankrum’s second consecutive top-10 finish.

– Ankrum is currently 8th in championship points standings, two spots above the playoff cutoff line.

“Really good effort by my team today, they brought me a really fast truck. Pocono is all about track position and we had a set back in the last stage that we couldn’t recover from. Overall a great building day for us and I’m excited for Kentucky.”

GMS Racing PR