Derek Kraus had a fast NAPA AutoCare Toyota Tundra at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, scoring the most green-flag passes in the Fr8Auctions 200 and coming away with a 13th-place finish.
The McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver battled his way forward in all three segments of the event. Along with some early pit strategy, he was able to pick up stage points and gain some ground in the championship standings.
After starting 29th on the grid, Kraus quickly charged his way to 18th in the first 10 laps of the race. During a competition caution on Lap 15, however, his crew opted to give up track position to pit for a fresh set of tires. He restarted in 28th on Lap 20 and rocketed his way to sixth by the end of Stage 1, ten laps later.
Congestion on pit lane dropped Kraus to 19th for the restart, but he battled his way back to finish Stage 2 in 10th place on Lap 60. A penalty during the subsequent pit stop, for a crewmember going over the wall too soon, put him 27th for the restart. He steadily worked in way forward in the final segment of the race, with 63 laps of green-flag racing, to finish 13th.
MHR welcomed a special group of guests from NAPA Belts and Hoses/Gates with VIP treatment at the speedway on Saturday.
Derek Kraus – Thoughts about the race
You passed a lot of trucks. Tell us about your race.
“Our NAPA Toyota was fast today. We made up a lot of ground after starting so far back. We used strategy and battled our way into the top 10 to get some valuable stage points. We just couldn’t overcome that penalty late in the race.”
BMR PR
