Bonus money will be up for grabs this week as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
Saturday’s event at the 1.25-mile oval near St. Louis is the first of three races that comprise this season’s Triple Truck Challenge in the series – with bonus money on the line for winning drivers.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing will have a trio of drivers in competition on Saturday, as series newcomer Jake Garcia joins with MHR regulars Derek Kraus in the No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado RST and Colby Howard in the No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST.
Garcia is set to make his series debut, driving the No. 35 MHR Chevrolet Silverado RST. He was originally slated to make his first series start in April at Martinsville – but those plans were postponed when NASCAR set the field by the rulebook, after rain led to practice and qualifying being cancelled.
World Wide Technology Raceway is where Kraus scored a major victory, while competing in NASCAR’s regional level. He won a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race there in 2018, then returned the following year to notch a second-place finish in the prestigious event. He also has two Camping World Truck Series starts at Gateway, with a best finish of 13th as a rookie in 2020.
Saturday’s race will mark Howard’s first start at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Kraus and Howard will participate in a big promotion at the Litchfield McKay NAPA AUTO PARTS store from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday. They will greet fans and sign autographs at the event, with food being served and a special giveaway of tickets to the race. In addition, the MHR Chevrolet Silverados will be on display, along with the team haulers.
A large group of NAPA McKay customers and employees are set to attend the race on Saturday and will be treated to a VIP Experience. Guests will be able to be on the starting grid with the MHR drivers and teams and have the opportunity to take pictures with them and stand next to the No. 19 and No. 91 Chevy Silverados. They will also get to go behind the scenes for driver introductions. In addition, they will get a tour of the NAPA transporter and have a meet-and-greet with the drivers.
Four seats on the MHR pit boxes will be available for VIP guest crewmembers to be part of the team. They will have an up-close view of the crew chiefs and team engineers in action, as they develop strategies and call the shots from atop the MHR war wagons.
Kraus, Howard and Garcia are slated to participate in a driver autograph session in the Infield Fan Zone from 9:15 to 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The race marks the fifth of eight consecutive weeks of racing for the Camping World Truck Series.
Practice/Qualifying
The format for practice and qualifying at Gateway will involve a 20-minute warm-up/practice session on Friday – followed by qualifying, with a single-truck, one-lap format.
Quote – Derek Kraus
“I like the track at Gateway, just because of how both ends are different. We were able to pick up a big win there in the East-West showdown. I’m looking forward to trying to get a good finish there and get our momentum rolling.”
Quote – Colby Howard
“This will be my first time at Gateway. So I’m not too sure what to expect, but I’m looking forward to a new challenge this week.”
Quote – Jake Garcia
“I’m really excited for the race at Gateway, especially after not being able to run Martinsville. I hope to run well and gain a lot of experience. Gateway is a unique racetrack. So watching previous races there has helped me gain a better understanding of the track. I look forward to working with everyone at MHR and hope to have fun in the process.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event:
Race: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race (160 Laps) (Race 11 of 23) June 4, 2022
Location: World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Madison, Ill. (1.25-mile oval)
Television: FS1 on June 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET
MHR PR
