Derek Kraus charged from the back of the pack to lead the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Saturday and come away with his best finish of the season in the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado RST.
The 20-year-old from Stratford, Wisconsin was a threat to win – leading 12 laps late in the race – before getting shuffled back to seventh in a wild scramble on the final restart, as the race went into overtime.
His MHR teammates – Colby Howard in the No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST and Jake Garcia in the No. 35 MHR Chevrolet Silverado RST – each were also running strong, before running into trouble late in the event.
Kraus was fifth in practice on Friday, but was relegated to line up 36th on the grid, due to unapproved adjustments. He charged to 17th by the end of Stage 1 and continued moving up. He gained additional spots by staying on track when some of the leaders opted to pit during a caution just before Stage 2 was complete – giving him a third-place finish in the stage, along with important bonus points. As the final segment of the race started, he began working to gain back positions lost to those who pitted early.
When Kraus headed to the pits with all the other leaders during a subsequent caution, his crew chief, Shane Wilson, opted to change just two tires. The strategy put the No. 19 Chevy into the top five. Kraus charged from third to second following a restart on a Lap 114 and continued his charge – taking the lead with an outside pass on Lap 142. He initially extended his lead, before being chased down and passed on Lap 154.
He was in second when the final yellow flag came out on Lap 157. A wild scramble ensued on the restart as the race went into overtime, leading to a seventh-place finish for Kraus. His run boosted him one spot to 11th in the championship standings.
Howard, who qualified a career-best seventh, finished 10th at the end of Stage 1. He lost track position on the subsequent pit stop and began battling back, but was caught up in an incident when several leaders crashed on Lap 55. He mounted another charge forward and was up to 15th, before getting into the wall with the back of the truck on Lap 124. His crew made repairs to the No. 91 Chevy, allowing him to salvage a 23rd-place finish.
Garcia – a 17-year-old from Monroe, Georgia – was making his series debut. He qualified 21st and ran a steady race – avoiding trouble that sidelined many of the leaders and worked his way forward. He was in the top 15 midway through the race, but got squeezed into the wall by another truck and had to pit for repairs. Although he lost four laps, Garcia was able to return to action and finished 29th.
Kraus and Howard kicked off their weekend by attending a big promotion at the Litchfield McKay NAPA AUTO PARTS store on Thursday. They greeted fans and signed autographs, with the MHR Chevrolet Silverados also on display, along with the team haulers.
A large group of NAPA McKay customers and employees at the race on Saturday were treated to a VIP Experience. Guests were able to be on the starting grid with the MHR drivers and teams and take pictures standing next to the No. 19 and No. 91 Chevy Silverados. They also went behind the scenes for driver introductions, got a tour of the NAPA transporter and had a meet-and-greet with the drivers. Four seats on the MHR pit boxes were be available for VIP guest crewmembers to be part of the team.
Quote – Derek Kraus
“The strategy was a good call on Shane’s part. We just lost all front turn, while leading with 10 to go. Overall, it was a great race and we plan to keep this momentum rolling into Sonoma.”
Quote – Colby Howard
“We started off with a fast Chevy. We just had a bad pit stop that put us way behind and got caught up in a bunch of stuff that we shouldn’t have been in.”
Quote – Jake Garcia
“I appreciate the guys at MHR for preparing a fast Chevy Silverado for me. We had really good speed all day until another truck put us into the wall. Now I know what it takes to run good in the truck series and I’m excited for Indy.”
BMR PR
