Ankrum, Dippel leave New Jersey with Disappointing Finishes After Last Lap Accident

DGR-Crosley competed in the only NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) road course race of the season at New Jersey Motorsports Park (Millville, N.J.) over the weekend. Points leader Tyler Ankrum and his teammate Tyler Dippel collected 9th and 11th-place finishes respectively after they got into each other on the last lap of the JustDrive.com 125. Ankrum’s top-10 finish was good enough to help him maintain his Championship Points lead, 16 points ahead of Dippel.

 

Tyler Ankrum, No. 17 Modern Meat Co. Toyota Camry

Practice: 5th

Qualifying: 4th (93.322 mph)

Race Result: 9th

Championship Standings: 1st (+16 points)

 

This weekend’s race at New Jersey Motorsports Park marked the first road course race for 17-year-old Ankrum. He took to the 2.25-mile track for the first time on Friday afternoon where the team participated in an open test session. On Saturday, Ankrum laid down a 1 minute 27.061 second lap, good enough for a top-five rank after the lone practice session. During qualifying, Ankrum secured a 4th-place starting position. By the end of the 55-lap event, Ankrum was running in the second-position when his teammate challenged him for the position. The two made contact, sending both drivers spinning through the grass. 

 

Ankrum on New Jersey: “I had a solid Modern Meat Co. Toyota, but things just didn’t go our way at the end of the race. This was my first road course race – I learned a lot and had a ton of fun out there. Looking forward to Thompson [Speedway Motorsports Park] next month.”

 

Tyler Dippel, No. 54 TyCar / D&A Concrete Toyota Camry

Practice: 4th

Qualifying: 7th (93.052 mph)

Race Result: 11th

Championship Standings: 2nd (-16 points)

 

Dippel went into the weekend with three prior starts at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The 18-year-old New York native showed impressive speed during the open test on Friday afternoon. When the lone practice session rolled around on Saturday, Dippel was scored fourth with a lap time of 1 minute 26.653 seconds. During qualifying, Dippel locked in a 7th-place starting position in the JustDrive.com 125. Dippel and the No. 54 team had their work cut out for them when a they suffered a flat tire less than 20 laps into the race. The team pitted under green but were able stay on the lead lap. Dippel began making his way through the field and was in the top-three with five laps remaining. He tried to make a move on his teammate for second on the last lap. The two made contact, and were both taken out of contention for the win. 

 

Dippel on New Jersey: “I was going for second on the last corner and it just didn’t work out for us – we ended up 11th. I’m really proud of all my guys this weekend. We fought a flat left front tire early on and still rallied back to have a shot at the win. We’ll move on to Thompson [Speedway Motorsports Park] and keep fighting for another win.”

 

DGR PR