While Travis Braden went on to win the ARCA/CRA Super Series Circle City 100 at Lucas Oil Raceway, the battle for fourth place stole the show in the waning moments of the race.
Jake Crum, Kyle Crump and Tyler Ankrum at one point were three-wide heading off of Turn 2 before sanity prevailed and eventually different pace strategies played out where the three drivers finished fourth through sixth, respectively.
The 100-lap race went caution-free, putting a premium on drivers to not burn up their equipment early and a hot track surface didn’t help Ankrum.
“Track conditions were kind of what we expected, they were really tight with the sun,” Ankrum said. “It’s really really hot out here, it’s really hot in that race car and so we were planning on being a little tight the whole day and I don’t think we really judged the track enough because we ended up being really loose and it was just a good effort for the guys.
“It got a little frustrating if I have to say, I was faster than Jake Crum and I knew I was, I just got behind him and I got a little bit aero tight and I just really just couldn’t do anything about it and he drove me poorly which I’ll remember but it’s all part of racing so we’ll get the next one,” Ankrum added.
Crum believed he burned up most of his equipment trying to stay ahead of Ankrum.
“As far as [Ankrum], I think me and him both burned our stuff up just trying to stay ahead of one another. He was on the inside and I was on the outside and I’d gas up a little quicker than he did just trying to stay out and get the straightaway speed and I think it hurt us in the long run,” said Crum.
Crump also had a nice battle with Ankrum.
“We had a pretty big battle with Tyler there, we had a bit of contact. It wasn’t on purpose but it happened. I mean, we got through it clean, both of us and then from there on out I was trying to reel in Jake Crum,” said Crump.
The only thing that might have made the difference for Crump would have been having a longer race.
“I tried like 3-4 different lines, I could gain a little bit, (Crum) was slipping up on the top. His car wasn’t handling well either, just more laps because he kept making mistakes and I could slowly inch him in and every once in a while I could almost kind of get underneath him or kind of intimidate him a bit,” Crump said.
Crum wasn’t able to challenge for the lead because his handling wasn’t perfect.
“We showed up too tight and couldn’t get the tightness out of the car and unfortunately we didn’t win.”
“I figured it would go green, I was hoping for a caution to see if we could do something, whether it was tearing the nose off of it trying for a win or just ending up fourth,” Crum said.
For Ankrum, it was a good night given when his last race was.
“Sixth place isn’t bad, I obviously wish I would’ve won but me and the team are going to keep on clicking away. We’re learning a lot, they’ve been helping me a tremendous amount, probably more than most anybody in my life so I’m happy,” Ankrum said.
