STATESVILLE, N.C. — Tyler Ankrum will return to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series lineup in 2025, the team announced Monday morning.
The San Bernadino, Calif. native will continue to pilot the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet Silverado RST for his seventh campaign on the Truck Series tour. In 2024, Ankrum qualified for the Truck Series playoffs for the third time in his career and led the championship standings for the first four races. He posted career-high numbers, including six top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and improved his average finish from 2023 to 2024 by nearly six positions.
Ankrum will extend his relationship with veteran crew chief Mark Hillman, who helped guide the LIUNA team back to the playoffs in MHR’s first season with four full-time entries. The duo looks to make a return to victory lane and clinch back-to-back playoff berths.
“I’m really glad to be staying at MHR with Mark and the entire LIUNA team,” Ankrum said. “This last year was probably the best of my career with the consistency we showed throughout the season. Making the playoffs was a huge goal for us and we were in the mix all the way to Martinsville, so we want to take another step and make it to Phoenix in 2025. We all want to get back to victory lane, and I think keeping this group together and continuing to develop as a team will help us get there.”
“Tyler had his strongest season in 2024 and the best is yet to come,” McAnally said. “He, Mark (Hillman), and the whole LIUNA team worked well together, made a strong playoff run, and put themselves in position to win some races.
“The growth of MHR we have for 2025 will make the No. 18 team stronger and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish with Tyler next season.”