The Pilot Travel Centers Toyota Tundra team headed west to the home of the blues hoping to bring home the Elvis trophy. Rookie sensation, Michael Annett had never raced a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry at Memphis Motorsports Park, but he had made hundreds of laps there behind the wheel of a silver crown machine.
The team unloaded its Toyota Tundra for practice and gave Annett some time to find the fastest route around the track. He tried both the high and low lines, trying to find the fastest way to get around the .75-mile trioval. He told his crew he was struggling in the middle of the corner, so the team made changes to the truck, hoping to help the 22-year-old rookie find the feel he needed. By the end of final practice, Annett was turning lap times good enough to compete for the win, and the team believed it had a solid Tundra for Saturday night’s event.
Annett started 13th for Saturday night’s 200-lap event. On lap eight, he told his crew the truck was good entering the turns, but it handled very loose getting off both ends of the racetrack. Crew chief Doug Wolcott planned changes to be made to the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra during the first round of pit stops.
Annett made that first pit stop under caution on lap 36. The team changed all four tires, filled the tank with fuel and made an air pressure adjustment to the truck in hopes of helping the free condition off the corners.
The racing action resumed on lap 39 with the No. 22 truck in the 22nd position. Less than 30 laps later, Annett had clawed his way up into the top 15 and was soon running down the 10th- place truck. He reported to his crew on lap 78 that the truck was good on both ends of the track. He said he could still use a little help on exit, as the truck still wanted to jump sideways. Wolcott told his driver to be easy on the truck, and the team would make some changes during the final pit stop of the night, which occurred under caution on lap 123.
During the final four-tire stop, the team made a trackbar adjustment in hopes of fixing the loose condition Annett was feeling. Annett restarted 17th on lap 126. The rookie battled a group of Craftsman Truck Series veterans for the last 74 laps in an effort to capture his second top-10 finish in as many starts. However, he came up one position short and finished 11th.
The No. 22 Toyota Tundra team gets a well-deserved week off before returning to competition at Kentucky Speedway July 12. The race can be seen live on the Speed Channel. Check local listings for start times.