By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway was delayed a day due to weather. However, it came just as fast for rising racer Tristan McKee.
At just 16 years old, he became the second-youngest competitor in the Truck Series by starting Saturday’s 250-lapper. Driving for Spire Motorsports’ all-star No. 77 truck, he got up to speed just as fast by placing eighth.
“We had a good day, a clean day and didn’t really get into any trouble,” McKee said.
For a first-timer, that’s as good as done and more than enough to hang your hat on. However, the pace was there for the Virginian, who rose from 13th on the grid to inside the top 10 for much of the race.
“I was just struggling on passing, I would get stuck behind guys,” he said. “Just the way my truck was handling, it was tough to make moves.”
In a race that featured only one natural caution flag, McKee got a test run in tire management.
“I think this track fits my driving style if anything,” he said. “Just the way the tires wear and how everything goes on, how easy you have to time your runs. Most of the guys I was racing against the whole time have been doing this stuff for a long time. I was able to take stuff from all of them.”
Along with a new class of vehicle and all new competitors, McKee also experienced his first live pit stops in NASCAR — his 10 starts in the ARCA Menards Series were run without live pit stops.
“It was actually better than I expected,” he admitted. “I was a bit nervous at first, I had never done that. I definitely didn’t want to get a penalty, but on the first stop I was pretty much right on it. I learned a lot there and was up to speed on that.”
With lessons learned, McKee will be able to apply this knowledge as quickly as possible, next week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“I feel really good going into New Hampshire now with a race under my belt,” he said. “I definitely know what to expect going into next week.”