Ankrum grew up on a ranch in Southern California, where he began racing quarter midgets before progressing to late models. He won his first late model race at Caraway Speedway at age fourteen, and took the win at Hickory Motor Speedway's Fall Brawl in 2015. He finished third in the 2018 Rattler 250 and transitioned to the super late model class in late 2015 after a season in the CARS Tour's Late Model Stock division. Ankrum later relocated with his family to Mooresville, North Carolina, graduating from Lake Norman High School in 2019. Away from racing he owns and operates a 474-acre ranch.
In January 2018, Ankrum signed with David Gilliland Racing for part of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season. His programme expanded to a full campaign by the third race. He won for the first time in his fourth start, at South Boston Speedway in May, beating teammate Tyler Dippel. A mid-summer run of three consecutive wins followed: at Thompson Speedway, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a caution-free race, and at Iowa Speedway in a combination east-west event. Despite a thirteenth-place finish at the September New Hampshire race he left with an insurmountable points lead, clinching the 2018 K&N Pro Series East championship — DGR-Crosley's first title in any series.
Ankrum made his Truck Series debut at Martinsville in late 2018, driving the No. 54 Toyota for DGR-Crosley and recording a top-ten finish the following race at ISM Raceway.
He ran full-time for DGR-Crosley from the spring of 2019, initially restricted by age until the Martinsville round. At Texas in June 2019, Ankrum graduated high school on stage during pre-race ceremonies, then recovered from multiple on-track incidents to finish third — a career-best result at the time. Sponsorship difficulties later in the season cut his schedule, and he secured additional starts through NEMCO Motorsports to remain playoff-eligible.
On July 11, 2019, Ankrum took his first Truck Series win at Kentucky after Brett Moffitt ran out of fuel near the end of the final lap. The victory was also DGR-Crosley's first in the Truck Series and made Ankrum the first driver born in the 21st century to win a NASCAR national series race. He qualified for the playoffs but did not advance past the Round of 6.
Ankrum joined GMS Racing for the 2020 season, then moved to Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2022 driving the No. 16 Toyota. In December 2023 he signed with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for the 2024 season, piloting a newly renumbered No. 18 Chevrolet Silverado RST. He reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020, but was eliminated at the Round of 8 at Martinsville.
The 2025 season opened with a DNF at Daytona. Two months later Ankrum ended a 130-race winless drought — the longest in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history — with a fuel-mileage victory at Rockingham during the series' return to that circuit.
In April 2026 it was announced that Ankrum would make his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Talladega, driving the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing.
Ankrum's career has been defined by historical firsts. His 2018 K&N Pro Series East title came in his first full season in the category. His 2019 Kentucky win carried generational significance as the first national series victory by a driver born after 2000. His 2025 Rockingham win, snapping the longest active winless streak in Truck Series history, added a further record to a career built on consistent competition across multiple NASCAR touring levels.
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