CUP: B.J. McLeod clinches third LASTCAR title after car overheats on hot Martinsville track

PHOTO: @teamlivefast

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

B.J. McLeod picked up the 14th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s XFINITY 500 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #78 Falk’d Up Garage Chevrolet fell out with overheating issues after 147 of 500 laps.

The finish, which came in McLeod’s 136th series start, was his fifth of the season and first since Darlington, eight races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 36th for the #78, the 119th from overheating, and the 850th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 51st for the #78, the 180th from overheating, and the 1,921st for Chevrolet.

With the finish, McLeod has secured his third LASTCAR Cup Series Championship with one race still to go. His only two remaining challengers were brothers Ty Dillon and Austin Dillon. Ty could have taken the lead from McLeod with a last-place run on Sunday, but McLeod would have been able to respond in Phoenix.

Just days after the team’s most recent last-place finish in Darlington, the Live Fast Motorsports team announced that they had sold their Charter to Spire Motorsports, which would expand from two to three entries. As the team prepares to scale back to a part-time “open” entry in 2024, the team has continued to fight near the back of the pack. Live Fast gave Sheldon Creed his first Cup start at Kansas, yielding a 29th-place finish. McLeod finished 22nd in Texas coming home on the lead lap. And on the Charlotte “Roval,” Josh Bilicki was battling inside the Top 20 before contact from Corey LaJoie left him 26th.

For Martinsville, the team carried a special Halloween-themed paint scheme featuring McLeod himself. Joining a returning Superior Logistics Services, Inc. as sponsor was the YouTube channel Falk’d Up Garage.

With only the 36 Chartered entries arriving at the track once more, McLeod was slowest in both practice and qualifying, securing the last spot on the grid with a lap of 91.660mph (20.659 seconds) in Qualifying Round 1A. The field remained so close that he was just two-hundredths of a second slower than 35th-place J.J. Yeley in the #15 IFCJ.org Ford and just over a half-second off the pole.

No drivers incurred pre-race penalties, so McLeod and Yeley rolled off side-by-side in the final row. When the race started on an unseasonably hot afternoon, McLeod’s outside line got a better start, pulling him 4.086 seconds back of the lead at the stripe ahead of 33rd-place starter Ryan Newman in the #51 Biohaven / Jacob Companies Ford (4.118 seconds) and the now last-place Yeley (4.331). Newman dropped McLeod back to 35th by Lap 3, when the #78 was now locked in a side-by-side battle with Yeley. That time by, the gap from McLeod to the last-place Yeley was 0.075 second, then 0.095 on Lap 4 and 0.041 on Lap 5. Yeley finally cleared McLeod on Lap 7, opening a gap of 0.244.

On Lap 12, McLeod maintained a half-second gap behind Yeley and began to report on his water temperature, citing it at 270 degrees. “Everything feels fine,” said the driver. On Lap 21, McLeod pulled to within 0.355 second of Yeley, then cut it to 0.211 on Lap 22. But now, the leaders had caught them both, and McLeod and Yeley were the first to be lapped on the 28th and 29th circuits. In traffic, McLeod reported his car was now “free in, tight center, free off.” The positions remained unchanged until the first caution on Lap 104.

Heading through Turns 1 and 2, the battle for 22nd turned physical. Holding the spot was last week’s last-place finisher Harrison Burton in the #21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford, who had a mirrorful of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.’s #47 Kroger / Reese’s Chevrolet. As Stenhouse moved by, Burton cut in front of an approaching Alex Bowman in the #48 Ally Chevrolet, who then bumped his way under Burton as Austin Dillon closed from behind in the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. As Bowman banged doors with Burton, a stack-up ensued where Dillon spun Bowman, then hooked Burton into a spin. Squeezing past was then-leader Denny Hamlin before Corey LaJoie’s #7 Gainbridge Chevrolet locked the brakes behind a stopped Burton. All involved drivers escaped with little damage, though each were first shown one lap down. Under caution, Burton took last on Lap 106, followed by McLeod on Lap 107, then Burton on Lap 108, Bowman on Lap 109, and Burton on Lap 111. The race restarted the next time by with Burton last in line, at which point NASCAR declared all cars had met minimum speed. 

With the end of Stage 1 fast approaching, Burton set after Bowman. Both were now the only two cars off the lead lap, and now fighting for the Lucky Dog. Burton caught Bowman by Lap 123, but five laps later, leader Hamlin caught and passed 34th-place McLeod, putting him a lap down. By the end of Stage 1 on Lap 131, Hamlin had also lapped 33rd-place Carson Hocevar in the #42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet and, coming off Turn 4 the final time, 32nd-place Yeley in the #15. This gave Yeley the Lucky Dog, putting him back on the lead lap.

This stage caution saw McLeod retake last place on Lap 136, the crew clearing rubber off the grille as they continued to track a overheating issue. Scoring showed Bowman in last on Lap 138, then McLeod again on Lap 139 just before the Lap 141 restart. Right when the field went green, Kyle Busch made an unscheduled stop for a flat left-front tire on his #8 BetMGM Chevrolet, immediately taking last again from McLeod. Busch quickly returned to the track, and by Lap 147 had caught and passed McLeod, climbing to 35th. 

Then on Lap 149, McLeod made a sudden turn into the garage at the entrance of Turn 3. “I don’t want to oil the track down,” said McLeod, reporting the water was now at 385 degrees. “See you at Phoenix.” With the car parked behind the team’s hauler, McLeod’s camera was shut off on Lap 156, then was declared out by NASCAR on Lap 180.

McLeod's car shortly after pulling into the garage.
SCREENSHOT: NASCAR Drive

Yeley finished 35th after a frustrating series of events led to his car being towed behind the wall prematurely. It began on Lap 273, when entering Turn 3, Joey Logano spun 3rd-place running Ty Gibbs’ #54 Monster Energy Toyota, which was then struck by Daniel Suarez’ #99 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Chevrolet that had been pushed by Brad Keselowski’s #6 King’s Hawaiian Ford. Yeley was among those involved, though he only suffered flat tires. While Suarez’ car was allowed to drive around the track with broken toe links, Yeley was told be track officials to climb from his car, ending his race. Yeley fell to 35th with Suarez only completing three more laps in 34th. Keselowski continued with nose damage, then briefly caught fire on pit road, only to return to the track in the final four laps. Completing the group was Bowman, who took the checkered flag four laps down. 

Burton rallies, Gilliland finishes 10th

After competing for last place early in the event, Harrison Burton rebounded nicely to take home a 15th-place finish – his best run since an 8th at Pocono. The fall race at Martinsville seems to suit the newcomer well, one year after he finished 11th in the 2022 running.

Sunday’s race also saw Todd Gilliland pick up the sixth top-ten finish of his career and first since Talladega in the spring when he crossed the line in 10th in the #38 Quincy Compressor Ford. Gilliland scored his first career Truck Series victory at the track in 2019.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked McLeod’s second last-place finish in a Cup race at Martinsville, following April 9, 2022 where handling issues were to blame after 132 laps.

*This was the first Cup last-place finisher at Martinsville to finish last due to overheating issues since October 26, 2014, when Clay Rogers’ #93 Burger King Toyota dropped out after 25 laps.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #78-B.J. McLeod / 147 laps / overheating

35) #15-J.J. Yeley / 271 laps / crash

34) #99-Daniel Suarez / 274 laps / dvp

33) #6-Brad Keselowski / 305 laps / running

32) #48-Alex Bowman / 496 laps / running

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Live Fast Motorsports (5)

2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Spire Motorsports (4)

3rd) Legacy Motor Club, Penske Racing (3)

4th) Stewart-Haas Racing (2)

5th) Front Row Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Wood Brothers Racing (1)

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (19)

2nd) Ford (11)

3rd) Toyota (4)

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Kyle Sieg’s first career last-place finish precedes late-race Martinsville chaos

PHOTO: Steven Taranto, @STaranto92

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Kyle Sieg picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Dead On Tools 250 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #29 Night Owl Ford crashed after he completed 40 of 256 laps.

The finish came in Sieg’s 49th series start. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 5th for the #29, the 166th for Ford, and the 388th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 27th for the #29, the 1,026th for Ford, and the 1,359th from a crash.

The 22-year-old younger brother of Ryan Sieg has shown steady improvement during the expansion of their family’s team RSS Racing. The younger Sieg showed immediate promise in ARCA, finishing 10th in his 2020 series debut at IRP, then took his first Top Five in the 2021 opener at Daytona. That May, this led to Sieg’s first XFINITY start at Dover, where he finished 34th in a joint effort between RSS and Mario Gosselin’s team DGM Racing. He ran a partial schedule last year, finishing a season-best 10th in another Daytona run that summer, and this year has run most of the calendar, swapping between three of the team’s four entries. He earned a career-best 7th in Atlanta in July, but also threatened for the win at Talladega before he slipped to 15th.

For Martinsville, Sieg would drive the team’s newest entry, the #29, with returning sponsorship from Night Owl National Contractors, Inc. He would compete against brother Ryan in the flagship #39 Sci Aps Ford – a sponsor that will step up to full-time backer in 2024 – plus Joe Graf, Jr. in the #38 Bucked Up Energy Ford and C.J. McLaughin in the #28 Sci Aps Ford. Coming into this race, all four of these teams had not once finished last in 2023.

Sieg was one of 40 drivers on the preliminary entry list, which was cut to 39 after CHK Racing withdrew Dawson Cram’s #74 Chevrolet. In practice - which was led by a surprising Blaine Perkins in Our Motorsports’ #02 PayDay Salutes Chevrolet – Sieg ranked just 30th, then qualified 28th with a lap of 92.213mph (20.535 seconds). The only DNQ was a frustrated Timmy Hill, whose #66 Cole Enterprises Toyota ran a strong 8th in practice, only to struggle with changing track conditions as the first car to take time.

Securing the 38th and final starting spot was Jeb Burton, whose #27 State Water Heaters Chevrolet was unable to take time in qualifying due to a radiator change. This change also handed him a redundant tail-end penalty for unapproved adjustments. The same penalty was handed to 16th-place Brett Moffitt in the #25 AM Technical Solutions Ford (3rd in practice), 29th-place Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #45 ForeverLawn Cleveland Chevrolet (slowest in practice), 35th-place Chris Hacker in the #35 Emerling-Gase Motorsports Chevrolet, and 37th-place Devin Jones in the #07 Verinext Chevrolet. For both Hacker and Jones, it was their first series return after an absence: Hacker after a more than 70 days sobriety following a suspension for a DWI in August, and Jones following a DNQ on the “Roval” which was his first series attempt since 2017.

After some difficulty getting the final two rows organized, NASCAR had Moffitt line up ahead of Burton on the outside lane with Earnhardt ahead of Hacker on the inside line. On the break, Burton on the outside pulled ahead of Hacker, putting the #35 in last place. By the end of Lap 1, the spot fell to Devin Jones, who was 5.732 seconds back of the lead and already 0.395 behind Hacker. Jones remained in last through Lap 5, when he now trailed Akinori Ogata in the other Emerling-Gase car, the #53 Pneumatic Tools Shinano Chevrolet. The next time by, the first caution fell for Joe Graf, Jr. in the RSS #38. Running 30th at the time, Graf cut down a left-rear tire and spun off Turn 2. He got going again, but didn’t start rolling until then-leader Sammy Smith put him a lap down off the corner. Graf pitted for fresh tires and returned to the track the only car one lap down. Also pitting under yellow were Jeb Burton’s #27 and Ryan Ellis in the #43 KeenParts.com Chevrolet, who took the final spots on the lead lap from Devin Jones.

On the Lap 11 restart, Graf looked to stay in the Lucky Dog spot, but he began to have brake issues that forced him behind the wall on Lap 33. He entered the garage on the Turn 4 side, where the crew removed one of the wheels and retrieved more brake fluid. He was still in the garage on Lap 42, when Kyle Sieg was running 30th when his car pulled straight entering Turn 2. The #29 slammed the outside wall with the right-front, and the driver soon dropped the window net, signaling the end of his race. The car was then towed to the garage, where it sat in the open as the team’s hauler was parked outside the track. Under the caution, Graf’s crew continued to have the driver pump the brakes. On Lap 47, Graf returned to the track showing 16 laps down. He caught and passe Sieg on Lap 58, putting the #29 into last place.

This pass also proved critical in the LASTCAR XFINITY Series Championship. Graf came into the race with the most Bottom Fives (6) and Bottom Tens (13) of all XFINITY drivers without a last-place finish in 2023. The last-place run would have put him in title contention. Instead, he’s now eliminated along with all other drivers without a last-place finish this year. He finished in 29th.

Finishing 37th was Devin Jones, who pulled the #07 behind the wall on Lap 142, then was declared out by NASCAR with 79 to go in regulation. Playoff contender Chandler Smith was the first of his group to find trouble when overheating issues forced his #16 Quick Tie Products, Inc. Chevrolet pulled behind the wall just short of the 200-lap mark to save the engine. This ended Smith’s “must-win” bid at the Championship Four. Ryan Sieg made to two RSS cars in the Bottom Five due to late-race steering issues on the #39 while 34th went to J.J. Yeley after his #4 Old House Life Chevrolet had a hard crash with Ryan Ellis off Turn 4.

Heartbreak for Perkins, but Alfredo, Burton, Caruth, and McLaughlin capitalize

After leading practice and running inside the Top 10 for much of the final stage, Blaine Perkins took the white flag in 10th place, just under 1.2 seconds back of the leader. Instead, he was collected in the massive pileup triggered by the Playoff contenders up front. Perkins car ended up pointed backwards against the inside wall just 100 feet or so from the finish line, dropping him to a disappointing 22nd. 

When the smoke cleared, a few other drivers did earn solid finishes, though some were spinning across the finish line as they did. Among these was Anthony Alfredo, whose #78 Chevrolet carried race sponsor Dead On Tools. Alfredo was sideways across the stripe ahead of 9th-place Jeb Burton, who after starting in the back slammed the inside wall flush with the passenger side. Like Perkins, both drivers walked away uninjured.

Just behind the Top 10 came Layne Riggs, who overcame a spin to finish 11th in his #11 Infinity Communications Group Chevrolet. Rajah Caruth’s last start of the year for Alpha Prime Racing saw him take 12th after starting 26th on the grid in the #44 Virginia State Chevrolet, tying Caruth’s series-best run in this same race last year. And on a rough evening for RSS Racing, C.J. McLaughlin came back from mid-race overheating issues to take 13th - tied for the second-best run of his own XFINITY career – in the #28 Sci Aps Ford.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first XFINITY Series last-place finish for the #29 since October 4, 2014, when Milka Duno’s #29 CanTV Toyota crashed after 3 laps around Kansas in what was her series debut.

*This was the first last-place finish of the season for RSS Racing.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #29-Kyle Sieg / 40 laps / crash

37) #07-Devin Jones / 131 laps / engine

36) #16-Chandler Smith / 187 laps / crash

35) #39-Ryan Sieg / 203 laps / steering

34) #4-J.J. Yeley / 207 laps / crash

2023 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) SS-Green Light Racing (4)

2nd) Alpha Prime Racing, Emerling-Gase Motorsports, Motorsports Business Management (3)

3rd) Big Machine Racing, CHK Racing, DGM Racing, JD Motorsports (2)

4th) AM Racing, B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Jordan Anderson Racing, JR Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, Our Motorsports, RSS Racing, Sam Hunt Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing (1)

2023 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (23)

2nd) Ford (5)

3rd) Toyota (4)

2023 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: LASTCAR championship battles set to intensify in Martinsville

IMAGE: @teamlivefast

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, October 28, 2023 (3:30 P.M. ET, USA)

XFINITY Race 32 of 33

Round of 8: Race 3 of 3

Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Bayley Currey

LASTCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS

With two races to go, Parker Kligerman leads the LASTCAR XFINITY Series Championship by three bottom-ten finishes over Greg Van Alst. The standings remain so close that the 17 drivers behind them can take the lead in the standings simply by finishing last at Martinsville: Blaine Perkins, Anthony Alfredo, Patrick Emerling, Kyle Weatherman, Brett Moffitt, Riley Herbst, Sam Mayer (already locked into the Championship Four), Dawson Cram, Brennan Poole, Parker Retzlaff, Sammy Smith, Stefan Parsons, Gray Gaulding, Sage Karam, Joey Gase, Carson Hocevar, and Parker Chase. 

As to all 17, both Kligerman and Van Alst can reclaim the title by finishing last at Phoenix. Depending on who finishes last at Martinsville, Kligerman and Van Alst may need only a Bottom Five or Bottom Ten at Phoenix. Brad Perez and Timmy Hill can tie Kligerman for the lead if either of them finish last, but Kligerman will prevail since he’s full-time while Perez and Hill are not. Thus, Perez, Hill, and the eight other drivers behind them can only win the title if any one of them finish last at both Martinsville and Phoenix.

With the entry list now posted, these nine drivers are both entered in Martinsville and in position to take the lead from Kligerman on Saturday. Stefan Parsons, Gray Gaulding, Sage Karam, Joey Gase, Carson Hocevar, and Parker Chase may still be in contention at Phoenix if Kligerman leads with just two last-place finishes going into that race.

ENTRY LIST

There are 39 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning one will fail to qualify.

DRIVER CHANGE: #11-Kaulig Racing

Layne Riggs jumps back behind the wheel of Kaulig’s #11 entry for his third series start with Infinity Communications Group as sponsor. He takes the place of 11th-place Homestead finisher Derek Kraus, recently announced as the driver of Spire Motorsports’ second Truck entry at Phoenix.

DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #29-RSS Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #38-RSS Racing

Myatt Snider will make his fifth series start of the year, his first since his 11th-place showing at Las Vegas. Snider enters this race completing all but one of his 470 attempted laps with no finishes worse than 14th. Snider’s return moves 10th-place Homestead finisher Joe Graf, Jr. back to RSS Racing’s #38 in place of 22nd-place Kyle Sieg, who returns to the RSS #29 in place of 33rd-place Mason Maggio, who isn’t entered.

DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

Suspended in August for a DWI charge, Chris Hacker was reinstated by NASCAR on Wednesday, reporting that he’s been 71 days sober. Hacker began the year with his first two XFINITY Series starts, taking 14th in his Richmond debut and 30th in Loudon, both for RSS Racing. He now returns to action with Emerling-Gase Motorsports, a car which had no driver listed in place of 25th-place Homestead finisher Patrick Emerling.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #45-Alpha Prime Racing

Rajah Caruth will make his last 2023 start with Alpha Prime Racing before he drives for Hendrick in the Phoenix finale, carrying sponsorship from Virginia State. Caruth will pilot the #44, moving 18th-place Homestead finisher Jeffrey Earnhardt to the #45 in place of 23rd-place Leland Honeyman, who’s not entered. Earnhardt will run a Cleveland Browns paint scheme on his ForeverLawn Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

Martinsville will see Akinori Ogata attempt his seventh series start and second of the year, following his 29th-place showing in the July race at Atlanta, also in this Emerling-Gase #53. Ogata takes the place of Matt Mills – fastest among the three DNQs in Homestead – and carries sponsorship from Pneumatic Tools Shinano. Ogata finished 26th in his lone Martinsville start two years ago.

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

For the second-straight Homestead race, MBM’s #66 team showed speed in qualifying at Homestead, only to finish last with early misfortune. This time, the issue was a piece of debris striking the gear pump, leaking fluid under the rear tires. Taking the place of last week’s Ryan Newman is a returning Timmy Hill with sponsor CRC Brakleen. This would be only the fifth XFINITY start of the season for Hill and his first since rear gear issues of his own ended his race in Bristol.

WITHDREW: #74-CHK Racing

An apparent axle issue was to blame for the loose left-rear wheel that sent Dawson Cram into the Turn 2 wall last week – a rare accident for the Harmon team. Cram had been entered in this week’s race, but withdrew by Wednesday, cutting the entry list to only 39 cars. 

MISSING: #88-JR Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 5th in his second and final XFINITY start of 2023, and the #88 is not entered with another driver this week.

DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing

Taking the place of 16th-place Kyle Weatherman is a returning Josh Bilicki, who seeks his 90th career XFINITY Series start and first since a 25th-place run for Bobby Dotter on the Charlotte “Roval.” Bilicki and teammate Josh Williams are among the drivers running special Halloween-themed paint schemes, joined by at least Ryan Ellis in Alpha Prime’s #43 Keen Parts Chevrolet and Jeremy Clements in the #51 Spartan Waste / FOX Sports 98.3 Chevrolet. Alongside the return of Josh Williams’ Beetlejuice paint scheme on the #92, Bilicki’s #91 features aliens along with sponsors Evolution Edges and Chemung Supply.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

The Dotter team swaps both drivers once more, this time bringing on Devin Jones, who failed to qualify in his attempted series return at the Roval with CHK Racing. Jones’ VERINEXT sponsorship joins him on the #07, taking the place of Homestead DNQ Natalie Decker.

DRIVER CHANGE: #08-SS-Green Light Racing

In the second Dotter car comes Chad Finchum with sponsor Garrison Homes on the #08, taking the place of 27th-place Homestead finisher Mason Massey. Massey had been in the running to drive this car next week at Phoenix, but lost a determining online contest to J.J. Yeley from sponsor Control App. Finchum seeks his fourth start of the season and first since Bristol, where he ran 29th with this same team.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, October 29, 2023 (2:30 P.M. ET, NBC)

CUP Race 35 of 36

Round of 8: Race 3 of 3

XFINITY 500 at Martinsville

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Brad Keselowski

LASTCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS

Coming into last week’s race at Homestead, all Cup drivers without a single last-place finish were eliminated from championship contention. After Homestead, the drivers with one last-place finish after the race were also eliminated, plus any of the two-time last-place finishers with too few Bottom Fives and Bottom Tens. 

With that, the title will come down to current leader B.J. McLeod – the only driver with four last-place finishes – and brothers Ty Dillon and Austin Dillon. McLeod can lock-up the title early by finishing last at Martinsville. Ty can take the lead by finishing last in either race no matter where McLeod finishes - so long as McLeod doesn’t finish last in either. Austin’s only path is to finish last in both Martinsville and Phoenix, but even in that scenario, McLeod can still beat him by finishing Bottom Five in both races. If neither Austin nor McLeod finish last in Martinsville, the title will come down to Ty and McLeod in Phoenix.

ENTRY LIST

The penultimate Cup race features only the 36 Chartered entries, the 22nd of 35 Cup races to do so. The Daytona 500 still stands alone as the only 40-car Cup starting grid in 2023.

DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Legacy Motor Club

Fresh off punching his ticket into the Truck Series Championship Four with his win last Saturday in Homestead, Carson Hocevar rejoins the #42 team which finished 32nd after a late-race crash by John Hunter Nemechek. Hocevar’s eighth Cup start of the year and first since his last-place run in Las Vegas will be his first on a short track since Bristol, when he ran a season-best 11th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-Live Fast Motorsports

Another Halloween paint scheme features driver B.J. McLeod, who returns to his #78 in place of 35th-place runner Josh Bilicki and carries sponsorship from Falk’d Up Garage. McLeod enters the race in position to secure his third LASTCAR championship and second in a row with a fifth last-place run in 2023.

Friday, November 3, 2023

TRUCKS Race 23 of 23

Championship Race

Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Armani Williams

The Truck Series returns next week in Phoenix to crown their champion for 2023.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (October 27, 2001): Mark Voigt picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Busch Series career in the Outback Steakhouse 200 at Phoenix when his #8 Channellock Chevrolet fell out with shock issues after 6 laps. This was the third and last of Illinois-born driver’s starts, and came driving for Armando Fitz after fielding his own equipment at Darlington and Memphis.

CUP: Harrison Burton claims first Cup last-place finish in 71st series start

Burton at Talladega earlier this month.
PHOTO: Sean Gardner, Getty Images

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Harrison Burton picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #21 DEX Imaging Ford had overheating issues after 165 of 267 laps.

The finish came in Burton’s 71st series start. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 23rd for the #21, the 118th from overheating issues, and the 737th for Ford. In the NASCAR all-time rankings, it was the 39th for the #21, the 179th from overheating, and the 1,025th for Ford.

Coming into Sunday’s race, Burton had only once finished last in a combined 185 Cup, XFINITY, or Truck Series races – a first-lap crash in the XFINITY race at Dover on October 5, 2019. At the time, Burton was completing his last full-time Truck Series campaign for Kyle Busch Motorsports, and was preparing to go full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the XFINITY Series. 

Had his timing been just a little better, Burton could have won the title that year. His first two career victories came early in the season at Fontana and Homestead, giving him a solid rank in points for the Playoffs. But in the opening round, his 9th-place run at Las Vegas was followed by 23rd at Talladega, then a transmission failure in the cutoff race on the Charlotte “Roval,” knocking him out of title contention with a season-worst 33rd. Just two rounds later, on the outside looking in, Burton rocketed past Noah Gragson on the final lap at Texas to take the win, then won the XFINITY Series’ first race at Martinsville since 2006. 

Though winless in 2021, Burton also made his Cup Series debut at Talladega, where he finished a solid 20th for Gaunt Brothers Racing. And after a career running Toyotas, he then jumped to the most legendary Ford team still in operation – Wood Brothers Racing – just in time for the introduction of NASCAR’s NextGen car. Burton was the first Cup driver to practice official laps at the L.A. Coliseum, then qualified 8th in the Daytona 500, where his race ended with a spectacular series of barrel rolls. After a season-best 3rd at Indianapolis and a 27th-place rank in points, he’s performed about the same in 2023 with a pair of top-ten finishes. His season-best 6th came in “throwback weekend” at Darlington, where he drove a paint scheme resembling his father Jeff’s Exide Batteries Ford from 1999. He entered Sunday’s race a distant 31st in points.

With only the 36 Chartered entries arriving in south Florida, Burton began his weekend 23rd in practice, then qualified 14th in Round 1B, securing him 28th on the starting lineup with a lap of 166.287mph (32.474 seconds).

Securing the 36th and final starting spot was Joey Logano, who in the final minutes of practice broke loose off Turn 2 and slammed head-on into the inside wall. Logano was uninjured, but the team immediately unloaded their unwrapped backup car – the first backup for Penske’s Cup team in 2023. Unable to turn a qualifying lap, Logano would roll off last and incur a redundant tail-end penalty – the only pre-race penalty for the day. “Thanks for the hard work getting this back together - I'm sure it'll be a quick one,” said Logano just before start.

The view from Logano's backup car before the start.
SCREENSHOT: NASCAR Drive

When the green flag dropped, Logano was last across the stripe, 3.079 seconds back of the lead. By the end of the lap, Logano was working his way through traffic on the inside lane. Now 36th went to Josh Bilicki, whose #78 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet sat 4.218 back of the lead. Bilicki reported a tight condition as he lost ground to new 35th-place runner Todd Gilliland in the #38 Serial1.com E-Bikes Ford. The gap between Bilicki and Gilliland remained about half a second until Lap 10, when Gilliland dropped J.J. Yeley to 35th in the #15 IFCJ.org Ford. Bilicki caught Yeley in earnest, and on Lap 12 the two were side-by-side, just 0.049 second apart. Yeley held off Bilicki and opened an advantage over the #78. On Lap 13, NASCAR reported John Hunter Nemechek – making a one-off in the #42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet in anticipation of his full-time effort in 2024 – had bounced off the wall in Turn 2. On Lap 16, Bilicki and Yeley were again side-by-side for the 35th spot – now just 0.032 second apart, and this time Bilicki put Yeley to last on Lap 17. Both drivers then set after the now 34th-place Nemechek, who was losing ground after his wall contact. On Lap 28, Bilicki dropped Nemechek to 35th, and despite heavy static on the driver’s end of the radio, Nemechek prepared to make his first pit stop soon after. 

On Lap 31, Ryan Preece took over last place when he pitted his #41 United Rentals Ford along with Kyle Busch in the #8 3CHI Chevrolet. Nemechek’s stop came soon after, where he overshot his stall. Since he was in Stall 2, this forced polesitter Martin Truex, Jr. to pull into his stall at an angle as Nemechek backed-up. Worse, Nemechek incurred a speeding penalty in Section 7. Moments after taking last on Lap 33, the #42 came in for his pass-through and returned to action three laps down, now behind 35th-place Ty Dillon in the #77 Raze Shot Focus Chevrolet.

Nemechek was still running last on Lap 76, when the caution fell for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the #47 Boost by Kroger / Vitamin Water Chevrolet. Stenhouse twice bounced off the Turn 2 wall and spun to the apron, revealing what appeared to be a broken toe link on the right-rear wheel. Stenhouse made it to pit road and returned to the track on Lap 79 in 34th place, two laps down. Stenhouse didn’t beat the pace car off pit road, so NASCAR had him stop on the track, dropping him a fourth lap behind and taking last from Nemechek on Lap 80. Stenhouse incurred a redundant tail-end penalty for pitting when pit road was closed, and scoring reset to show him three laps down for the Lap 86 restart. One lap later, Stenhouse met minimum speed, clearing the “Crash Clock” for his spin.

Stenhouse remained in last on Lap 119, when he reportedly bounced off the wall again in Turn 2. He made a stop by Lap 123, when he returned to the track now five laps down and still holding down last. That position remained unchanged when Stage 1 ended on Lap 165. During those final green-flag laps, Stage 1 winner Kyle Larson was falling off the pace with worn tires. Among the last few cars to slip by him was Harrison Burton, who by then was at least one lap down. Burton continued to lose laps under the ensuing caution, then on Lap 170 went behind the wall. The crew lifted the hood and began to remove components from the top of the engine. One lap later on the 171st circuit, Burton took last from Stenhouse, and Burton climbed from the car on Lap 174. By Lap 180, NASCAR reported Burton the first car out with overheating issues.

Harrison Burton (right) out of his car after he pulled into the garage.
SCREENSHOT: NASCAR Drive

Burton entered Sunday’s race with more Bottom Fives (6) and Bottom Tens (14) than any other Cup driver who had not yet finished last in 2023. While not in championship contention, he jumped to 10th in the standings, and moved Ty Gibbs into his former spot.

Finishing 35th was Bilicki, whose #78 spun trying to make a green-flag pit stop and bumped the wall at pit entrance. The incident didn’t draw a caution and Bilicki continued on, running the apron. He then pulled behind the wall on Lap 208, done for the day. Moments later, race leaders Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson also attempted a green-flag stop. But Larson misjudged how slow Blaney approached the entrance, and Larson cut left, slamming the sand barrels with the right-front corner of his #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. Larson’s team attempted repairs, then pulled behind the wall under the ensuing red flag. Completing the Bottom Five were Yeley and Nemechek, who both struck the inside wall down the backstretch after several cars tangled coming off Turn 2.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #21 in a Cup Series race since November 8, 2015, when Ryan Blaney’s #21 Snap-on Tools Ford crashed after 26 laps at Texas. The number had never finished last in a Cup race at Homestead.

*Burton is the first Cup driver to finish last with overheating issues since September 27, 2020 with Chad Finchum and his #49 RoofClaim.com / LasVegas.net Toyota after 19 laps at Las Vegas. The only Homestead Cup Series last-place finisher exiting with overheating issues was Michael McDowell on November 22, 2009 after 35 laps in the #36 Wave Energy Drink Toyota.

*Burton is only the fourth first-time Cup Series last-place finisher in 2023, joining Brennan Poole, Carson Hocevar, and Austin Hill.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #21-Harrison Burton / 165 laps / overheating

35) #78-Josh Bilicki / 201 laps / crash

34) #5-Kyle Larson / 214 laps / crash / led 96 laps / won stage 1

33) #15-J.J. Yeley / 218 laps / crash

32) #42-John Hunter Nemechek / 218 laps / crash

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Joe Gibbs Racing, Live Fast Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Spire Motorsports (4)

2nd) Legacy Motor Club, Penske Racing (3)

3rd) Stewart-Haas Racing (2)

4th) Front Row Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Wood Brothers Racing (1)

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (18)

2nd) Ford (11)

3rd) Toyota (4)

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Ryan Newman’s first XFINITY start since 2012 ends early with first last-place finish since 2007

PHOTO: Sim Racing Media

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Ryan Newman picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Contender Boats 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #66 Generx Generators Ford fell out with rear gear trouble after 27 of 200 laps.

The finish, which came in Newman’s 65th series start, was his first of the season and first in a XFINITY Series race since July 14, 2007 at Chicagoland, 548 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 17th for the #66, the 19th from the rear gear, and the 165th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 51st for rear gear issues, the 88th for the #66, and the 1,024th for Ford.

The last time Ryan Newman finished last in a XFINITY Series race - July 14, 2007.
SCREENSHOT: NASCAR on ABC, upload by jinjabreadman46

Coming into Saturday, Newman hadn’t started a XFINITY Series race since November 3, 2012, when he made a one-off start for Turner Motorsports and finished 19th in their #30 Great Clips Chevrolet. In the eleven years since, Newman has since driven for both Richard Childress Racing and Roush-Fenway Racing, recovered from his terrifying crash on the last lap of the 2020 Daytona 500, and won this year’s championship in the Superstar Racing Experience. Newman had also made five Cup starts for Rick Ware Racing, including his most recent last-place finish at Bristol.

Newman would again run the Cup race for Ware at Homestead, but this time as a “double-duty” entrant with the XFINITY Series. As announced on October 5th, he’d drive for Carl Long, against whom Newman competed for – and won – Rookie of the Year in the 2002 Winston Cup Series season. The car would carry sponsorship from returning backer Generx Generators, which was part of Motorsports Business Managements’ strong two-car effort in the 2022 race at Homestead where teammates J.J. Yeley and Timmy Hill qualified 14th and 22nd. Even after a difficult 2023 season for MBM, a strong finish wasn’t out of the question.

Newman joined Homestead’s entry list of 41 drivers for 38 spots, meaning three teams would fail to qualify. After running 28th in practice, Newman had a good lap going in qualifying before a slip dropped him to 24th with a lap of 159.109mph (33.939 seconds). 

Failing to qualify were Matt Mills, who rejoined Emerling-Gase Motorsports in the #53 J.F. Electric Chevrolet, plus double-duty driver J.J. Yeley in his first start with JD Motorsports with the #4 IFCJ.org Chevrolet and Natalie Decker in the #07 Wawa Rechargers Chevrolet for SS-Green Light Racing.

Rolling off 38th and last was C.J. McLaughlin in the #28 Sci Aps Ford, who wasn’t joined by any drivers for pre-race penalties. However, as the green flag dropped, McLaughlin was already 37th on track, his 3.58 second deficit to the leader ahead of new 38th-place runner Patrick Emerling, 3.694 seconds back. Emerling had timed in 36th after a dramatic save in Turns 3 and 4 qualifying his #35 Emerling-Gase Motorsports Chevrolet. Emerling passed McLaughlin back by the end of Lap 1, but both remained just a couple tenths apart. 

By Lap 7, Emerling had dispensed with another RSS Racing entry in Mason Maggio’s #29 Flitz Polish Ford on whom McLaughlin pulled alongside, just 0.073 apart at the stripe. Maggio held him off while McLaughlin was warned by his crew to turn in later through the corner to not overtax the right-front tire. This appeared to help, as by Lap 14, McLaughlin passed both Maggio and Emerling, putting Maggio in last place for the first time. Maggio then set to work on Emerling, and one lap later, they were side-by-side, 0.050 apart. Maggio cleared Emerling, who on Lap 16 had already dropped 0.481 back of the #29. Thus, it was Emerling who on Lap 18 became the first car to fall one lap down.

Meanwhile, Newman had climbed to 19th on Lap 26, when NASCAR black-flagged him for some coming off his Ford. Newman was on pit road by Lap 29, and he promptly took last place on Lap 30 as the crew looked under the car. Team owner Carl Long said the rear gear was burned up, and needed to look it over behind the wall. “I don’t know what to fix,” he said. “Everything’s fucking covered.” The team would later reveal that a piece of debris had struck the rear gear cooler and put a hole in it, spraying oil everywhere under the car and on the rear tires. Miraculously, Newman maintained control as he made it to pit road with the car otherwise undamaged. Regardless, it was a quick announcement from NASCAR on Lap 37 that Newman was the first car out of the race, citing rear gear issues. 

Newman pulls into the garage, done for the day.
PHOTO: @EdLovesNASCAR

McLaughlin’s day didn’t go much better. On Lap 38, his #28 dropped off the pace, then started pouring smoke from behind the left-front wheel as he made it to pit road. With a fire in the engine compartment, the driver climbed out unharmed as the crew extinguished the flames, then pushed him behind the wall. Maggio, too, had an extended stop the very next lap as he’d bounced off the wall, though he managed to climb to 33rd before electrical woes ended his afternoon. This put him just outside the Bottom Five ahead of 36th-place Dawson Cram, whose left-rear wheel came loose in Turns 1 and 2, putting his #74 Lerner & Rowe Injury Lawyers Chevrolet into the outside wall. 35th fell to Brett Moffitt, whose strong run in the #25 AM Technical Solutions Ford was spoiled after he was collected by a spinning Chandler Smith in the #16 Quick Tie Products, Inc. Chevrolet. While Moffitt pulled into the garage next to McLaughlin’s car, Smith continued to salvage Playoff points before the engine let go, leaving him 34th. Smith – whose contract was just this week bought out by Toyota – now enters Martinsville in a “must-win” scenario to make the Championship Four.

Kraus and Graf earn solid finishes

After an unusually physical race, Derek Kraus came home a strong 11th, having led 21 laps and won Stage 2 in Kaulig Racing’s #11 Celsius Chevrolet – this in only his seventh series start. Also impressive was Joe Graf, Jr., who rejoined Joe Gibbs Racing in the #19 Wawa Toyota and finished 10th – his fifth career top-ten finish and third of the season, his first since the fall race at Kansas with the same team.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the second-straight last-place finish for the #66 in the XFINITY Series race at Homestead. Last year, J.J. Yeley’s crash after 3 laps put him out of the race.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #66-Ryan Newman / 27 laps / rear gear

37) #28-C.J. McLaughlin / 37 laps / electrical

36) #74-Dawson Cram / 65 laps / crash

35) #25-Brett Moffitt / 97 laps / crash 

34) #16-Chandler Smith / 138 laps / engine

2023 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) SS-Green Light Racing (4)

2nd) Alpha Prime Racing, Emerling-Gase Motorsports, Motorsports Business Management (3)

3rd) Big Machine Racing, CHK Racing, DGM Racing, JD Motorsports (2)

4th) AM Racing, B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Jordan Anderson Racing, JR Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, Our Motorsports, Sam Hunt Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing (1)

2023 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (23)

2nd) Ford, Toyota (4)

2023 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Zane Smith’s windshield disqualification follows near-miss of chance at title defense

PHOTO: Front Row Motorsports, @Team_FRM

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Zane Smith picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s Baptist Health 200 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #38 Ambetter Health Ford finished 2nd, but was then disqualified after completing all 134 laps.

The finish, which came in Smith’s 91st series start, was his first since March 4, 2022 at Las Vegas, where he was also disqualified after finishing in the 2nd spot. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 7th by disqualification, the 17th for the #38, and the 123rd for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 52nd by disqualification, the 56th for the #38, and the 1,023rd for Ford.

Spencer Boyd picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s Baptist Health 200 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #12 Crowe Equipment Chevrolet fell out with electrical issues after 50 of 134 laps.

The finish, which came in Boyd’s 108th series start, was his first of the season and first in a Truck Series race since October 22, 2022 at this same Homestead track, 23 races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 10th for the #12, the 40th from electrical woes, and the 440th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 50th for the #12, the 139th for electrical issues, and the 1,921st for Chevrolet.

Last year was the highest of highs for Smith, who after back-to-back runner-up finishes in dramatic championship battles broke through with the Front Row Motorsports team, capping a four-win season. This year, he picked up right where he left off with his second-straight victory in the Daytona opener, then continued FRM’s dominance at COTA with a win there. He’s also become an increasing presence in NASCAR’s other series. He earned a 7th-place finish at Nashville for RSS Racing, his first XFINITY race in two years. And a shared ride deal with FRM’s Todd Gilliland helped Smith make another eight Cup races, including his first top-ten in the series during the Coca-Cola 600.

But this year’s Truck Series Playoffs haven’t produced the same results. After advancing through the first round, a pit miscue in Bristol left him 24th, followed by a disastrous afternoon at Talladega where an accident on pit road sent him sliding into his tire carrier, followed by a transmission failure that made Homestead a “must-win.” Worse, he languished in the garage as FRM’s brand-new second Truck team rolled into victory lane with Brett Moffitt.

Smith began the Homestead weekend as strong as he could, putting up the fastest lap in practice, then qualifying 7th with a lap of 165.017mph (32.724 seconds). His was among a preliminary entry list of 35 trucks – the series’ first short field since Gateway, ten races ago. Before practice, that list shrank again to 34 after Hattori Racing Enterprises withdrew their second entry for Jake Drew, the #61 Toyota. 

The 34th and final starting spot fell to Armani Williams, whose #46 Blue Sprig Toyota would mark G2G Racing’s final entry for 2023 and their first start since Mid-Ohio. Williams was one of three drivers to not take time in qualifying along with 33rd-place Jonathan Shafer in the #30 Osgar’s Autobody Toyota and 32nd-place Trevor Bayne, the last-minute driver swap into Rackley-W.A.R.’s #25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet. Bayne had a vibration in practice which led to a transmission change, incurring him an unapproved adjustments penalty along with Shafer, Williams, and 28th-place Spencer Davis in the #04 Fly Alliance / CarQuest Ford. Also sent to the back were brothers Tanner Gray in the #15 Waterfront Properties Toyota and Taylor Gray in the #17 Dead On Tools Toyota, who surrendered 6th and 12th on the grid after both missed driver introductions.

When the green flag dropped, Davis was last across the stripe, 4.456 seconds back of the lead behind Williams and Shafer. Davis remained last at the end of Lap 1, when his truck suddenly shut off, dropping him 22.925 seconds back of the lead and 9.108 back of Williams. He made it to pit road, where the crew asked him about his fuel pressure. The crew looked under the hood, saying they did little more than wiggle some wires before sending him back out four laps down. Running “low and slow” on the apron, Davis finally completed his second lap on the eighth circuit. The issue wasn’t resolved, and on Lap 13, Davis’ truck was still shutting off in the corners. By then, Williams was first to lose a lap on the track, and on Lap 10 took the Lucky Dog from Davis. Spencer Boyd’s #12 Crowe Equipment Chevrolet then lost a lap on Lap 19, having dropped to 32nd and 3.240 seconds behind 31st-place Memphis Villarreal in the #33 Laredo Trailer Supply Ford.

Spencer Davis' #04 in the garage for electrical issues.
PHOTO: Sim Racing Media

On Lap 21, Davis reported his truck was very tight and only pulling 6200 rpms on the straightaways, the fuel pressure down to 10 pounds. He pitted on Lap 23 for a splash of fuel, looking to at least make it to the end of Stage 1. On this stop, he was too fast in Sections 1 through 4, and had to serve a pass-through penalty. He returned to the track eight laps down, but still reported low rpms at around 5000. Davis pulled low on Lap 30, letting by a group of Playoff drivers who put him a ninth lap down just before the end of Stage 1. By this point, Davis now reported a voltage issue saying his battery was down to 11 volts in Turn 4. He came in for a lengthy stop, where the crew looked under the deck lid to address the fuel pressure issue and also check the electrical fault. The volts increased slightly to 11.5 with the fuel pressure to 22 pounds, and he returned to the track. By now, Davis felt he had more power than before, but not as much as the start. “If we can’t maintain speed, we’ll have to bring it in,” said his crew.

Meanwhile, 33rd-place Williams had electrical issues of his own and pulled the #46 behind the wall around Lap 38. As an Ilmor representative came to look over the engine, crew chief Tim Silva insisted it was a battery issue as it wasn’t reading enough amps. Williams returned to the track on Lap 40, showing seven laps down, just as Davis pulled into the garage for the first time. Davis’ crew continued to check both the voltage and fuel pressure while also monitoring an overheating problem that developed on the previous run. 

On Lap 54, Davis was preparing to return to the race 21 laps down when the caution fell for a truck stalled on the backstretch. This was Boyd, who slowed and then stopped on the apron of Turn 3, his window net down. While there wasn’t any visible smoke, Boyd had reported a fire in the cockpit and climbed from the truck, ending his race. Boyd got a ride back to the infield as his truck was towed behind the wall, the first retiree from the race. “Did he show any indication of anything before that?” the team asked. “I never saw any smoke,” answered the spotter. “I still don't see anything.” “We’re done because he didn't bring it to us.”

Spencer Boyd's #12 after it was towed in for an electrical issue.
PHOTO: Sim Racing Media

Davis returned to the track on Lap 62, the team looking to run on one battery for the rest of the distance. He completed his 32nd lap that time by – his first since going to the garage. By Lap 67, Davis again reported low voltage, and remarked that he was more comfortable on the track than he had been waiting in the garage. He also said he didn’t run a cool suit as he hadn’t done so racing in other divisions. “Miami's nothing compared to Mobile in the middle of the summer,” said Davis around Lap 70. On Lap 74, Davis’ dashboard failed, but the truck was running well enough to stay on track. He came in for a splash of fuel on the 81st circuit, then the next time by finally dropped Boyd to last place. Davis began to lose straightaway speed again, then pulled behind the wall on Lap 96. On Lap 111, NASCAR declared Boyd out, followed by Davis on Lap 114. By entering this race with the most Bottom Fives and Bottom Tens of any driver without a last-place finish, Boyd was set to jump to fourth in the standings. This would put him in position for a second-straight LASTCAR title – pending post-race inspection.

Meanwhile, Zane Smith put forth a valiant effort to punch his ticket into the Championship Four. He took the lead on Lap 68 and led for 34 laps before Ben Rhodes, then eventual race winner Carson Hocevar took command. After the final run, Smith climbed to 2nd place, but finished a distant 2.705 seconds back of Hocevar. And despite Smith’s finishes of 4th in Stage 1 and 2nd in Stage 2, Hocevar’s win bumped Smith out of the Championship Four. Things didn’t get much better, as photos circulated on social media of the left side of Smith’s windshield appearing loose, even flapping during the race. During the opening stages of the XFINITY race, it was announced Smith had been disqualified under Rule 14.4.7.I for a faulty windshield support. The truck ended up covered in the garage, set to be taken to R&D after the race.

Zane Smith's truck after failing post-race inspection.
PHOTO: Jared Haas, @RealJaredHaas

With that, Smith took over last place from Boyd, who finished 33rd with Davis now 32nd. Armani Williams took the checkered flag on track 13 laps down after his own early electrical issues. Rounding out the group was Colby Howard, whose #9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet was collected in a frontstretch tangle with Hailie Deegan’s #13 Fresh From Florida Ford on Lap 70.

Caruth electrifies crowd with late-race maneuvers

Rajah Caruth enjoyed perhaps his best Truck Series performance since his near-win at Darlington in the spring, making several daring moves through traffic in his #24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet. He ultimately crossed the line in 8th as his GMS Racing teammate Grant Enfinger came home 4th, punching his ticket into the Championship Four. This stands as Caruth’s fourth top-ten finish of the season and first since Bristol, two rounds ago.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish by disqualification in a Truck Series race at Homestead.

*This was the first last-place run for the #38 in a Truck Series race at Homestead since November 20, 2009, when Mike Garvey’s #38 S&W Services Chevrolet overheated after 2 laps of the Ford 200.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

34) #38-Zane Smith / 134 laps / disqualified / led 34 laps

33) #12-Spencer Boyd / 50 laps / electrical

32) #04-Spencer Davis / 65 laps / electrical

31) #46-Armani Williams / 121 laps / running

30) #9-Colby Howard / 129 laps / running

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Reaume Brothers Racing, Young’s Motorsports (4)

2nd) G2G Racing (3)

3rd) AM Racing, Niece Motorsports, Roper Racing, TRICON Garage (2)

4th) CR7 Motorsports, FDNY Racing, Front Row Motorsports, GK Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports (1)

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (9)

2nd) Ford (8)

3rd) Toyota (5)

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Non-Playoff storylines converge in all three Homestead entry lists

Mason Maggio's XFINITY entry, part of a planned Saturday double-header.
IMAGE: @MasonMaggio1

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, October 21, 2023 (12:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 22 of 23

Round of 8: Race 3 of 3

Baptist Health 200 at Homestead

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Spencer Boyd

LASTCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS

With two races to go, the 2023 LASTCAR Truck Series Championship remains wide open. Current leaders Josh Reaume and Keith McGee could have taken a step toward locking up the title on Saturday, but neither are interested. This opens the door for many of the one-time last-place finishers to take the lead heading into Phoenix, including Dean Thompson, Lawless Alan, and Colby Howard. The other one-time last-place finishers can take the title by sweeping both last-place runs at Homestead and Phoenix.

ENTRY LIST

There are 35 trucks entered for 36 spots, meaning all will qualify. It’s the series’ fourth short field of 2023 and first since Gateway, ten races ago.

MISSING: #1-TRICON Garage

Among the entries not making the trip to south Florida is TRICON’s “all-star” #1 entry, which team owner David Gilliland finished next-to-last in Talladega after a multi-truck pileup.

RETURNING: #7-Spire Motorsports

One team that is returning is the Spire #7, which will enter Marco Andretti in each of the season’s final two races. Andretti made his series debut at Mid-Ohio this past summer, finishing 19th, and this week carries kin.com as sponsor. He has five IndyCar starts on this Homestead track, the best of which a runner-up finish to Scott Dixon in 2008.

MISSING: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing

Jennifer Jo Cobb will not run this week after she failed to qualify in Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Young’s Motorsports

A brutal crash in Talladega capped what has been – other than his emotional ARCA Menards Series win at Daytona – a downright frustrating season. A fractured vertebra has cut his Truck Series campaign two races short, leaving a “TBA” next to the #20 until midweek. Stepping aboard for both this week and the Phoenix finale is Nick Leitz, who seeks his sixth series start and first since he drove this same #20 entry to a career-best 19th at Nashville. Precision Measurements returns as sponsor.

DRIVER CHANGE: #22-AM Racing

Mason Maggio will begin a Saturday double-header in both Trucks and XFINITY by reuniting with AM Racing for his tenth series start, his first since a 35th-place showing with this same team in Kansas. Maggio carries sponsorship from ACE Hardware Hobe Sound as he takes the place of Canada’s Jason White, who finished 27th last time out in Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Rackley-W.A.R.

Another ride that remained a question mark for much of the week was the Rackley-W.A.R. effort, with which XFINITY Series Playoff contender Chandler Smith claimed a 4th-place finish one year after their former driver Matt DiBenedetto earned his first win. The ride has since gone to Trevor Bayne, whose return to NASCAR continues to build intrigue. Saturday will be only his ninth series start, his first since the 2020 championship race at Phoenix where he ran 18th for Niece Motorsports. That year also saw him finish 2nd in Talladega, coming up just short to KBM’s Raphael Lessard. This remains a one-off for Bayne as the team has also announced that Stefan Parsons will drive in Phoenix.

MISSING: #28-FDNY Racing

While Bryan Dauzat and the Rosenblum team are not entered this week, the team has confirmed they will return to action in Daytona in 2024.

DRIVER CHANGE: #30-On Point Motorsports

As Ryan Vargas continues his adventures in the Whelen Euro Series with 3 Friends Racing, the 17th-place finisher in Talladega will be replaced this week by Jonathan Shafer with his returning Osgar’s Autobody sponsorship from his late model. This would be just the third series start for Shafer following a 29th-place debut in Martinsville and a 24th his last time out in Nashville, both with this On Point team.

MISSING: #32-Bret Holmes Racing

It’s been a difficult year for Bret Holmes, who in his first full-time campaign has run most of the season without a sponsor on his #32 Chevrolet. Just days after a 16th-place finish at Talladega – a race he would have won a year earlier had the caution come out moments later – the #32 wasn’t on the preliminary entry list, and it was confirmed he wouldn’t run at Phoenix either. Holmes is already making preparations for 2024, and word is he will again seek a full-time effort.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

The fourth career start for Memphis Villarreal will come this week, his second for the Reaume Brothers team, with whom he made his most recent run under the lights at Bristol, taking 33rd. Villarreal, an employee of G2G Racing, will take the place of LASTCAR Truck Series championship contender Keith McGee, who missed the cut last time out in Talladega.

MISSING: #34-Front Row Motorsports

Speaking of Talladega, the team’s second entry – which won in its debut with Brett Moffitt – will not be running this week. It’s likely all hands on deck for the FRM group behind their full-time driver Zane Smith. After sliding into a member of his pit crew and suffering a mechanical failure, Smith finds himself in a practical must-win scenario in Saturday’s penultimate race if he hopes to have a chance at defending his 2022 title.

TEAM UPDATE: #35-McAnally-Hilgemann Racing

Another bit of “silly season” news came from the second McAnally team, where driver Jake Garcia will not be racing in 2024. Garcia will still run the season’s final two races, looking to improve after a 3rd-place qualifying run at Talladega went sour with mechanical issues before the race even started.

RETURNING: #46-G2G Racing

G2G Racing returns to action for the first time since IRP – where they failed to qualify – and will start for the first time since Mid-Ohio, where Dale Quarterley ran well before overheating issues left him 35th. Returning to the driver’s seat is Armani Williams, who attempted to qualify at IRP, and in his most recent start at Charlotte had a frightening accident on pit road. This will be Williams’ first start at Homestead.

MISSING: #75-Henderson Motorsports

The Charlie Henderson team will not be running this week following Parker Kligerman’s Stage 2 win in Talladega, where his bid for the win left him in 9th place. Kligerman instead focuses on the next-to-last round of his first year with Big Machine Racing’s XFINITY effort.

MISSING: #95-GK Racing

Clay Greenfield will not attempt this weekend’s race after the team’s switch from Toyota to Chevrolet was followed by mechanical issues in qualifying that kept them out of the field.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Young’s Motorsports

Still another entry with “TBA” on the preliminary entry list was filled in dramatic fashion as Brad Perez was signed to drive, bringing with him sponsorship from Apex Coffee Roasters and Space Beans. After originally tweeting that his 2023 season had wrapped, Perez will now make his own first start at Homestead, his home track, where he watched his first race as a young fan. Making his fifth series start and first since Milwaukee, where Greg Van Alst’s stuck throttle put him out of the race in 35th, Perez takes the place of Garrett Smithley, who ran a solid 15th in Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #04-Roper Racing

The Roper team will make the trip to Homestead. After Cory Roper finished 22nd in Talladega, then broke up an infield fight between Nick Sanchez and Matt Crafton, the ride goes to a returning Spencer Davis, who never quite got to race in his lone start at Kansas. A practice crash resulted in damage the team scrambled to repair, only to result in an early exit. Davis now seeks his first Homestead start since 2020, when he finished 11th for his family’s team.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, October 21, 2023 (3:00 P.M. ET, USA)

XFINITY Race 31 of 33

Round of 8: Race 2 of 3

Contender Boats 250 at Homestead

2022 Last-Place Finisher: J.J. Yeley

ENTRY LIST

There are 41 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning three will fail to qualify.

DRIVER CHANGE: #4-JD Motorsports

On Saturday, defending last-place finisher J.J. Yeley will attempt his 384th XFINITY Series start, and for the first time in that 19-year career will drive for Johnny Davis. Yeley’s double-duty effort with the Cup Series begins by taking the place of Garrett Smithley, who failed to qualify last week in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #11-Kaulig Racing

After Layne Riggs finished 10th in only his second career XFINITY Series start, Kaulig’s “all-star” #11 entry goes back to Derek Kraus, who last competed in the night race at Bristol and came home 12th. Kraus’ season-best 8th-place finish came in the previous round. Kraus has two Truck Series starts at Homestead, finishing 15th in both 2020 and 2022.

DRIVER SWAP: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing

DRIVER CHANGE: #29-RSS Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #38-RSS Racing

Mason Maggio completes his Saturday doubleheader in RSS Racing’s #29 with Flitz Polish as sponsor of his Ford. Maggio takes the place of 18th-place Las Vegas finisher Kyle Sieg, who moves over to the #38 in place of 37th-place Joe Graf, Jr. Graf returns to Joe Gibbs' #19 and shares the WaWa sponsorship with Natalie Decker in the #07 (see below). Graf takes the place of Myatt Snider, who's not entered after an 11th in Vegas.

DRIVER SWAP: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

In a season that has seen him earn some solid finishes with Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Truck Series team – soon to be absorbed into Spire – Matt Mills returns for only his fifth series start of 2023 and first since Kansas, when he ran a season-best 19th. As in the previous four, Mills drives for Emerling-Gase Motorsports in the #53, this time taking the place of Las Vegas last-place finisher Patrick Emerling. Emerling will also run on Saturday, taking the place of team co-owner Joey Gase in the 32nd-place #35.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing

After Daniel Dye finished 21st in his second XFINITY Series start last time out in Vegas, Jeffrey Earnhardt will run the #44 with returning sponsorship from ForeverLawn. This will be Earnhardt’s 22nd series start of the season and first since Texas, where he finished 32nd after a mid-race crash. Pending qualifying – which has been an issue for the #44 team in recent weeks – this will be Earnhardt’s first Homestead start since 2021, when he ran 22nd for JD Motorsports.

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing

Seeking his eighth series start is Leland Honeyman, who we last saw in action on the Charlotte “Roval,” finishing a season-best 21st with this same #45 team. Honeyman takes the place of Rajah Caruth, who finished 23rd despite losing a crush panel in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Back in a Ford after the team swap with Ryan Ellis at Alpha Prime Racing for Las Vegas, team owner Carl Long has welcomed fellow 2002 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Newman, who also runs double-duty with the Cup Series. Should he qualify, this will be Newman’s first XFINITY Series start since November 3, 2012, when he finished 19th for Turner Motorsports at Texas, and his first in a XFINITY race at Homestead since November 21, 2009, when he finished 7th for Kevin Harvick, Incorporated. Newman will carry MBM’s returning sponsor Generx Generators on the team that finished last in this race last year with J.J. Yeley.

RETURNING: #88-JR Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. electrified the crowd at Bristol when he challenged for the lead during the closing laps, only to fall out due to a cockpit fire that charred the ankle of his uniform. Junior returns for his second planned start of the year, this time in the Bass Pro Shops colors. Junior last ran a XFINITY race here in 2020, when buoyed by his runner-up finish to Denny Hamlin in the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series race, he finished 5th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

Natalie Decker brings back the sponsorship from WaWa Recharge from the Daytona night race – her most recent start - this time taking the place of Las Vegas DNQ Gray Gaulding in the #07 Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #08-SS-Green Light Racing

The second Dotter entry goes to Mason Massey, who seeks just his fifth start of the season and first since a 16th-place finish at Kansas that followed his career-best 10th in New Hampshire. Massey looks to keep the streak going as he takes the place of Stefan Parsons, who finished 26th in Las Vegas.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, October 22, 2023 (2:30 P.M. ET, NBC)

CUP Race 34 of 36

Round of 8: Race 2 of 3

4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Chase Briscoe

ENTRY LIST

Sunday’s Playoff race marks the 21st of the year’s 34 Cup races to include only the 36 Chartered entries. The Daytona 500 remains the only race with a “full” 40-car starting grid.

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Rick Ware Racing

Sunday will see Ryan Newman make his 21st Cup start at Homestead, scene of his runner-up finish to Kevin Harvick for the 2014 Cup Series Championship, in the race named for Harvick near the conclusion of his own #4EVER retirement tour. This time around, Newman will drive Rick Ware’s #51, taking the place of 29th-place finisher J.J. Yeley. Yeley will also run, moving to the #15 in place of 30th-place finisher Brennan Poole, and after a video he tweeted regarding recent events in the Middle East will carry logos for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Legacy Motor Club

As Jimmie Johnson announced on Monday, John Hunter Nemechek will get a chance to run the #42 before their upcoming switch to Toyota in 2024. Nemechek takes the place of Carson Hocevar, who finished last after Ryan Blaney’s disqualification at Las Vegas was rescinded. Nemechek’s lone NextGen start came in this race last year, when he filled in for the suspended Bubba Wallace at 23XI Racing, and finished 27th after qualifying a strong 4th. Hocevar will return to run the season’s final two races at Martinsville and Phoenix before he jumps to Spire Motorsports in 2024.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-Live Fast Motorsports

Josh Bilicki steps in for current LASTCAR Cup Series championship leader B.J. McLeod with Zeigler Auto Group as returning sponsor. It will be Bilicki’s 10th series start of the year and first since the Charlotte Roval, where contact from Corey LaJoie left him 26th. With McLeod not in the field, Ty Dillon could take the lead from him if Dillon finishes last in Spire’s #77 on Sunday.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (October 20, 2002): Kevin Lepage picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in the Sam’s Town 250 Benefiting St. Jude at the Memphis Motorsports Park when his #37 Timber Wolf Chevrolet had engine trouble after 8 laps. It was Lepage’s first last-place finish since May 5, 2000 at Richmond and his last until July 8, 2006 at Chicagoland.

ARCA: Erickson extends new last-place finisher streak to ten

Erickson on track at Roseville in his debut race with his new team.
PHOTO: @EthanHSmith_ (via @BradleyE2006)

by Ben Schneider

LASTCAR.info Staff Writer

Bradley Erickson finished last for the 1st time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in Friday’s Star Nursery 150 at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when his #23 L&S Framing / SPS / Spencer Clark Foundation Toyota fell out with mechanical issues after completing 41 of 155 laps.

The finish came in Erickson’s 14th career West Series start.

Erickson was born into a racing family. His grandfather, Phil Erickson, is a former American IndyCar Series competitor, winning a race at Dodge City Raceway Park in 2001. The younger Erickson’s own racing career began at the age of five as he competed in quarter midgets at the South Mountain Speedway, his home track. In 2019, Erickson began competing in legends cars, winning several races and earning a promotion to late model competition in 2020 and 2021.

In 2022, Erickson made his ARCA West debut at Irwindale Speedway for Naake-Klauer Motorsports. He competed in a total of four races for the team with a best finish of seventh twice - first at the Bullring and then at the season finale in Phoenix. When the series returned to Phoenix at the start of 2023, Erickson picked up a career-best, finishing in a strong third position in a combination race with the national ARCA Menards Series tour.

Initially planning to run the full season with Naake-Klauer in 2023, Erickson recently made a surprise team switch with four races remaining. Prior to Roseville, he left the team’s No. 88 entry to join Sigma Performance Services, a Las Vegas-based team owned by Joe Farre and T.J. Clark. After a 14th-place run at Roseville, a mechanical issue ended his night early at the Bullring, relegating him to a 21st and last-place finish in his second race with the team. 

In total, 22 cars first appeared on the entry list. However, due to the withdrawal of Tim Goulet’s #31 entry, only 21 started the race. Bobby Hillis Jr. anchored the field in practice, setting a lap time of 16.336 seconds, roughly a quarter of a second behind the next slowest entry of David Smith. While Hillis also set the slowest lap time in qualifying with a 16.073, the field was anchored by Roseville winner Kaden Honeycutt, who lost an engine in practice and was therefore unable to set a qualifying time. Mariah Boudrieau equaled Hillis’ time down to the thousandth of a second, with Smith and series debutant Monty Tipton rounding out the Bottom Five starting spots

After Erickson’s retirement from the race, Hillis was next to pull behind the wall as brake issues ended his night after 59 laps. Takuma Koga then lost power on Lap 79, bringing out the caution and forcing him behind the wall with electrical issues. Monty Tipton bested Koga by 50 laps before transmission issues brought his race to an end, while Nick Joanides recovered from an early spin to finish 17th, the final car running under power.

Up front, in an ironic twist, Dylan Cappello took the win in Erickson’s former No. 88 car in only his second career West Series start. Cappello inherited the lead from series points leader Sean Hingorani, who led the first 124 laps from pole position before brake issues caused his right-front wheel to begin smoking under caution. The issue did not go away, so Hingorani was eventually forced to stop so the brake fire could be extinguished. Hingorani attempted to carry on, bringing out the final caution after stopping on track when the offending right-front now cut down the tire. Hingorani settled for 16th, allowing runner-up finisher Trevor Huddleston to close the gap in the points standings to 26 with two races remaining in the season.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

21) #23-Bradley Erickson / 41 laps / mechanical

20) #27-Bobby Hillis Jr. / 59 laps / brakes

19) #7-Takuma Koga / 76 laps / electrical

18) #49-Monty Tipton / 126 laps / transmission

17) #41-Nick Joanides / 140 laps / running

2023 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Ford (6)

2nd) Toyota (3) 

3rd) Chevrolet (1)

2023 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Lowden-Jackson Motorsports (2)

2nd) Fast Track Racing, Performance P-1 Motorsports, Central Coast Racing, High Point Racing, Jerry Pitts Racing, Bill McAnally Racing, Nascimento Motorsports, Sigma Performance Services (1)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE to view the full standings for both the main ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East and West divisions. You can also find the full manufacturers’ and owners’ standings HERE.

2023 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP