CUP: Skinner Scores Third Texas Last-Place Finish

Mike Skinner picked up the 10th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Saturday’s Samsung Mobile 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #60 Big Red Toyota fell out with a rear gear failure after completing 36 of the race’s 334 laps.

At Martinsville last week, Skinner became the third different driver in as many races to drive for Germain Racing’s second team, following Landon Cassill’s final start in the #60 at Bristol and Todd Bodine’s run at Fontana. While Germain’s primary team, Casey Mears’ #13 GEICO Toyota, in a tight battle for 35th in Owner Points, the #60 has still yet to run a full race, never completing more than 68 laps. Though the team finished last with Cassill at Las Vegas, the Big Red Toyota has made all six races since Todd Bodine missed the Daytona 500.

Skinner maintained this streak at Texas by qualifying 36th at a speed of 185.122 mph, besting five “go-or-go-homers” including Travis Kvapil, whose #38 ended up with its first DNQ of 2011. For the first time, the race would see Skinner sharing the team’s Big Red sponsorship with another car, Ken Schrader’s Frankie Stoddard-owned #32, who timed in 41st.

In the race itself, it once again appeared that Tony Raines would finish last when his #37 blew smoke down the frontstretch on Lap 10 in an incident similar to one he suffered early in the Fontana race. Under the yellow, Skinner and Michael McDowell in the #66 stayed out trying to a lead a lap, then went behind the wall. On Lap 22, with Raines still on the track three laps down, first Skinner, then McDowell decided to return to the track ten laps down. Over the next twenty laps, Joe Nemechek and J.J. Yeley also spent time in the garage and returned twelve laps down.

Then, on Lap 46, David Gilliland’s #34 Gander Mountain Ford blew a right-front tire in turn one and slammed the outside wall very hard. Gilliland was uninjured, but the right side of his Front Row Motorsports machine was completely destroyed, ending his afternoon. While Nemechek, Yeley and McDowell stayed out on the track long enough to shuffle Gilliland down to 42nd, Skinner never brought the #60 back out and ended up with his first last-place finish of the season.

Ken Schrader in the other Big Red-sponsored car finished 33rd after he dropped a cylinder early in the race. Casey Mears finished 26th in the GEICO Toyota and reclaimed 35th in Owner Points from Tony Raines, whose 34th-place finish slipped him two spots to 37th in points.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Skinner’s first last-place finish since 2009, when his unsponsored #70 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet fell out with brake problems 6 laps into another Texas race, the 2009 Dickies 500. Skinner finished last in one other Texas Cup race, the 2005 Dickies 500, when his #37 Patron Tequila / BoSPOKER.net Dodge lost the rear end after 151 laps.
*The #60 had never before finished last in a Cup race at Texas.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #60-Mike Skinner / 36 laps / rear gear
42) #34-David Gilliland / 44 laps / crash
41) #46-J.J. Yeley / 52 laps / electrical
40) #66-Michael McDowell / 56 laps / electrical
39) #87-Joe Nemechek / 60 laps / clutch

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek (2)
2nd) Landon Cassill, Mike Skinner, J.J. Yeley (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #60-Germain Racing, #66-HP Racing LLC, #87-NEMCO Motorsports (2)
2nd) #46-Dusty Whitney (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (6)
2nd) Chevrolet (1)

N’WIDE: Jeff Green Moves To 8th In All-Time LASTCAR Standings

Jeff Green picked up the 17th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Friday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #44 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after 2 of the race’s 200 laps.

Green now has 20 last-place finishes across all three of NASCAR’s top divisions, breaking a tie with Todd Bodine, G.C. Spencer, and Darrell Waltrip to rank him 8th all-time. In the Nationwide Series standings, Green remains seven finishes away from tying series leader Jeff Fuller’s mark of 24.

Earlier on Friday, Green qualified 32nd at a speed of 172.035 mph, besting six “go-or-go-homers,” including the #55 of Brett Rowe, the race’s only DNQ. This put Green into his fifth race of the 2011 season, again joining TriStar Motorsports teammates Mike Bliss in the #19 and Eric McClure in the #14. Green and the #44 did not enter the 40-car field at Phoenix in February.

Without sufficient sponsorship for all three cars, owner Mark Smith has again put Green’s #44 on “start-and-park” status, just as when Green drove the team’s #36 to eight last-place finishes in 2010. Thus, in his four previous starts this year, Green has never completed more than 41 laps, resulting in four finishes between 37th and 42nd.

In the Texas race, it first appeared that defending LASTCAR Nationwide Champion Dennis Setzer would score his first last-place finish of 2011. Setzer, driving owner Jay Robinson’s #49, was the first car to go behind the wall during the race’s opening stages. However, soon after Green, Carl Long, Matt Carter, J.J. Yeley (driving Fontana last-place finisher Mike Harmon’s #74), and Kevin Lepage fell out in consecutive laps starting on Lap 3, Setzer returned to the track and passed them all, ultimately falling out in 38th after he completed 13 laps. Only then did Green fall to 43rd.

TriStar teammates Bliss and McClure finished 19th and 31st, respectively.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Green had not finished last in a Nationwide Series race since the 2010 season finale, the Ford 300 at Homestead, where his unsponsored #36 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet also fell out after two laps with a vibration.
*The #44 had not finished last in a Nationwide Series race since 2009, when Danny O’Quinn, Jr.’s Pete Szekeres-owned Dynamic Technology, Inc. Chevrolet fell out with electrical problems three laps into the 2009 Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #44-Jeff Green / 2 laps / vibration
42) #75-Carl Long / 3 laps / handling
41) #68-Matt Carter / 4 laps / vibration
40) #74-J.J. Yeley / 5 laps / rear gear
39) #24-Kevin Lepage / 6 laps / power steering

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
None of the 2011's other Nationwide Series last-place finishers were entered into Friday’s race.
1st) Kelly Bires (2)
2nd) Kevin Conway, Jeff Green, Mike Harmon, Justin Marks (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #25-Ed Rensi (2)
2nd) #27-Baker Curb Racing, #44-TriStar Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #87-NEMCO Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet, Ford (3)

CUP: Nemechek Tied For 2nd-Most Last-Place Finishes After Controversial Martinsville Weekend

Joe Nemechek picked up the 26th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #87 AM FM Energy.com Toyota fell out 25 laps into the 500-lap race with brake problems.

With the finish, Nemechek is now tied with Derrike Cope for the second-most last-place finishes in NASCAR Sprint Cup history. It is also Nemechek’s 32nd last-place finish across NASCAR’s top three divisions, tying him for the third-most all-time with the late J.D. McDuffie.

At Martinsville, Nemechek welcomed back returning primary sponsor AM FM Energy.com, who funded his successful bid to make the Daytona 500 in February. He was the fastest “go-or-go-home” car in Friday’s opening practice session (29th overall) and qualified 37th for the race at a speed of 94.209 mph. However, the nose of Nemechek’s #87 was found to be too low in post-qualifying inspection, so the time was disallowed. This dropped Nemechek to 43rd for the start of the race.

No cars were sent home in qualifying as, for the second straight race, only 43 cars attempted to qualify. All-time LASTCAR leader Derrike Cope’s #75 was the first to withdraw prior to practice. Dennis Setzer, returning to K-Automotive’s #92 after the team did not enter the race at Fontana, withdrew after Happy Hour when a brake failure resulted in a turn three crash that destroyed the only car the team had at the track.

Although he appeared to have adequate sponsorship, Nemechek’s was still the first car to go behind the wall on race day, falling out during the opening green-flag run. Mike Skinner in Germain Racing’s #60 fell out six laps later. Radio communications from the #87 indicated Nemechek was considering returning to the track to pass Skinner, but decided not to when he noticed how banged-up the right side of Skinner’s car was after just 31 laps.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Nemechek’s second career last-place finish in a Cup race at Martinsville. The first came in the 2008 Tums QuikPak 500, where his #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet fell out with crash damage after 115 laps following a tangle with Matt Kenseth.
*The #87 had never before finished last in a Cup race at Martinsville.
*It’s the second straight year that the last-place finisher of the spring Cup race at Martinsville fell out with brake failure. Last year, Michael McDowell’s #55 PRISM Motorsports Toyota fell out 24 laps into the 2010 Goody’s Fast Relief 500.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #87-Joe Nemechek / 25 laps / brakes
42) #60-Mike Skinner / 31 laps / brakes
41) #46-J.J. Yeley / 33 laps / brakes
40) #56-Martin Truex, Jr. / 219 laps / crash
39) #4-Kasey Kahne / 219 laps / crash / led 1 lap

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek (2)
2nd) Landon Cassill, J.J. Yeley (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #66-HP Racing LLC, #87-NEMCO Motorsports (2)
2nd) #46-Dusty Whitney, #60-Germain Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (5)
2nd) Chevrolet (1)

LASTCAR EXTRA: Michael McDowell Leaves It All On The Track At Martinsville

After scoring back-to-back last-place finishes at Bristol and Fontana, Michael McDowell finished 32nd in Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, having been given the opportunity to run a full race for owners Phil Parsons and Randy Humphrey for the first time since the 2010 Daytona 500. Throughout the race, McDowell’s car, still flat black except for decals carrying HP Racing LLC’s web address at http://www.racehp.com/, had an eventful afternoon, running as high as 25th before some late misfortune dropped him seven spots back.

After starting 35th, McDowell lost a lap, scored the first Lucky Dog on Lap 50, then defended his spot on the lead lap by holding off leader Jimmie Johnson just before the second yellow came on Lap 106. McDowell’s spotter aided his defensive driving, though on Lap 87, he replied in frustration, “You know, one time I was a race car driver.” On Lap 125, Marcos Ambrose crossed McDowell’s nose entering turn one. McDowell held his line and shoved Ambrose into the corner, sending the #9 backwards into the outside wall. The incident, and McDowell’s radio communication that he was going to make the most of the race, scored McDowell some TV time during the FOX broadcast:

"I'm not gonna take it, man. This ain't mind games. [sic] They're not messing with me. I got one race a year; I'm gonna make it count."

Despite the handling problems and brake woes that plagued his run, McDowell remained on the lead lap between 25th and 29th for the first 299 laps, never once needing another Lucky Dog to stay there. He traded paint on a number of other occasions, sheetmetal flapping off his smoking left-rear quarter-panel by Lap 187. Following a multi-car accident that occurred just ahead of McDowell on Lap 237, his spotter passed on a message from Greg Biffle’s spotter that “Biffle said ‘Thank you’ ” to which he replied, “For not killing him or for letting him in?”

Soon after on Lap 242, McDowell had another close call when Brad Keselowski sent Paul Menard and Casey Mears spinning in front of him in turn one. McDowell avoided significant damage to his car, had the brake ducts cleared on pit road, and said the plan was “Let’s stay on the lead lap and then go crazy with 75 to go.”

Unfortunately, while running 25th and still on the lead lap on Lap 299, McDowell lost a right-rear tire coming off turn two and slowed, trying to make it onto pit road. When NASCAR failed to throw the yellow, even as Casey Mears’ #13 was also off the pace with damage to the rear end, McDowell was furious: “Why don’t they throw the stinking caution instead of trying to get me run over out here?” He eventually made it to pit road, though apparently his crew didn’t understand his warning about his failing brakes: “What did you not get about ‘I have no brakes, don’t stand in front of me?’ ”

McDowell spent 25 laps behind the wall, during which time the crew discovered some debris was wrapped around the #66's right-rear brake line, choking off the fluid. After the team removed the debris and bled the brakes, McDowell returned to the track with 177 to go. He lost five more laps by race’s end, losing the fifth when he slowed a lap too soon, thinking the white flag was the checkered. This allowed race winner Kevin Harvick to barely nip his accelerating Toyota at the finish line.

As reported last week, HP Racing LLC came into the 2011 season with plans of running only a part-time season. However, with this full-race performance scoring the team’s best finish since Michael Waltrip’s 28th-place run at Talladega last fall, there is no indication as yet if that plan will change.

TRUCKS: Buescher’s Hard Crash Gives #31 First Last-Place Finish Since 1997

James Buescher picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s Kroger 250 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #31 Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet was involved in a grinding two-truck accident that ended his day after 134 of the race's 250 laps. The finish came in Buescher’s 51st series start.

The 21-year-old Buescher qualified 6th for Saturday’s race at a speed of 94.529 mph, securing him a top-10 start in all three races he’s run in 2011. Although he failed to qualify for the second race of the season at Phoenix, Buescher had finished 9th at Daytona and 5th at Darlington, securing him the 11th spot in the points standings heading to Martinsville.

On Friday, newcomer Billy Keyes was forced to withdraw from his first-ever Camping World Truck Series race when his unsponsored #34 Chevrolet locked its brakes during his first timed lap in Happy Hour, sending his truck hard into the inside wall along with Joey Coulter’s #22. Coulter’s Richard Childress-led crew was able to repair their truck in time for the race. Since only 36 trucks showed up to qualify, Keyes’ withdrawal made Saturday’s race the first short field of 35 trucks since last summer’s race at Nashville, 15 races ago.

Early in the race, Justin Lofton looked like he would be scoring his own first last-place finish in the Truck Series. On Lap 19, Norm Benning spun him entering turn three, sending Lofton’s #77 hard rear-first into the outside wall. The accident, which brought out the first caution of the day, required nearly 100 laps of repairs to the rear clip of his Germain Racing Toyota. Lofton eventually returned to finish the race 90 laps down in 32nd.

Not long after Lofton came back onto the track, two simultaneous accidents ultimately ended Buescher’s run, resulting in his first last-place finish. On Lap 137, a five-truck accident unfolded in turn one involving Nelson Piquet, Jr., Parker Kligerman, Brad Sweet, Justin Johnson, and Matt Crafton. As the field checked-up in turns three and four, Buescher and Jeffrey Earnhardt hooked bumpers in turn three, sending both trucks hard nose-first into the outside wall. While the five-truck wreck was not as serious, Buescher and Earnhardt’s wreck brought out a red flag. Fortunately, neither driver was injured.

Buescher now stands 20th in the Truck Series standings, 64 behind point leader and Martinsville race winner Johnny Sauter.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*No driver has qualified better than Buescher and finished last in a Truck Series race since 2007, when Jacques Villeneuve’s #27 UNICEF Toyota qualified 3rd at the 2007 Ford 200 at Homestead, then fell out in a single-truck crash 80 laps into the race.
*Prior to Saturday’s race, no Truck Series driver had completed more than 134 laps since 2008, when Tim Cowen’s #42 Cowen Truck Lines Ford fell out with overheating problems after 140 laps of the 2008 Ohio 250 at Mansfield. Between those two races, no last-place finisher had completed more than 99 laps (Kvapil’s run at Phoenix last month).
*The #31 had finished last in just one other Truck Series race, which came when the late Tony Roper lost the engine on his Concor Tool & Machine Ford nine laps into the 1997 Chevy Desert Star Classic at Phoenix. Roper lost his life three years later in a multi-truck accident on Lap 32 of the 2000 O’Reilly 400 at Texas.
*This was the third consecutive Truck Series race where a driver scored their first career last-place finish as the result of a crash. Such a thing has not happened since the fall of 2005 when a streak of four occurred: Tam Topham at Martinsville, Mike Bliss at Atlanta, Jack Bailey at Texas, and Erin Crocker at Phoenix.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
35) #31-James Buescher / 134 laps / crash
34) #1-Jeffrey Earnhardt / 134 laps / crash
33) #39-Ryan Sieg / 142 laps / radiator
32) #77-Justin Lofton / 160 laps / running
31) #51-Justin Johnson / 202 laps / running

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Norm Benning, James Buescher, Travis Kvapil, Brad Sweet (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Following teammate Brad Sweet’s crash at Darlington, Buescher’s last-place finish at Martinsville was the second in a row for Turner Motorsports.
1st) #5-Randy Moss, #31-Turner Motorsports, #32-Turner Motorsports, #57-Norm Benning Racing (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (3)
2nd) Toyota (1)