TRUCKS: Brent Raymer Scores First Last-Place Finish In Two Years

SOURCE: SPEED, Rubbins-Racin Forums

Brent Raymer picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Series career in Wednesday’s O’Reilly 200 at the Bristol Motor Speedway when his #65 County Building Centers / Trans Pecos Trucking Chevrolet fell out with electrical problems after 3 of the race’s 200 laps.

Since the 2008 season, Raymer has made 43 Truck Series starts with his family-owned race team. His best finish in the series came last summer at Pocono, where he came home 16th. However, with manufacturer support scaling back and Raymer’s #85 trucks sponsored almost always by Ford, the team scaled back operations earlier this year following back-to-back DNQs at Daytona and Phoenix. Brent Raymer Racing is currently accepting donations for a return to the track at http://brentraymer.com/

Since then, Raymer has made one other start for owner Joey Sonntag, driving his #65 Chevrolet to a 29th-place finish at Nashville. Wednesday’s race at Bristol would be Raymer’s second start of the season for Sonntag.

Raymer qualified for the race at a speed of 117.862 mph, edging Jennifer Jo Cobb and Norm Benning for the 36th and final spot in the field. He pulled behind the wall after three laps of the race, followed a lap later by current 2011 LASTCAR Truck Series leader Mike Garvey in the #93.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*The last time Raymer finished last in a Truck Series race was in the 2009 Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky, where the rear end on his #85 Car Truck & RV / BrentRaymer.com Ford failed after the opening lap. It was Raymer’s second consecutive last-place finish. It’s also his second consecutive last-place finish after starting in last place.
*The #65 has not finished last in a Truck Series race since 1999, when Milan Garrett’s Champion Wheel Ford lost its engine after 13 laps of the 1999 Dodge California Truck Stop 300 at Mesa Marin Raceway.
*The #65 has finished last in a Truck Race at Bristol one other time, when Kenny Allen’s Petroleum World Chevrolet was involved in a crash after 4 laps of the 1997 Loadhandler 200.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #65-Brent Raymer / 3 laps / electrical
35) #93-Mike Garvey / 4 laps / brakes
34) #87-Chris Jones / 54 laps / crash
33) #01-Jake Crum / 61 laps / crash
32) #07-John King / 62 laps / wheel

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Mike Garvey (4)
2nd) Norm Benning, Chris Lafferty (2)
3rd) James Buescher, Chris Jones, Travis Kvapil, Johanna Long, Brent Raymer, Scott Riggs, Greg Seevers, Brad Sweet (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-Shane Sieg (4)
2nd) #57-Norm Benning Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Randy Moss, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #20-Panhandle Motorsports, #31-Turner Motorsports, #32-Turner Motorsports, #65-Joey Sonntag, #75-Norm Benning Racing, #87-Rick Jones, #89-Chris Lafferty, #07-SS Green Light Racing (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (13)
2nd) Toyota (3)

CUP: Yeley Keeps LASTCAR Cup Series Championship Battle Close With His Second 43rd In Last Three Races

SOURCE: ESPN2

J.J. Yeley picked up the 6th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway when his unsponsored #55 Front Row Motorsports Ford fell out with electrical problems after 11 of the race’s 203 laps.

It was Yeley’s fourth last-place finish of 2011 and his first in two races, when he trailed the field at Pocono earlier this month.

Yeley qualified 31st for Sunday’s race at a speed of 186.287 mph, ranking him 3rd behind Casey Mears and teammate Travis Kvapil among the field’s “go-or-go-home” drivers. The run was more than enough to lock Yeley into the field ahead of Johnny Sauter in Robby Gordon’s #7, Erik Darnell in Dusty Whitney’s #46, and T.J. Bell’s Joe Falk-owned #50, who all failed to qualify.

Early in the race, it appeared that Mike Skinner, his #60 slowest in both the weekend’s practice sessions, would tie Michael McDowell for the 2011 LASTCAR Cup Series lead. With McDowell again replaced by Todd Bodine in the #66 following McDowell’s Nationwide run at Montreal, Skinner, the 43rd-place starter, maintained the last position early. However, it was Yeley who fell out first, beating Skinner to the garage by three laps. Bodine finished 39th, exiting the race 21 laps into the opening green-flag run.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*The #55 had not finished last in a Cup race at Michigan since 1994, when Jimmy Hensley’s Petron Plus Ford lost its engine 2 laps into the 1994 Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Michigan.
*Ford had not finished last in a Cup race at Michigan since 2009, when Bobby Labonte’s #96 DLP Ford fell out with engine problems after 18 laps of the 2009 CARFAX 400 at Michigan.
*Yeley had never before finished last in a Cup race at Michigan.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #55-J.J. Yeley / 11 laps / electrical
42) #60-Mike Skinner / 14 laps / electrical
41) #87-Joe Nemechek / 18 laps / ignition
40) #30-David Stremme / 20 laps / clutch
39) #66-Todd Bodine / 21 laps / electrical

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell (5)
2nd) Mike Skinner, J.J. Yeley (4)
3rd) Joe Nemechek (3)
4th) Kevin Conway (2)
5th) Landon Cassill, Robby Gordon, Jeff Green, P.J. Jones, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #60-Germain Racing, #66-HP Racing LLC (5)
2nd) #55-Front Row Motorsports, #87-NEMCO Motorsports (3)
3rd) #46-Whitney Motorsports,#97-NEMCO Motorsports (2)
4th) #7-Robby Gordon Motorsports, #81-Whitney Motorsports, #77-Robby Gordon Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (15)
2nd) Chevrolet, Ford (3)
3rd) Dodge (2)

N’WIDE: Jeff Green Set To Challenge Two LASTCAR Records at Bristol Following His Third-Consecutive Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: TheHotLap.com

Jeff Green picked up the 23rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal when his unsponsored #44 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet fell out with brake problems after 1 of the race’s 74 laps.

The finish was Green’s seventh of 2011 and his third in a row, matching a three-race streak from the fall of 2010 during which he finished last at Dover, Kansas, and Fontana in TriStar’s #36.

Green qualified 30th for Saturday’s event at a speed of 92.752 mph, putting him solidly into the 300th NASCAR Nationwide Series race of his 21-year career. Unfortunately, his run did not last long as he “start-and-parked” for Tri-Star after the opening lap. At first, it appeared Eric McClure, who also went to the garage that lap, had edged Green for his first last-place finish since Kentucky in 2006. However, McClure returned to finish 20 laps down in 36th, shuffling Green back to 43rd.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Only two other drivers have ever finished last in three consecutive Nationwide Series races. In 2009, Johnny Chapman, driving MSRP Motorsports’ #90, finished last at Milwaukee, New Hampshire, and Daytona before the streak ended with a DNQ at Chicagoland. In 2004, LASTCAR Nationwide Series leader Jeff Fuller and NEMCO’s #88 teamed up to finish last at Rockingham, Las Vegas, and Darlington before coming home 37th the next week at Bristol. If Green finishes last this Friday at Bristol, he will not only set a new consecutive last-place record, but also equal Fuller’s all-time series leading total of 24 last-place finishes.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #44-Jeff Green / 1 lap / brakes
42) #89-Morgan Shepherd / 5 laps / engine
41) #53-Andrew Ranger / 23 laps / engine
40) #13-D.J. Kennington / 28 laps / suspension
39) #51-Jeremy Clements / 45 laps / rear gear

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (7)
2nd) Brett Rowe (3)
3rd) Kelly Bires, Dennis Setzer (2)
4th) Matt Carter, Johnny Chapman, Kevin Conway, Marc Davis, Mike Harmon, James Hylton, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Blake Koch, Justin Marks, Scott Wimmer (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #44-TriStar Motorsports (7)
2nd) #55-Faith Motorsports (3)
3rd) #25-Ed Rensi, #49-Jay Robinson Racing (2)
4th) #0-JD Motorsports, #13-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #27-Baker Curb Racing, #47-Key Motorsports, #68-Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #75-Rick Ware Racing, #82-MacDonald Motorsports, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #03-R3 Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (18)
2nd) Ford (5)
3rd) Dodge (1)

TRUCKS: Chris Jones The 28th Truck Driver To Finish Last Without Completing The First Lap

SOURCE: Chris Jones Fans Facebook Page

Chris Jones picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s VFW 200 at the Michigan International Speedway when his #87 Garbee’s Truck and Trailer Chevrolet fell out with an engine failure without completing a lap of the 102-lap race.

Just 33 trucks showed up to the 2-mile Michigan track for qualifying, allowing Jones to make his third Truck Series start of 2011 without taking a qualifying lap. In his two previous starts at Dover and Kansas, his #87 has come home 32nd and 34th, exiting both races in the early laps.

This time, Jones failed to complete the opening lap, going behind the wall with engine trouble as the race began. Mike Harmon, driving in his own Truck Series ride for the first time since 2009, fell out two laps later with handling woes.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Jones’ first last-place finish in 28 races, dating back to an early-race crash his #87 Copy Wizard Chevrolet suffered 6 laps into the 2010 AAA Insurance 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway.
*It is only the third time in Truck Series history that the #87 has finished last. The first time came when the late John Nemechek lost the engine on his Chevrolet 3 laps into the 1995 Pizza Plus 150 at Bristol.
*This was the 30th time in Truck Series history that a driver finished last without completing a single lap. The last time it happened was 20 races ago when Johanna Long’s #20 Panhandle Grading and Paving Toyota lost its transmission at the start of the 2010 Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas. Jones is the 28th driver to have done so as Chris Horn failed to complete a single lap of three races from 1999-2000.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
33) #87-Chris Jones / 0 laps / engine
32) #74-Mike Harmon / 2 laps / handling
31) #75-J.J. Yeley / 4 laps / rear gear
30) #38-Mike Garvey / 4 laps / transmission
29) #93-Casey Roderick / 6 laps / clutch

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Mike Garvey (4)
2nd) Norm Benning, Chris Lafferty (2)
3rd) James Buescher, Chris Jones, Travis Kvapil, Johanna Long, Scott Riggs, Greg Seevers, Brad Sweet (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-Shane Sieg (4)
2nd) #57-Norm Benning Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Randy Moss, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #20-Panhandle Motorsports, #31-Turner Motorsports, #32-Turner Motorsports, #75-Norm Benning Racing, #87-Rick Jones, #89-Chris Lafferty, #07-SS Green Light Racing (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Toyota (3)

CUP: Skinner 43rd In First Watkins Glen Start Since 2002

SOURCE: Rob Dostie

Mike Skinner picked up the 13th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Monday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen when his #60 Big Red Toyota fell out with brake problems after 4 of the race’s 92 laps.

It was Skinner’s fourth Cup last-place finish of 2011 and his first since the inaugural Quaker State 400 at Kentucky, four races ago.

On Saturday, Skinner qualified 37th at a speed of 122.130 mph, putting him into his first start at Watkins Glen since 2002, when he finished 40th in Morgan-McClure’s iconic #4 Kodak Chevrolet. Germain Racing, Skinner’s present team, was already struggling at The Glen after teammate Casey Mears’ #13 blew an engine in spectacular fashion on the frontstretch during Friday’s first practice session. However, when qualifying was over, both Mears and Skinner were in the field with Mears a respectable 26th.

In the race itself, Skinner and defending LASTCAR Cup Champion Joe Nemechek exchanged the 43rd position along with Kurt Busch, who spun in the Inner Loop on Lap 5. By then, however, Skinner was already behind the wall with brake troubles, followed the next lap by J.J. Yeley in Front Row Motorsports’ “start-and-park” #55. Current LASTCAR leader Michael McDowell fell out two circuits after that with Nemechek exiting after 12 laps.

Casey Mears finished on the lead lap in 20th.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*A Cup driver had not finished last at Watkins Glen with “brakes” listed as the official cause in the results since way back in 1964, when Pete Boland’s 1963 #01 Mercury lost its brakes two laps into the 1964 The Glen 151.8, leaving Boland with his second-consecutive last-place finish. Billy Wade went on to win the race from the pole in what was then a 66-lap event around a 2.3-mile course.
*This is the first time Skinner and the #60 have both finished last in a Cup race at Watkins Glen.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #60-Mike Skinner / 4 laps / brakes
42) #55-J.J. Yeley / 5 laps / brakes
41) #66-Michael McDowell / 7 laps / engine
40) #87-Joe Nemechek / 12 laps / brakes
39) #37-Scott Speed / 45 laps / suspension

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell (5)
2nd) Mike Skinner (4)
3rd) Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (3)
4th) Kevin Conway (2)
5th) Landon Cassill, Robby Gordon, Jeff Green, P.J. Jones, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
When combined with Landon Cassill’s last-place performance for the team at Phoenix in February, the #60 Germain Racing Team is now in a tie with HP Racing’s #66 for the LASTCAR Owner’s Championship lead.
1st) #60-Germain Racing, #66-HP Racing LLC (5)
2nd) #87-NEMCO Motorsports (3)
3rd) #46-Whitney Motorsports, #55-Front Row Motorsports, #97-NEMCO Motorsports (2)
4th) #7-Robby Gordon Motorsports, #81-Whitney Motorsports, #77-Robby Gordon Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (15)
2nd) Chevrolet (3)
3rd) Dodge, Ford (2)