N’WIDE: Raines Finishes Last For TriStar As Teammate Jeff Green Finishes 23rd

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Tony Raines picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Great Clips 200 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his unsponsored #91 TriStar Motorsports Toyota fell out with a vibration after he completed 5 of the race’s 204 laps.

It was Raines’ second last-place finish of 2012, his first since Dover, twenty races ago.

Raines qualified 31st for Saturday’s race at an average speed of 128.041 mph, ranking him ninth among the fifteen "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to make the race. This secured the third start of the season for TriStar’s #91 team. The team debuted at Iowa in August with 2012 LASTCAR Nationwide Series Champion Jeff Green driving it to his tenth of twelve last-place finishes this season.

On Satuday, Raines’ car was the first behind the wall. Three laps later, Chase Miller parked his #46, and all three of his teammates at The Motorsports Group followed suit. This resulted in TMG’s #40 scoring its first DNF since Bristol in August, finishing 37th with Erik Darnell.

Meanwhile, Jeff Green not only finished under power for the first time since last month at Charlotte, but also made his first full-race run in the #10, the car number he parked in eleven of his last-place finishes this season. Green came home 23rd, three laps down.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for both Raines and the #91 in a Nationwide Series race at Phoenix.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #91-Tony Raines / 5 laps / vibration
42) #46-Chase Miller / 8 laps / brakes
41) #15-Carl Long / 12 laps / brakes
40) #42-Josh Wise / 15 laps / electrical
39) #00-Blake Koch / 17 laps / brakes

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Chase Miller (3)
3rd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski, Tony Raines (2)
4th) Tim Andrews, T.J. Bell, Ryan Blaney, Angela Cope, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (3)
3rd) #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon, #91-TriStar Motorsports (2)
4th) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #50-Mark Beaver, #70-ML Motorsports, #00-Jason Sciavicco, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (17)
2nd) Chevrolet (14)
3rd) Ford (1)

TRUCKS: Koch Last At Phoenix, But Setzer Secures First LASTCAR Truck Title

SOURCE: Getty Images

Blake Koch picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his #0 Koma Unwind Relaxation Drink Ford fell out with suspension problems after he completed 2 of the race’s 153 laps.

The finish was Koch’s second of 2012, his first since Kentucky, five races ago.

Koch qualified 29th in the 36-truck field at an average speed of 129.273 mph, ranking him ninth among the thirteen go-or-go-homers who attempted to qualify. Koch also bumped team owner Jennifer Jo Cobb from the field as Jo Cobb’s #10 turned in the slowest speed in qualifying.

Koch’s truck was the first to fall out in the race itself, followed two laps later by Chris Jones, who was driving the #38 RSS Racing Chevrolet which racked up a series-leading four last-place finishes in 2012.

Finishing 32nd was Dennis Setzer, who racked up his twelfth bottom-five finish of 2012 and his first-ever LASTCAR Truck Series Championship. All the other two-time last-place finishers this season who were in a position to tie Setzer at Homestead cannot win the tiebreaker as all of them have ten or fewer starts, and therefore less than twelve bottom-fives.

The #38 Truck Series team has also locked-up the LASTCAR Owner’s Title as they lead the runner-up #0 team in bottom-fives at a total of 13-9.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first Truck Series last-place finish for the #0 at Phoenix since 2008, when Butch Miller’s ASI Limited Chevrolet was involved in a multi-truck crash after five laps of the Lucas Oil 150.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #0-Blake Koch / 2 laps / suspension
35) #38-Chris Jones / 4 laps / ignition
34) #84-Chris Fontaine / 6 laps / brakes
33) #07-Ross Chastain / 7 laps / ignition
32) #93-Dennis Setzer / 8 laps / brakes

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield, Brandon Knupp, Blake Koch (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Chris Fontaine, Chris Jones, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-RSS Racing (4)
2nd) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb (3)
3rd) #27-Hillman Racing (2)
4th) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #25-Hillman Racing, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #84-Chris Fontaine, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Ford (4)
3rd) RAM (3)
4th) Toyota (2)
　

CUP: Reed Sorenson Goes 2-For-2, Setting Up LASTCAR Showdown With McDowell, Wise

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Reed Sorenson picked up the 10th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #91 Plinker Tactical / MCM Elegante Toyota fell out with engine problems after he completed 6 of the race’s 335 laps.

The finish was Sorenson’s fifth of the 2012 season, his second in a row, and his fourth in the last nine races. With just two races to go, Sorenson is now tied with defending LASTCAR Cup Series Champion Michael McDowell for the series lead.

Sorenson qualified 39th for Sunday’s race at an average speed of 185.714 mph, ranking him seventh among the eleven "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to qualify. He moved to the 43rd spot soon after the green flag, taking it from last-place starter Joe Nemechek. He never relinquished it and was the first car to go behind the wall, beating J.J. Yeley by four laps. It was Yeley’s third 42nd-place finish in the last four races.

The LASTCAR championship now comes down to three drivers: Sorenson, McDowell, and runner-up Josh Wise, who trails the lead duo by one finish. In the tiebreaker, which is determined by bottom-five finishes, Sorenson has the advantage over McDowell, 14-13. Wise has 14 bottom-fives as well, but needs to finish last this Sunday at Phoenix to move into contention at Homestead. All other drivers were eliminated from LASTCAR contention this week - Scott Riggs and Scott Speed would have needed to sweep both 43rds at Phoenix and Homestead, but neither are entered in this week’s race.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for both Sorenson and the #91 in a Cup Series race at Texas.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #91-Reed Sorenson / 6 laps / electrical
42) #37-J.J. Yeley / 10 laps / overheating
41) #19-Mike Bliss / 32 laps / brakes
40) #87-Joe Nemechek / 33 laps / vibration
39) #36-Dave Blaney / 37 laps / brakes

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell, Reed Sorenson (5)
2nd) Josh Wise (4)
3rd) Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (3)
4th) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
5th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (5)
2nd) #26-Front Row Motorsports, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (4)
3rd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports (3)
4th) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (2)
5th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (16)
2nd) Toyota (10)
3rd) Chevrolet (8)

N’WIDE: Bell Scores His First Last-Place Finish of 2012 Nationwide Season

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

T.J. Bell picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #50 Gulf Coast Loss Prevention Chevrolet fell out with an engine problem after he completed 1 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish was Bell’s first of the 2012 season, his first since last fall at Chicagoland, thirty-eight races ago. That race was also the most recent Nationwide Series last-place finish for the #50.

Bell qualified in the 43rd for the race an average speed of 172.761 mph, edging The Motorsports Group’s Chase Miller in the #46 for the final starting spot. The race would be the #50 team’s twenty-fourth start in thirty-one races this season and their first since the team’s three-race stint with David Starr ended at Kentucky. Bell’s best finish of the season was 24th, which came both at Dover and the season-opening race at Daytona.

In the race itself, Bell fell out after the first lap, edging two more The Motorsports Group cars, driven by Josh Wise and J.J. Yeley, by five and six laps, for the 43rd spot.

In Saturday’s race, Mike Bliss drove for his third different TriStar Motorsports team in 2012, this time taking a turn in the #10 that racked up 14 of the season’s first 31 last-place finishes. Carrying his sponsorship from Bandit Chippers, Bliss scored an 18th-place finish, the best result for the #10 this year.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #50 in a Nationwide Series race at Texas.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #50-T.J. Bell / 1 lap / engine
42) #42-Josh Wise / 6 laps / electrical
41) #47-J.J. Yeley / 7 laps / brakes
40) #86-Kevin Lepage / 20 laps / transmission
39) #75-Timmy Hill / 22 laps / vibration

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Chase Miller (3)
3rd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski (2)
4th) Tim Andrews, T.J. Bell, Ryan Blaney, Angela Cope, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Tony Raines, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (3)
3rd) #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon (2)
4th) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #50-Mark Beaver, #70-ML Motorsports, #91-TriStar Motorsports, #00-Jason Sciavicco, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (16)
2nd) Chevrolet (14)
3rd) Ford (1)

TRUCKS: Jones Edges Setzer at Texas, LASTCAR Truck Series Championship Goes To Phoenix

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Chris Jones picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s WinStar World Casino 350 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #38 RSS Racing Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after he completed 3 of the race’s 147 laps.

The finish was Jones’ first of the 2012 season, his first since last year at Michigan, thirty-one races ago. He also extended the #38 team’s lead in the 2012 LASTCAR Owner’s Championship to two finishes with two races to go. The team’s most recent last-place finish came with current LASTCAR leader Dennis Setzer at Iowa, five races ago.

Jones qualified 28th for the race at an average speed of 173.105 mph, ranking him eighth among the thirteen "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to qualify. The race was Jones’ thirteenth start of the 2012 season, a year in which he has driven both Ken Smith’s #07 as well as three different teams for RSS Racing.

Jones’ was the first truck to fall out of the race, edging teammate and current 2012 LASTCAR Truck Series leader Dennis Setzer by three laps. As a result, the LASTCAR Truck Series championship will remain unsettled heading to Phoenix, where the eleven one-time last-placers in 2012 will face possible elimination.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the second-consecutive last-place finish for the #38 in this race. Last year, Mike Garvey fell out after five laps with clutch problems, his sixth last-place finish of his second-consecutive LASTCAR Truck Series championship.
*Jones was the first Truck Series driver to finish last at Texas due to a vibration since 2003, when Wayne Edwards’ #25 Lane Automotive Chevrolet fell out after the opening lap of the O’Reilly 400k, following Lance Hooper’s Fasscore Motorsports Ford to the garage area.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #38-Chris Jones / 3 laps / vibration
35) #93-Dennis Setzer / 6 laps / vibration
34) #74-Scott Riggs / 8 laps / rear gear
33) #25-B.J. McLeod / 9 laps / brakes
32) #27-Stephen Leicht / 15 laps / brakes

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield, Brandon Knupp (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Chris Fontaine, Chris Jones, Blake Koch, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-RSS Racing (4)
2nd) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #27-Hillman Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #25-Hillman Racing, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #84-Chris Fontaine, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Ford, RAM (3)
3rd) Toyota (2)