XFINITY: Bayley Currey just the second driver to break down on the opening lap at Road America

ALL PHOTOS: Dion Martorano at J&T Sports, @Dion_JTsports

Bayley Currey picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Henry 180 at Road America when his #74 Repairables.com Chevrolet fell out with engine issues without completing any of the 45 laps.

The finish, which occurred in Currey’s 38th series start, was his first of the season and first since March 9, 2019 at Phoenix, 47 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place history, it was the 11th for the #74, the 264th for engine trouble, and the 551st for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 51st for the #74, the 1,091st for engine trouble, and the 1,729th for Chevrolet.

The noticeable improvement of Mike Harmon Racing this year has been just as attributable to Bayley Currey as it has been to his teammate, Kyle Weatherman. Before Weatherman gave MHR their first Top 10 at Kentucky, it was Currey who broke through with a streak of three consecutive top-twenty finishes: Charlotte, where he took 18th, followed by a 20th at Bristol and 18th in Atlanta. He also earned a stage point in the second round of the Homestead double-header, battling his teammate to take the 10th spot at the end of Stage 1. Since the series’ return in May, team owner Mike Harmon has only driven his familiar #74 once – taking 25th at Talladega. Another Top 20 came soon after when Currey steered the car to a 19th-place finish.

For Road America, Currey and Weatherman would again run their identical Repairables.com Chevrolets they debuted at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit, a red-white-and-blue scheme in place of the MHR team’s traditional black. The cars which also carried the message “We Stand For The National Anthem” from that Fourth of July event. Currey drew the 25th spot ahead of Weatherman in 32nd.

Taking the 37th and final spot was Preston Pardus, who looked to follow-up his own strong run at Indianapolis which netted him 10th, his first career top-ten finish in only three series starts. Pardus’ #36 Chinchor Electric / Danus Chevrolet only spent a brief moment in the spot as, prior to the start, two others were docked for pre-race penalties: Vinnie Miller, who took the place of teammate Matt Mills in the 34th-place #5 Thompson Electric / JF Electric Chevrolet, and 29th-place Myatt Snider for unapproved adjustments on his #93 Shore Lunch Chevrolet. Two Motorsports Business Management cars also dropped back voluntarily: 31st-place Chad Finchum in the #66 OCR Gaz Bar Toyota (the former LeithCars.com Supra run previously on the Charlotte “Roval”), and 35th-place Jesse Iwuji, making his series debut in the #13 G2 Xchange Toyota. There was also some delay for 26th-place Joe Graf, Jr. getting off pit road in the #08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet, but he did not drop to the rear for the start.

Just prior to the start, however, 13th-place starter Brandon Brown stalled his unsponsored black-and-white #68 Chevrolet and had to be pushed back to pit road. The crew set to work under the left side of the car and just barely managed to get him back out around 15 seconds after the green flag. At that moment, Iwuji had been the last car to cross the stripe, and moved to 36th as he passed Brown on the main straightaway, 9.043 seconds back of the lead. Scott Heckert soon had trouble on his #78 Koolbox Ice / JW Transport Toyota, and NASCAR noted he was off the pace. By the time the field entered Turn 13, however, trouble found Currey.

The first report by NASCAR was to watch the #74 for smoke, but soon the car pulled off to the side of the road with more smoke billowing from beneath the hood. The caution fell on Lap 2, just as Currey became the first driver to lose a lap. When combined with Brown and Heckert’s issues on the same lap, timing and scoring was briefly confused, first putting Heckert in the spot before Currey. Heckert, like Brown, was guided back to the pits, and would return to action. He ultimately drew the next-to-last caution when he spun and stalled himself on Lap 41, though his car was much further off the racing surface than Currey.

Currey ultimately didn’t return to action after a lightning delay just a few laps later pushed the race well past its advertised timeframe. Chad Finchum, who had dropped to the rear in the MBM #66, only made it five laps before citing transmission issues. His two teammates fared much better. Just as he had at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit, Stephen Liecht earned a respectable run in the #61 Jani-King Toyota - he finished 22nd, just one spot short of his 21st at Indy. Jesse Iwuji took 26th in his series debut, the last car on the lead lap.

The rest of the Bottom Five was filled by mechanical issues. Daniel Hemric made seven laps in the #8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet before the engine let go on the main straightaway, his car stopped just past pit entrance. A lengthy clean-up was required to prepare the track surface. Vinnie Miller’s replacement run in the #5 only lasted three more laps before his own engine let go in a large plume of smoke. Heckert rounded out the Bottom Five after his late-race spin.

It was Hemric’s engine failure that put Brandon Brown back on the lead lap, allowing him to recover nicely to finish in 12th spot, just one of a number of surprising runs:

Andy Lally made a dramatic return to the XFINITY Series on Saturday, finishing 5th in his first series start since 2018, tying his career-best at Mid-Ohio three years ago. Lally drove a throwback paint scheme to Mark Martin’s Apache Stove Pontiac from the early 1980s as it shared the same #02 as the Chris Our team he raced for. New Wave Cleaning Solutions was on board for the run. Lally will certainly be one to watch next week at the Daytona Infield Road Course, where he has extensive experience in sports cars.

Josh Bilicki, who also has an extensive background in road racing, enjoyed a career run on Saturday despite just a 17th-place finish. Bilicki led four laps in B.J. McLeod’s #99 Ariens “Built in Wisconsin” Toyota, during which he enjoyed a spirited battle with Preston Pardus. Bilicki was still running 6th with three laps to go, but dropped back in the final stages. For Bilicki, himself a Wisconsin native, this tied his second-best series finish, and only trails his career-best run of 12th at this same track three years ago.

Preston Pardus himself continued to impress in just his fourth series start, building on his career-best 10th at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit with a new career-best 8th-place finish on Saturday – all the more impressive because his #36 started in last place. After his aforementioned battle with Bilicki from Laps 15 through 19, he again took the lead with five laps to go, bringing his laps led total to five, one more than Bilicki. It was on Pardus that Austin Cindric made the winning pass, though Pardus was able to hold off Ryan Sieg and Michael Annett for his final position.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for both the #74 and Mike Harmon Racing at Road America.
*This is just the second time the last-place finisher at Road America failed to complete the opening lap. The only other occurrence was June 21, 2014, when Kevin Lepage’s #93 JGL Racing Dodge had rear gear trouble. The last-place finisher of this race has yet to complete more than two laps.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
37) #74-Bayley Currey / 0 laps / engine

36) #66-Chad Finchum / 5 laps / transmission

35) #8-Daniel Hemric / 7 laps / engine

34) #5-Vinnie Miller / 10 laps / engine

33) #78-Scott Heckert / 41 laps / running

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Motorsports Business Management (4)
2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing (3)
3rd) JD Motorsports, Jimmy Means Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, Shepherd Racing Ventures (2)
4th) Jeremy Clements Racing, JR Motorsports, SS-Green Light Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (11)
2nd) Toyota (7)

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Stewart Friesen’s rough season continues with first Toyota last-place finish at Michigan

SCREENSHOT: @EastGlacierMT, from FS1 broadcast

Stewart Friesen picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career in Friday’s Henry Ford Health System 200 at the Michigan International Speedway when his #52 Halmar “Racing To Beat Hunger” Toyota was eliminated in a multi-truck accident after 49 of 107 laps.

The finish, which came in Friesen’s 82md series start, was his first of the season and first since July 27, 2019 at Pocono, 20 races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 8th for the #52, the 38th for Toyota, and the 158th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 59th for the #52, the 341st for Toyota, and the 1,217th from a crash.It’s well-documented how much Friesen has struggled this year after his team switched manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota. After making the Championship Four with a win in the penultimate round at Phoenix, the Canadian driver has been well off this season, finishing 21st in Daytona, 30th in Charlotte, 14th in Homestead, and 15th in Kentucky. Texas saw his best run to date with a 4th-place finish, but he still hadn’t led any laps since the season opener, and remained just 13th in points. He entered Michigan after a particularly difficult double-header in Kansas, where he ran just 27th in the first race and 34th after a wreck in the second.

For Michigan, Friesen drew the 21st spot. He would run the same “Racing To Beat Hunger” paint scheme that he’d run since the fourth race of the year in Atlanta.

There were 41 drivers entered for 40 spots, but the field decreased twice by race day. Left on the wrong side of the cut line was David Ragan, who anticipated a short field, but was unable to start in DGR-Crosley’s #17 Select Blinds Ford. As it turned out, one team did withdraw, though well after Ragan was eliminated – Charlotte last-placer Spencer Davis in the #11 Polar Bear Coolers Toyota. When it all shook out, Trey Hutchens drew the 39th and final starting spot as he returned to action in his blue #14 Heintz Brothers Performance Chevrolet.

Hutchens wouldn’t roll off in last place however, as at least three other trucks dropped to the rear for the start: 23rd-place Jesse Iwuji in the #33 G2 Xchange Toyota, 32nd-place Tim Viens in the #49 Trump 2020 Chevrolet, and 36th-place Norm Benning in the #6 H&H Transport Chevrolet. All three were more than four seconds back of the leader when the race started with Benning bringing up the rear. Benning then passed Viens by the end of Lap 1, and the #49 was 7.801 seconds back of the lead.

Hutchens didn’t fall to last until Lap 4, when he tangled with Josh Reaume’s #00 Colonial Countertops Toyota coming off Turn 4. Reaume managed to stay on the lead lap, but Hutchens lost a lap to the leaders trying to back out of the grass. Hutchens made it to pit road for repairs, including strips of tape to seal the seams on his hood, and managed to clear the “Crash Clock” on the restart. He then got his lap back after another caution fell for Christian Eckes’ spin off Turn 2 in the #18 Safelite Toyota.

On Lap 15, with all the trucks back on the lead lap, the last spot changed hands under caution. Spencer Boyd took the spot first due to right-front damage on his #20 M&D Blacktop Chevrolet, followed by Codie Rohrbaugh in the #9 Pray For Joshua Chevrolet due to power steering issues. Rohrbaugh required a second stop on Lap 20 for a suspension adjustment in the right-front and, along with Tim Viens, was among the first to violate NASCAR’s new “Choose Cone” rule. He would continue to trade the last spot with Boyd through Lap 23, when Boyd pitted for left side tires and fuel. “I know it sucks,” said someone on Rohrbaugh’s team. “But we’ve gotta get our trucks in shape. Everything will come to us here.”

The battle between Rohrbaugh and Boyd resumed on the restart with Boyd taking the spot on Lap 25. At the time, Stewart Friesen entered the battle after a pit road penalty of his own. Friesen began to climb through the field as, on Lap 26, Norm Benning resumed his place in last. Iwuji slipped to 38th, and the interval between the two grew from one second to two, when Iwuji passed the damaged Boyd. Benning was told he had no tires until after the end of Stage 2, which may have affected his pace.

Lap 30 saw Raphael Lessard drop to last after an unscheduled green-flag stop for a flat right-rear tire on his #4 SiriusXM Toyota. He held the spot until Lap 37, when Clay Greenfield also cut a tire from running over debris, forcing his #68 Rackley Roofing Toyota two laps down. Greenfield was also struggling with his handling, saying “It’s like a cat, it’s up on its back legs.” Greenfield remained last at the end of Stage 2, but moved ahead of Benning on Lap 47 by choosing the opposite lane of Benning’s #6 for the restart.

Meanwhile, Friesen had climbed back into the Top 10 after his penalty and was in a tight race for position when it all went wrong just short of the starting line. Friesen crossed the nose of the #18 of Christian Eckes, turning his truck into the outside wall. Ryan Truex, Matt Crafton, and Ty Majeski were also involved, but all three managed to return to action along with Eckes. An angry Friesen said NASCAR shouldn’t have thrown the green flag for that run, saying someone was “leaking and smoking” on the track. Eckes’ spotter also communicated to the Friesen team an apology for their incident.

Finishing 38th was Chandler Smith, who completed a frustrating afternoon for Kyle Busch Motorsports when his #51 JBL Toyota was turned into the outside wall by Ben Rhodes, then was spun by him soon after. Austin Wayne Self took 37th in the #22 Go Texan / AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet after he crashed on Lap 72, but still managed to finish under power. Self was unable to climb out of the Bottom Five, however, which was set after late-race accidents involving 36th-place Jeb Burton in the #44 12 Hours Auctions Chevrolet and Brennan Poole, 35th in the #30 Remember Everyone Deployed Toyota.

Zane Smith earned his first career victory, and not far behind him were a pair of impressive runs. David Gravel, who was set to make his Truck Series debut at Eldora before the event was cancelled, ran a strong 10th in GMS Racing’s #24 ChevyGoods.com Chevrolet. Even more impressive was Dawson Cram, who gave team owner Boyd Long his best-ever finish with a 14th in the #55 Long Motorsports Chevrolet. Cram himself nearly bested his own series-best performance of 13th at Martinsville last fall, when he drove for Reaume Brothers Racing.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #52 in a Truck Series race at Michigan.
*This also was the first time a Toyota finished last in a Truck Series race at the Michigan track. In fact, Chevrolet finished last in all but two of the twenty previous Truck races there.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
39) #52-Stewart Friesen / 49 laps / crash
38) #51-Chandler Smith / 59 laps / crash
37) #22-Austin Wayne Self / 83 laps / crash
36) #44-Jeb Burton / 99 laps / crash
35) #30-Brennan Poole / 100 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (3)
2nd) DGR-Crosley, FDNY Racing, Halmar Friesen Racing, Niece Motorsports, Norm Benning Racing, Spencer Davis Motorsports, ThorSport Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (5)
2nd) Ford, Toyota (3)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Several series debuts, road ringers, and a movie car fill Michigan and Road America entry lists

SCREENSHOT: @Spire77

Friday, August 7, 2020

TRUCKS Race 11 of 23

Henry Ford Health System 200 at Michigan

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Norm Benning

ENTRY LIST

There were 41 drivers entered for 40 spots in Friday’s return of the Truck Series, which has unfortunately again left a single team out of the field without a single practice or qualifying lap. Once again, it is the DGR-Crosley #17 Select Blinds Ford which was entered for Cup regular David Ragan (see below).

MISSING: #7-All Out Motorsports

Korbin Forrister is not entered after he wrecked in the first Kansas double-header and withdrew from the second.

RETURNING: #8-NEMCO Motorsports

John Hunter Nemechek is running double duty with the Cup Series and runs his first Truck Series race since Atlanta, again driving his father’s #8 Ford with Fire Alarm Services, Inc. as sponsor. Nemechek’s most recent Truck Series start at Michigan came in 2018, when he won the pole and finished third.

RETURNING: #14-Hutchens Motorsports

Trey Hutchens returns in his 2019 Chevrolet, looking to make his second start of the season and first since Kentucky, where a crash left him 36th in the field of 40. It was in this race last year that Hutchens matched his career-best 16th-place finish earned in his series debut at Iowa in 2017.

RETURNING (DNQ): #17-DGR-Crosley

David Ragan did not make the cut after his DGR-Crosley truck was entered with the expectation of a short field, as was the case in Kansas. Unfortunately, Ragan proved to be the 41st entry, and his Select Blinds-sponsored machine will not run this week.

DRIVER CHANGE: #24-GMS Racing

It was in January that news broke David Gravel would make his Truck Series debut at Eldora, starting a five-race schedule. With the Eldora race scrubbed for 2020, Gravel will instead make his debut at Michigan, taking Chase Purdy’s place in the #24 Chevrolet. Chevygoods.com is the listed sponsor.

MISSING: #28-FDNY Racing

Bryan Dauzat and the Jim Rosenblum team are not among the entrants this week following their tangle with Jordan Anderson in the previous round at Kansas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

The only driver to attempt both the Truck Series race at Michigan and the XFINITY Series race at Road America is military veteran Jesse Iwuji. Iwuji’s double-header begins on the oval, where he returns to the Reaume Brothers team for the first time since Pocono. Then as now, he drives the #33 Toyota, and this time takes the place of Kevin Donahue.

DRIVER CHANGE: #40-Niece Motorsports

Ryan Truex and his Marquis Hot Tubs sponsorship return to the Truck Series for just the fourth time in 2020 and the first time since Texas. He takes the place of Travis Pastrana, who ran 22nd in his series return at Kansas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Niece Motorsports

Jeb Burton will also go Truck Series racing this Friday, making just his second start of the year and first since Atlanta. He takes the place of Natalie Decker, 35th at Kansas, and brings sponsorship from 12 Hours Auctions.

DRIVER SWAP: #49-CMI Motorsports

RETURNING / DRIVER SWAP: #83-CMI Motorsports

Ray Ciccarelli brings back his second truck, the #83, and will run that truck this weekend. He moves over from the #49, which goes back to Tim Viens this week. Springrates Automotive Suspension Parts is the listed sponsor for Viens, whose 2017 Chevrolet is the oldest truck entered. Ciccarelli’s Chevrolet is listed as from 2018.

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports

Chandler Smith makes his second Truck Series start of the season and first since Kentucky, where he ran 22nd after starting 10th. He takes the place of Brandon Jones, who ran 8th in Kansas. JBL is again the sponsor for the lead KBM truck.

RETURNING: #55-Long Motorsports

After a one-off start for the Reaume Brothers at Kansas, where he ran a season-best 25th, Dawson Cram returns to Boyd Long’s team, which last took the green flag in Kentucky. Cram will be sponsored by American Mask Company.

RETURNING: #75-Henderson Motorsports

For the third time this year and first time since Kentucky, Parker Kligerman will run in the Truck Series, again driving Charlie Henderson’s #75 Food Country USA Chevrolet. This will be Kligerman’s third series start at Michigan and first since 2012, when he ran a strong 4th for the now-shuttered Red Horse Racing.

MISSING: #97-Diversified Motorsports Enterprises

Robby Lyons is not entered along with the Logan Puckett team after the pair finished 21st in Kansas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #00-Reaume Brothers Racing

Josh Reaume resumes driving duties in the #00, taking the place of Ryan Huff, who took over the truck in the second Kansas double-header following Dawson Cram’s run in the first round. Colonial Countertops is the listed sponsor.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, August 8, 2020 (12:00 P.M. Eastern)

XFINITY Race 18 of 33

Henry 180 at Road America

2019 Last-Place Finisher: J.J. Yeley

ENTRY LIST

There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots at Road America, the third-straight race with that many starters. The series has still yet to host a 40-car field since NASCAR’s temporary field increase in May.

DRIVER CHANGE: #0-JD Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #15-JD Motorsports

Johnny Davis brings back a part of his lineup from the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit as Mike Wallace will once again drive the #0 Chevrolet, this time sponsored by Unkers Therapeutic in addition to Indy sponsor Market Scan. This will once more move Jeffrey Earnhardt back to the #15 with which he finished last at Indy, taking the place of Ryan Vargas, who isn’t entered after a 25th in Kansas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #6-JD Motorsports

Also joining the JD Motorsports contingent is Jade Buford, who excelled with a 14th-place finish on the Indy road course in his series debut with SS-Green Light Racing. This time, he takes the place of B.J. McLeod, who isn’t entered after a 31st in Kansas, and brings the same sponsorship from Big Machine Hand Sanitizer.

DRIVER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management

DRIVER SWAP: #61-Motorsports Business Management

DRIVER SWAP: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Jesse Iwuji’s double-header continues in Road America, where he takes the place of Chad Finchum in the #13 Toyota. This moves Finchum to the #66 in place of Stephen Liecht, and moves Liecht to the #61 in place of Timmy Hill, who isn’t entered as he focuses on both driving and team ownership at Michigan. This will be Iwuji’s first XFINITY Series start.

RETURNING: #16-Kaulig Racing

A.J. Allmendinger once again has a fast Matthew Kaulig entry on the road course with returning sponsorship from Ellsworth Advisors. Allmendinger has not finished worse than 10th in all five of his XFINITY starts this year, capped by his victory in Atlanta.

MISSING: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

Noticeably absent from the entry list is the Sam Hunt effort, which earned a strong 12th-place finish at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit with Brandon Gdovic behind the wheel. Colin Garrett ran the car in the most recent round at Kansas, taking an equally respectable 16th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #36-DGM Racing

Fresh off posting some uncovered tapes of his father Dan Pardus’ Goody’s Dash Series season in 1995, Preston Pardus rejoins the Mario Gosselin effort for the first time since his first career top-ten finish, a 10th on the Indy road course. Chinchor Electric and Danus Controls are again his sponsors.  

NEW SPONSOR: #44-Martins Motorsports

Tommy Joe Martins’ #44 has a fresh new look this week as the pastel-hued Chevrolet welcomes new backing from Skyview Partners. After a difficult season, Martins enters Road America off back-to-back top-twenty finishes: a 15th in Texas and 18th in Kansas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Road course racing means Scott Heckert is back as well, taking the place of Vinnie Miller in B.J. McLeod’s #78 JW Transport Toyota. All but two of Heckert’s nine XFINITY starts have come on road courses, most recently at Mid-Ohio just last summer. His best series finish was a 13th at Watkins Glen.

TEAM UPDATE: #90-DGM Racing

As of Tuesday, the DGM team is in the process of appealing NASCAR's 75 driver and owner point penalty and $50,000 fine for an alleged violation of testing policy on the Daytona infield road course. The driver point penalty was for Alex Labbe, who will again run the #90 this week.

DRIVER CHANGE: #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Taking the controls of the third McLeod entry is Josh Bilicki, who brings with him sponsorship from Ariens on the #99 Toyota. This will be only the fourth XFINITY start of the season for Bilicki, his first since running 23rd at the Indy road course. He takes the place of Jairo Avila, Jr., who ran 32nd in Kansas. 

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

Andy Lally will certainly be one to watch as he runs Chris Our’s #02 Chevrolet, and brings with him new sponsorship from Cape Cod Aggregates Corporation. Our did not make an XFINITY Series start last year, and most recently took the green in the first Charlotte “Roval” race in 2018, where he ran 37th for Mario Gosselin. He has finished no worse than 15th at Road America with a best of 7th for SS-Green Light Racing back in 2014. He takes the place of Brett Moffitt, who suffered an oil leak in Kansas and finished 34th. Lally also revealed on Wednesday that he will run a "throwback" paint scheme to Mark Martin's Apache Stove car from his early Cup days, a car which also ran the #02.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

Making his first-ever NASCAR start is open-wheel newcomer R.C. Enerson, who most recently finished 17th in a one-off IndyCar Series start at Mid-Ohio driving for Carlin Racing. The Lucas Oil School of Racing, which backed his Mid-Ohio effort, will again sponsor his ride on Saturday, joined by Peninsula Pipeline. He drives for Bobby Dotter, the same team which Jade Buford ran so strong in his own NASCAR debut last month.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, August 8, 2020 (4:00 P.M. Eastern)

CUP Race 21 of 36

FireKeepers Casino 312 at Michigan

2019 Last-Place Finisher (June, 400 miles): Kyle Weatherman

ENTRY LIST

There are 39 drivers entered for the first of two 312-mile Cup races at Michigan this weekend (156 laps instead of 200), up one entry from the previous round in New Hampshire.

RETURNING: #7-Tommy Baldwin Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #51-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #53-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP / NUMBER CHANGE: #74-Spire Motorsports

Tommy Baldwin’s team returns after skipping the race in Loudon, and most of the Rick Ware Racing lineup has changed as a result. Joey Gase moves from his typical #51 to drive the #7 with Ziegler Auto as sponsor. James Davison takes Gase’s place in the #51, moving from the #53. Garrett Smithley moves from Spire’s #77 to Davison’s place in the #53. Driving the #77 this week is a returning Reed Sorenson. On Tuesday, the Spire team posted a curious update where the car was renumbered #74 with an all-new paint scheme by Harris Lue. The car will carry branding from “Fake Steak,” apparently in conjunction with an upcoming Netflix series starring comedian Kevin James. J.J. Yeley will remain in the Ware #27.

TEAM UPDATE: #95-Leavine Family Racing

On Tuesday, just days after Christopher Bell ran strong for the first half of the Loudon race, Leavine Family Racing announced they would be shutting down at the end of the year, having sold their shop and charter to a yet-undisclosed buyer. The cars will return to Joe Gibbs Racing at season’s end. The team, formerly known as Leavine Fenton Racing, has been active in the Cup Series since 2011. Matt DiBenedetto’s runner-up at Bristol last August remains the team’s best finish.

Sunday, August 9, 2020

CUP Race 22 of 36

Consumers Energy 312 at Michigan

2019 Last-Place Finisher (August, 400 miles): Spencer Boyd

ENTRY LIST

The same 39 teams will contest Sunday’s second round of the Michigan double-header. While there is just one driver change, the following teams will change primary sponsors on Sunday: #3-Austin Dillon (Dow Mobility Science – Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Off Road), #6-Ryan Newman (Castrol – Coca-Cola), #7-Tommy Baldwin Racing (Ziegler Auto – Wisconsin Lighting Lab), #9-Chase Elliott (NAPA Auto Parts – Mountain Dew), and #32-Corey LaJoie (Schluter Systems – Trump 2020).

DRIVER CHANGE: #7-Tommy Baldwin Racing

On Wednesday came news that Josh Bilicki will run both Saturday's XFINITY race, then take the place of Joey Gase in Sunday's Cup event. There will also be a sponsor change as the Wisconsin Lighting Lab will sponsor Bilicki's run Sunday.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (August 6, 1978): James Hylton picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Talladega 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway when his #12 Al Rudd Auto Parts Buick fell out with transmission woes after just 1 lap. Hylton, who was most often driving his own #48, was making his lone start for team owner Al Rudd, father of eventual series veteran Ricky Rudd. Ricky was Hylton’s teammate that day in the #22 sponsored by 1st National City Travelers Checks. Unfortunately, Ricky didn’t run much further, losing the engine on his Chevrolet after 22 laps and finishing just two spots ahead of Hylton. This race marked Hylton’s first last-place finish in nearly seven years, dating back to May 21, 1971. He would not finish last in another Cup race until September 3, 1989.

CUP: Rough season for Kyle Busch ends JTG-Daugherty’s last-place streak in Loudon

PHOTO: Justin Melillo, The Racing Experts

Kyle Busch picked up the 7th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway when his #18 Pedigree Toyota fell out in a single-car accident after 15 of 301 laps.

The finish, which came in Busch’s 554th series start, was his first of the year and first since June 12, 2016 at Michigan, 149 races ago. In the Cup Series last-place rankings, it was the 34th for the #18, the 163rd for Toyota, and the 600th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 47th for the #18, the 340th for Toyota, and the 1,216th from a crash.

It’s been no secret that the defending series champion has not had the best of luck this season. His year began with a frustrating Daytona, where his championship-themed #18 was destroyed in the Busch Clash, then he lost an engine late in the Daytona 500, extending his winless streak in “The Great American Race.” While his only other DNF in a points race came in the second round of the Pocono double-header, where contact from Ryan Blaney while lapping Garrett Smithley sent him spinning into the inside wall, he’s been noticeably inconsistent. He’s finished runner-up three times at Fontana, Darlington, and Atlanta, and failed to win a stage until just last week in Kansas. With still eight Top Fives on the season, Busch remained inside the Top 16, but still trailed a resurgent Aric Almirola as the highest-ranked winless driver.

Busch drew the 5th starting spot for Sunday’s race.

Rolling off 38th and last was Timmy Hill in the #66 RoofClaim.com Toyota. Hill picked up a bit of extra exposure at the Loudon track, where he was demonstrating the speedway’s mask protocol for the fans in attendance. Around an hour before the start, two teams incurred penalties for improperly mounted ballast: 15th-place Bubba Wallace in the #43 Cash App Chevrolet and 33rd-place Corey LaJoie in the #32 Trump 2020 Ford. Both would lose 10 driver and owner points on top of their tail-end penalty. Also sent to the rear was 23rd-place Austin Dillon for unapproved adjustments on the #3 Freightliner Chevrolet.

With one lap to green, Garrett Smithley also dropped to the rear in the #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, a car backed by Brackett’s Market, who sponsored the lower rear quarter panels. While the penalized LaJoie had the largest interval back of the leader when the race started, it was Smithley who ran in last place at the end of Lap 1.

On Lap 4, Smithley pulled ahead of Joey Gase in the #51 Page Construction Ford. Smithley began to pull away as Gase struggled to find the best line around the track, saying his car had “plenty of forward drive, it just won’t turn in the center.” The team responded, asking Gase to make sure he had all his brake fans on. Around Lap 13, meanwhile, Kyle Busch slid wide off Turn 2 and made light contact with the right-rear of his car. NASCAR Officials watched the #18 for smoke as on Lap 14, the leaders caught Gase to put him one lap down.

Then on Lap 16, Busch’s right-front tire went down and his car went straight into the outside wall, destroying his Toyota. Busch was uninjured and able to drive back to pit road under caution, saying the car “went straight.” He pulled into the garage area without stopping in his pit stall, immediately eliminating him under the Damaged Vehicle Policy. Someone on the crew demanded angrily to see someone from Goodyear about the tire that went down. Busch dropped behind Gase after Lap 17, and Gase earned the Lucky Dog under the Busch caution.

Busch turned out to be the only driver to pull into the garage area for the race’s first half. NASCAR confirmed him out on Lap 37. Around Lap 152, Corey LaJoie pulled behind the wall with an apparent fuel cell issue on his #32. The team ended up spending more than 30 laps on repairs, during which time they also changed tires and filled the car with fuel. During this time, Matt Kenseth spun the #42 Clover Chevrolet off Turn 2 after a tight race with teammate Kurt Busch. When Stage 3 started, Kenseth was then involved in two back-to-back cautions when his right-front tire went down entering Turn 3, putting him into the wall. While the damage still didn’t seem so severe, Kenseth pulled behind the wall after the second misadventure on Lap 204. By then, LaJoie returned to the track on Lap 187 and would ultimately climb to 35th.

The other driver LaJoie passed was John Hunter Nemechek, whose own encounter with the Turn 3 wall was at least as serious as Busch’s. Nemechek’s #38 Citgard Ford locked-up entering the turn on Lap 213 and pounded the wall, destroying his car. He managed to drive back to pit road, but needed a tow behind the wall. All driver involved were apparently uninjured. Joey Gase rounded out the Bottom Five, seven laps down in the #51.

JTG-Daugherty Racing, which last week in Kansas had tied PRISM Motorsports’ 2010 record as the only team to score four consecutive last-place finishes, never threatened in the last-place battle. After starting 30th and 31st, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. climbed to 14th in his #47 Kroger Chevrolet with Ryan Preece’s #37 Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet in 16th.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #18-Kyle Busch / 15 laps / crash

37) #42-Matt Kenseth / 203 laps / crash

36) #38-John Hunter Nemechek / 212 laps / crash

35) #32-Corey LaJoie / 262 laps / running

34) #51-Joey Gase / 293 laps / running

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first time that both Kyle Busch and the #18 have finished last in a Cup Series race at New Hampshire.

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) JTG-Daugherty Racing (6)

2nd) Motorsports Business Management (3)

3rd) Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Ware Racing (2)

4th) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing, Front Row Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Leavine Family Racing, Penske Racing, StarCom Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (13)

2nd) Toyota (5)

3rd) Ford (2)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

ARCA: Owen Smith sweeps last-place finishes in Toledo doubleheader

PHOTO: @owen_smith36 on Instagram

by William Soquet

LASTCAR.info Guest Correspondent

Owen Smith recorded the 2nd last-place finish of his ARCA Menards Series career in Sunday’s rain-delayed Menards 200 presented by Crosley Brands when his #11 Double H Ranch Chevrolet fell out with suspension problems after 14 of 127 laps.

The finish was Smith’s second consecutive, and came in his second series start.

The second race of the Toledo doubleheader weekend was scheduled for Saturday. It was mostly the same field, with the sole exception of a driver change in the Visconti Motorsports #74 car. After Giovanni Bromante ran the car on Friday night, Austin Green, son of Busch Series champion Mark Green, was scheduled to take over the car on Saturday. The team did not give a reason for this driver change.

Qualifying for the second race on Saturday was run on Friday evening; Smith secured the last starting spot with a lap of 20.089 seconds, nearly two seconds slower than the 15th-place car of Brad Smith.

Not long after the field took the green, Taylor Gray spun in turn three after Michael Self made it three wide with Gray and Hailie Deegan. A caution ensued for that incident, but it soon began to rain, and the yellow flag turned into a red flag with six laps complete.

After an ensuing seven-plus hour rain delay, the race was moved to Sunday at noon Eastern time. Unfortunately, there would be no live coverage on MAVTV or on the NBC Sports Gold TrackPass app. That meant that all live updates were routed through the ARCARacing.com live leaderboard. When the leaderboard restarted, it not only showed Gray a lap down, but also showed Tim Richmond a lap down in last place. The leaderboard was lagging under green flag conditions, and the exact last-place changes cannot be pinpointed. What is confirmed is that after running eight laps on Sunday, Owen Smith retired, citing suspension problems.

Mike Basham and Brad Smith were the only other cars to retire. Both cited mechanical problems. Rick Clifton and Tim Richmond, the last two cars running, rounded out the Bottom Five.

The second Toledo race marked the halfway point of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season. All three championships are still wide open. Owen Smith is the only driver to record two last-place finishes so far this year. Chevrolet has a one-race lead on Toyota, 5-4,  and Fast Track Racing sits atop the team standings with four last place finishes, two ahead of second-place Wayne Peterson Racing.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

16) #11-Owen Smith / 14 laps / suspension

15) #48-Brad Smith / 28 laps / brakes

14) #10-Mike Basham / 64 laps / wheel bearing

13) #12-Rick Clifton / 119 laps / running

12) #06-Tim Richmond / 121 laps / running

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (5)

2nd) Toyota (4)

3rd) Ford (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Fast Track Racing (4)

2nd) Wayne Peterson Racing (2)

3rd) DGR-Crosley, Kimmel Racing, Reeves Racing, Russ Lane Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP