TRUCKS: Tire-blistering pace the last straw for Norm Benning at Dover

PHOTO: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images

Norm Benning picked up the 16th last-place finish of his NASCAR Gander Outdoor & RV Truck Series career in Friday’s KDI Office Technology 200 at the Dover International Speedway when his #6 H&H Transport Chevrolet fell out with brake issues after 56 of 200 laps.

The finish, which came in Benning’s 223rd series start, was his second of the season and first since Kentucky, six races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place history, it was the 15th for the #6, the 26th from brake issues, and the 391st for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 63rd for the #6, the 162nd for brake issues, and the 1,734th for Chevrolet.

The finish gave Benning the overall lead in the 2020 LASTCAR Truck Series Championship standings and extends his all-time record for most last-place finishes in the Truck Series. He now leads runner-up Johnny Chapman by two finishes.

Coming into the Dover race, the popular underdog bounced back from four DNFs in his first five starts to finish under power in three consecutive races. The turning point came in the second round of the Kansas double-header, where he engaged in a spirited battle with fellow owner-driver Ray Ciccarelli. What began as a race for last place in Stage 2 later became a race for 24th, with Ciccarelli taking the spot by one lap.

Benning’s season-best 25th in Kansas was followed by a 31st-place run on the Michigan oval, then a recovery from a spin on the Daytona infield road course to take 27th. Benning endured through the Florida heat that day, an effort made more difficult after he lost the straw for the drink the crew handed him late in the race.

The improved performance helped Benning’s metric for qualifying as he drew the 27th spot in a field of 35, a list reduced from 36 after the withdrawal of Dauzat’s ride with FDNY Racing.

Drawing the final spot on the grid was Dawson Cram, who after reporting he had parted ways with Boyd Long elected to make one final start in the #55 Chevrolet for the Dover race. The only driver sent to the rear to join him was Tate Fogleman, who pitted his #02 Solid Rock Carriers Chevrolet from the 18th spot before the start of the race. Benning also appeared to drop back from his 27th spot at the start, and had taken last from Fogleman by the time FS1 first showed the final position on Lap 5. At that moment, Benning was 16.99 seconds back of the lead, and nearly two full seconds behind Tim Viens in the #83 Trump 2020 Patriotic Chevrolet. Viens’ truck needed a paint scheme adjustment as NASCAR took issue with the roof numbers.

On Lap 7, Fogleman spun out of the 28th spot in Turn 4, drawing the first caution. Fogleman avoided contact with the wall, but took last from Benning, who had dropped more than 20 seconds back of the lead at the time. Fogleman lost a lap in the process, and remained last on the restart. With 16 laps to go in Stage 1, Fogleman had lost a second lap, and Benning his first, the #6 now running 34th. With three to go, GMS Racing teammates Tyler Ankrum and Zane Smith were seen speeding past Benning in the high lane, and Benning soon pulled low on the frontstretch to let more of the faster traffic by.

On Lap 60, just after he was lapped once again by Chandler Smith, Benning reported his tires were “terrible,” and the crew informed him that NASCAR said his #6 was running too slow. While radio communications seemed to indicate he’d try to come back out, the team’s day was done.

Finishing 34th was Parker Kligerman, who lost the engine on the #75 Food Country USA Chevrolet after 94 laps. Bryant Barnhill took 33rd in his return to the Reaume Brothers team, eliminated by ignition failure on the #33 Crowe Equipment Toyota. Clay Greenfield struggled to keep pace along with Benning in the early stages, and ultimately cited suspension as the reason for his exit after 133 laps in the #68 Rackley Roofing Toyota. Tim Viens rounded out the group as the last driver under power, a full 20 laps down to the race leaders.

Making just his fourth series start and his first ever at Dover, Carson Hocevar turned heads with a solid 12th-place finish for Al Niece in the #40 Scott’s / GM Parts Now Chevrolet. The run came just one week after his season-worst finish on the Daytona road course, where a late-race wreck left him 28th.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked Benning’s second-straight last-place finish in a Truck Series race at Dover. Last year, on May 3, 2019, he was flagged off the track for not maintaining minimum speed.

*Benning is just the second driver to finish last in the Truck Series race at Dover due to brake issues. The first was Camden Murphy on June 2, 2017.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

35) #6-Norm Benning / 56 laps / brakes

34) #75-Parker Kligerman / 94 laps / engine

33) #33-Bryant Barnhill / 109 laps / ignition

32) #68-Clay Greenfield / 133 laps / suspension

31) #83-Tim Viens / 180 laps / running

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (3)

2nd) Norm Benning Racing (2)

3rd) CMI Motorsports, DGR-Crosley, FDNY Racing, Halmar Friesen Racing, Niece Motorsports, Spencer Davis Motorsports, ThorSport Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (7)

2nd) Ford, Toyota (3)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Five races at Dover make Indianapolis 500 weekend even busier

IMAGES: @OurMotorsports

Friday, August 21, 2020

TRUCKS Race 13 of 23

KDI Office Technology 200 at Dover

2019 Last-Place Finisher (May): Norm Benning

ENTRY LIST

There are 35 entries for 40 spots in Friday’s Truck Series race, down three entries from the Daytona road course event.

MISSING: #8-NEMCO Motorsports

The NEMCO team isn’t entered this week after Mike Skeen finished a quiet 23rd in his return to the series.

MISSING: #9-CR7 Motorsports

MISSING: #30-On Point Motorsports

MISSING: #04-Roper Racing

Perhaps most significantly, this weekend’s action in Dover will mark the first time in 2020 that each of these three teams are not entered. Of the group, On Point’s #30 finished best on the Daytona road course with Scott Lagasse, Jr. taking 9th place ahead of Cory Roper’s #04 in 26th and Codie Rohrbaugh’s #9 in 29th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #24-GMS Racing

Sam Mayer returns to the Truck Series for the first time since his three-race debut with GMS Racing last fall, where he ran 21st at Bristol, 28th at Martinsville, where he led 33 laps, and 19th at Phoenix. At Dover, he takes the place of Kris Wright, who finished 25th in his series debut last week in Daytona. All Weather Armour is Mayer’s listed sponsor.

WITHDREW: #28-FDNY Racing

It’s been a difficult few days for Bryan Dauzat, who last week in the ARCA race never completed a lap after his only car was destroyed in a practice crash. He was entered in Friday’s race, and slated to start 35th in the field of 36, but that changed by Wednesday as the team withdrew.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

Bryant Barnhill returns for his third series start of the season and first since Kentucky, where he ran 33rd. He again drives for Josh Reaume, this time in place of 57-year-old Bryan Collyer, who ran a solid 18th in his first-ever NASCAR start last Sunday.

MISSING: #42-Niece Motorsports

Al Niece has not entered the #42 this week, a truck that spun and stalled with Mark Smith behind the wheel before brake issues ultimately left Smith 36th of the 38 starters.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Niece Motorsports

Just days after driving in relief of J.J. Yeley in Sunday’s Cup Series race, Bayley Currey will return to the Truck Series in place of Natalie Decker, driving the #44 Chevrolet. Currey will run double-duty along with his full-season XFINITY ride with Mike Harmon Racing.

DRIVER CHANGE: #49-CMI Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #56-Hill Motorsports

For the first time, brothers Timmy and Tyler Hill will race against each other in a Truck Series race. Tyler Hill takes the place of Roger Reuse, who was unable to start the Truck Series race in Daytona after clutch issues during the pace laps. Timmy will take Tyler’s place in the #56 the brothers both own, running a black paint scheme this week. Timmy will also run all three series this weekend, participating in all five events (see below).

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports

Chandler Smith makes only his third Truck Series start this year and first since his pole position in Michigan, taking the place of Alex Tagliani, who ran 22nd in Daytona.

RETURNING: #55-Boyd Long Motorsports

Despite Dawson Cram’s earlier tweet that he had parted ways with Boyd Long’s team, driver and team are again entered in this Friday’s race, where Cram will start from the last position.

DRIVER CHANGE: #68-Clay Greenfield Racing

Following the team’s withdrawal from Daytona that led to Roger Reuse running the XFINITY Series instead, Clay Greenfield returns to the driver’s seat this week.

DRIVER CHANGE: #00-Reaume Brothers Racing

J.J. Yeley makes his first Truck Series start since last summer at Bristol, and will again race for the Reaume Brothers. This time, he takes the controls of the #00, replacing Bobby Kennedy, who had to be relieved by Josh Reaume during last Sunday’s race.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, August 22, 2020 (12:30 P.M. Eastern)

XFINITY Race 20 of 33

Drydene 200 Race 1 at Dover

2019 Last-Place Finisher (May): Josh Bilicki

ENTRY LIST

There are 36 drivers entered for 40 spots, down two entries from the Daytona road course. This will begin a challenging pair of double-headers for both the XFINITY Series and the Cup Series on Saturday and Sunday.

DRIVER SWAP: #0-JD Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-JD Motorsports

Colby Howard returns to the XFINITY Series for the first time since Texas, where he ran 23rd. He drives the #15, taking the place of Jeffrey Earnhardt, who returns to Johnny Davis’ #0 in place of Mike Wallace, who isn’t entered after a 25th-place run in Daytona.

DRIVER CHANGE: #8-JR Motorsports

Jeb Burton and the State Water Heaters sponsorship are back on the #8 this week, the pair last entered in the Texas race where Burton finished 6th. He takes the place of Daniel Hemric, who wrecked out early at Daytona, but will hand the wheel back to Hemric for the second round of the Dover double-header (see below).

DRIVER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management

Chad Fichum returns to the #13 in which he was originally entered for last week’s Daytona race before Bobby Reuse took his place. Garrison Homes is the listed sponsor for Finchum’s #13 Toyota.

DRIVER CHANGE: #21-Richard Childress Racing

Earl Bamber ran strong at Daytona before he twice found trouble on the road course, cutting short his NASCAR debut. This week, Anthony Alfredo returns to the driver’s seat for his 11th series start and first since Texas. ADS / Footing First are his listed sponsors for the #21 Chevrolet.

MISSING: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

Brandon Gdovic is not entered after a late-race crash left them a disappointing 28th in Daytona.

DRIVER CHANGE: #36-DGM Racing

Korbin Forrister is set to make his fifth XFINITY Series start and first since September 23, 2017 at Kentucky, where he ran 33rd. This week, he drives for Mario Gosselin, taking the place of Preston Pardus, whose top-ten streak ended at two after he was collected in a crash at Daytona. Nursing Home Heroes is Forrister’s listed sponsor.

TEAM UPDATE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

As of this writing, Mike Harmon's team is still searching for the truck, trailer, and car that Kyle Weatherman raced last week in Daytona after they were reported stolen Sunday in Kingsland, Georgia. Just yesterday, sponsor Repairables.com doubled the $5,000 reward. Rick Ware, Josh Reaume, and Johnny Davis have also offered help to MHR as they prepare both cars for this weekend. Full details in this article.

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Timmy Hill returns to MBM’s #66 in place of road racer Harold Crooms, who fell out with brake issues and finished 35th in Daytona. Both Hill and teammate Stephen Leicht in the #61 are listed with the same sponsorship from Jani-King.

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

Vinnie Miller returns to the XFINITY Series after taking the Daytona week off, and is back in the #78 for the first time since Kansas. He takes the place of Scott Heckert, who flirted with a strong finish before late issues left him 19th. Glasskinz is listed as Miller’s sponsor.

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

Rich Mar Florist, which sponsored Garrett Smithley earlier this year (including in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series) is the listed sponsor for Stefan Parsons, who returns to the #99 in place of Josh Bilicki, 12th in Daytona. Rich Mar will also sponsor Spencer Boyd in the Truck Series race on Friday. Parsons has four previous XFINITY starts this year, most recently a season-best 18th in Texas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

Andy Lally turned heads with back-to-back 5th-place finishes in a Mark Martin throwback on the road courses. This week, Brett Moffitt will do the same in a throwback scheme to Jimmie Johnson’s “red vest” paint scheme on his #02 Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

David Starr jumps aboard the #07 for the first time since Kansas, where he ran 24th, taking the place of road racer Jade Buford, who ran 16th last week in Daytona. ATS and Jacob Construction are the listed sponsors.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, August 22, 2020 (4:00 P.M. Eastern)

CUP Race 24 of 36

Drydene 311 Race 1 at Dover

2019 Last-Place Finisher (May, 400 miles): B.J. McLeod

ENTRY LIST

There are 40 teams entered for as many spots, the first full field since Kansas, and the 13th in 24 races this season.

DRIVER CHANGE: #3-Richard Childress Racing

Austin Dillon is expected to return from his one-week hiatus following a positive COVID-19 test, an incident which led to Kaz Grala’s impressive 7th-place finish in his series debut. Dow / Behr Ultra Scuff Defense is the listed sponsor for Dillon’s return.

RETURNING: #7-Tommy Baldwin Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #53-Rick Ware Racing

Garrett Smithley hops from Rick Ware’s #53 to the returning #7 fielded by Tommy Baldwin, Jr. This leaves open the #53 for Josh Bilicki, who isn’t running XFINITY this week as he takes a turn in the Insurance King / The Wounded Blue Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Rick Ware Racing

Joey Gase drives the #51 for the first time since Loudon, and makes his first Cup start since his own turn in the TBR #7 in the first race of the Michigan double-header earlier this month. Gase is listed as driving a Ford this week. He takes the place of James Davison, who isn’t entered following a 30th-place run in Daytona.

MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports

Brendan Gaughan will not run in Dover after his last-place finish due to transmission issues on the tight Daytona road course. Gaughan is expected to return next week on the Daytona oval, which will be the penultimate round of his retirement season.

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

Reed Sorenson is back in the Cup Series for the first time since his filming duties in the “Fake Steak” #74 at Michigan, taking the place of Stanton Barrett in the #77 Chevrolet. Barrett struggled with brake issues and at least two off-course excursions en route to a 38th-place finish.

RETURNING: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

In addition to his XFINITY Series duties as both driver and owner, B.J. McLeod fields his own Cup car for the first time since Kansas. After his last-place finish in the spring Cup race here last year, he rebounded with a 29th-place run in the fall, his best in four starts at the track.

Sunday, August 23, 2020 (1:00 P.M. Eastern)

XFINITY Race 21 of 33

Drydene 200 Race 2 at Dover

2019 Last-Place Finisher (October): Harrison Burton

ENTRY LIST

Unfortunately scheduled at the same time as the 104th Indianapolis 500, this second round of the XFINITY Series double-header will see the same 36 teams entered with just one driver change.

DRIVER CHANGE: #8-JR Motorsports

As indicated above, Daniel Hemric and his Poppy Bank sponsorship will return to the #8 team, looking to rebound from their disastrous outing in Daytona.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, August 23, 2020 (4:00 P.M. Eastern)

CUP Race 25 of 36

Drydene 311 Race 2 at Dover

2019 Last-Place Finisher (October, 400 miles): Chase Elliott

ENTRY LIST

The same 40 teams are entered for the second round at Dover with no yet reported driver or team changes. The only changes are a crew chief swap for the #7 team (Tommy Baldwin, Jr. in place of Patrick Donahue) and a few primary sponsor changes: #9 Chase Elliott (Mountain Dew / Team Rubicon on Saturday; NAPA Auto Parts on Sunday), #17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Fastenal; SunnyD), #19-Martin Truex, Jr. (SiriusXM; Bass Pro Shops), #20-Erik Jones (DeWalt Atomic; Reser’s Fine Foods), #21-Matt DiBenedetto (Menards / Monster Energy; Menards / Richmond), and #43-Bubba Wallace (Columbia; Doordash).

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (August 20, 1955): Fred Johnson picked up the first last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in a 100-lap race on the one-mile paved Raleigh (North Carolina) Speedway. Johnson started 17th in the 29-car field driving a 1955 Cadillac fielded by Jim Lowe and Carl Beckham, a #56 sponsored by B & L Motors, a dealership near the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Johnson lasted just 27 laps before a burned piston ended his day. This was the second and final last-place finish for Cadillac in NASCAR history. The other occurrence was just six days earlier, when Gwyn Staley’s run with the same team resulted in a bearing issue after 3 laps of the Mid-South 250 at the Memphis-Arkansas (Arkansas) Speedway. Incidentally, this same team fielded a 1955 Oldsmobile for one Junior Johnson, who scored his first five career wins with the team.

ARCA: Carnage in practice leaves Dauzat unable to start historic Daytona race

SCREENCAP: @nascarcatholic

by William Soquet

LASTCAR.info Guest Contributor

Bryan Dauzat finished last for the second time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Friday’s General Tire 100 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course when his #57 Brother-In-Law Motorsports Chevrolet failed to start the race. 

The finish came in Dauzat’s 18th attempt at an ARCA Menards Series race, and was his first the 2016 season finale, 72 races ago.

The president of a construction company, Dauzat has dabbled in a number of forms of racing in the past decade. He was a regular in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour before that series became defunct and has also made sporadic starts in the main Whelen Modified Tour, CARS Super Late Model Tour, ARCA Menards Series, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

When the Talladega entry list was released without Dauzat’s trademark #57 car on the list, it marked the first time since 2015 that Dauzat did not enter either one of the restrictor plate races. However, the Louisiana driver did find his way on to the entry list for the Daytona road course event for his first career ARCA road course start. 

The overall entry list came close to the 25-car cap on the field, as 22 cars filled out the initial list. A number of road course ringers emerged for the series’ first road course start since 2017: Parker Chase, driving the Chad Bryant Racing #22; Ayrton Ori, driving the Visconti Motorsports 74 car; and Will Rodgers, driving the Steve McGowan Motorsports #17W car. Another road ringer not officially entered but still slated to compete was Colin Braun, scheduled to take over for Sam Mayer at the first caution of the race after Mayer suffered a hairline fracture in his wrist in a fiery Trans-Am crash at Road America on August 8.

Several other part-time drivers emerged for the race: semi-regulars Max McLaughlin, Russ Lane and Mike Basham; season debuts for Will Kimmel and Nick Igdalsky; and the series debut for Tim Monroe. Monroe, Ori, and Chase, the three series debuts, presented interesting contrasts: Monroe, a modified oval racer and Fast Track Racing crewman; Chase, an IMSA driver who had to give up a full-time 2020 slate to focus on education; and Ori, a sixteen-year-old aiming to be America’s next driver to appear on the Formula 1 circuit. A third entry for DGR-Crosley, the #54, was entered without a driver on the initial entry list and eventually withdrew.

Like most summer afternoons in Florida, Friday afternoon’s practice suffered a looming threat of rain. Also looming was the threat of the unknown, as many feared that ARCA competition throughout the weekend would be a more sloppy version of the inaugural Charlotte Roval race. Suffice to say, practice did in fact live up (or down?) to expectations. Practice started soon after 2:00 PM local time on Friday afternoon and within fifteen minutes, there was considerable action on track. Dauzat and Igdalsky had already found the tire barriers, and Russ Lane had an incident as well. Basham soon became the third car in the tire barriers. Midway through the session, Bret Holmes finally turned the first completed lap at a time of over nine minutes. Only thirteen cars took a time before practice was called for lightning, still leaving eight entries with little to no experience on track before the race.

As it was a no-qualifying weekend for the series, Dauzat was listed last on the starting grid due to the #57 having no previous attempts in 2020. Just ahead of him in Row 10 on the starting grid was Lane and Rodgers, both driving entries that have only made sporadic appearances this season. 

Unfortunately, Dauzat never took the starting grid, as the damage to the front clip was too much to overcome. Tim Monroe pulled off coming to the green, and Brad Smith retired after one lap complete. Con Nicolopoulos took three laps around the road course before becoming the last driver to exit the race, as no drivers failed to finish due to crash damage. Ayrton Ori rounded out the Bottom Five, two laps down after multiple issues on track, including a cut tire in the closing laps after a spin in the grass.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

21) #57-Bryan Dauzat / 0 laps / did not start

20) #11-Tim Monroe / 0 laps / electrical

19) #48-Brad Smith / 1 lap / transmission

18) #06-Con Nicolopoulos / 3 laps / overheating

17) #74-Ayrton Ori / 26 laps / running

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (7)

2nd) Toyota (4)

3rd) Ford (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Fast Track Racing (5)

2nd) Wayne Peterson Racing (2)

3rd) Brother-In-Law Motorsports, DGR-Crosley, Kimmel Racing, Reeves Racing, Russ Lane Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

CUP: Brendan Gaughan edges Barrett for first last-place finish since 2012

PHOTO: Chris Graythen, Getty Images

Brendan Gaughan picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course when his #62 Beard Oil / South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet fell out with transmission issues after 46 of 65 laps.

The finish, which came in Gaughan’s 65th series start, was his first of the season and first since March 25, 2012 at Fontana, 306 races ago. In the Cup Series last-place rankings, it was the 18th for the #62, the 81st from transmission issues, and the 791st for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 28th for the #62, the 166th from transmission woes, and the 1,733rd for Chevrolet.

The affable veteran of all three of NASCAR’s premier series selected this 2020 campaign as his last. Since 1997, Gaughan has scored two XFINITY wins, eight in the Truck Series, and eight in the former K&N Pro Series West, where he won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. He also shared a special tie with the infield road course at Daytona, where in 2011, he and The Racers Group’s Porsche GT3 Cup won the GT division in the 24 Hours of Daytona. The team finished 12th overall, paired with Steven Bertheau, Wolf Henzler, Andy Lally, and Spencer Pumpelly.

It was thus less surprising that the single-car team owned by Mark Beard (no relation) elected to enter the first NASCAR Cup Series event to be held on the Daytona Road Course. Since 2017, both Gaughan and Beard had run exclusively on the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega – first with the #75, then with Gaughan’s more familiar #62. Despite their unusual schedule, the organization has become a threat to win, taking 11th in their first run in the 2017 Daytona 500, then 7th in the July return. They ran 8th last year at Talladega, and were going for the lead in the final ten laps when contact sent Gaughan into a spectacular flip into Turn 3. The team rebounded just this year with by matching their team-best 7th in the Daytona 500 before a 21st-place showing in Talladega. With the 400-mile Daytona race pushed to late August and the road course added, the decision was made to expand Gaughan’s retirement season to one more race. While listed with “Beard Motorsports” as the sponsor, the #62 still carried the same South Point and Beard Oil sponsorship from their previous superspeedway efforts.

NASCAR’s new calculus for setting the lineup proved irrelevant as the #62 still drew the 39th and final starting spot. Joining him at the back were four other drivers: Kaz Grala, who took over for Austin Dillon after a positive COVID-19 test, and was set to start 10th in the #3 American Ethanol Chevrolet; 29th-place Corey LaJoie in the #32 Trump / Pence 2020 Ford due to two inspection failures; 34th-place Stanton Barrett in the #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for a driver change with Reed Sorenson; and 37th-place Timmy Hill in the #66 RoofClaim.com Toyota for unapproved adjustments.

When the race started, however, the last spot fell to Quin Houff, who debuted a radical new look on his #00 Bos Klein / Creek Enterprises Chevrolet. Houff was 6.258 seconds back of the lead with Barrett’s #77 in front of him by open track. At the end of the first lap, Houff caught and passed Gaughan, who had to stop for missing a chicane. Gaughan made up time quickly, and by the end of Lap 2 was within eight-tenths of catching Houff. 

On Lap 4, as Gaughan began to express concern over his water temperature, he caught and passed Barrett. Barrett then reported more serious issues, saying he smelled fluid and had issues with his brakes. He decided to come down pit road that time by, and was in his stall on Lap 5. The crew looked under the hood, then pulled into the garage area on Lap 7. He entered near Joey Logano’s pit stall and the crew set to work in Garage Stall #37. As the team set to work, they also removed a window tear-off. On Lap 12, he was told to pump the brakes three times and hold the pedal while the crew bled the system. The car re-fired on Lap 16, when Barrett finally completed his fifth lap, now a full 11 laps down in last place. Barrett still wasn’t happy, however, and reported he had a problem with one of the front wheels. 

While unchallenged for the spot as many stayed on the lead lap, other contenders began to position themselves. By Lap 32, J.J. Yeley was suffering serious heat exhaustion in the #27 XBOX Ford. On Lap 33, the team decided to pull Yeley behind the wall for a driver change. They picked Bayley Currey, the only person available who still had his driver’s uniform and helmet ready. It’s still uncertain if this violated NASCAR’s mandate that drivers couldn’t run more than one race that weekend. James Davison, Yeley’s teammate in the #51 Jacob Construction Ford, was fighting to stay on the lead lap, then fought to stay in the Lucky Dog spot. Meanwhile, Gaughan had climbed to 32nd by Lap 26.

On Lap 36, the caution, then the red fell for lightning, which stopped the race for more than half an hour. The caution allowed Currey to get one of his two laps back, putting him in a better position for the final stage. When the delay ended, Quin Houff was the final driver to report to his car, and Kurt Busch the last to be ready to restart. However, both Davison and Barrett’s cars wouldn’t refire, and each needed a different truck to give them a push. While Davison needed help figuring out how to re-start the car, Barrett’s refused to turn over, and he believed the #77 had a bad battery. After flipping “every visible switch,” Davison’s car restarted while Barrett was pushed to the garage for the Lap 40 restart. Barrett’s own car re-fired again on Lap 43, and the driver returned to the track a full 15 laps down. While deciding to race to the finish, Barrett twice ran through the grass in the chicanes, plastering wet grass onto the front valence of his Chevrolet.

Around Lap 47, Gaughan reported an issue with his transmission and pulled behind the wall, not wanting to get in anyone else’s way. The driver expressed disappointment, saying he was “finally starting to put some laps together.” As Barrett continued to fight his way around the track, he slowly closed the gap on Gaughan, who by 10 laps to go was the first driver declared out of the race. With three laps to go, Barrett was on the same lap as Gaughan, and dropped the #62 to last place soon after. Barrett advanced no further, even after Kyle Busch’s #18 Snickers Toyota had two catastrophic brake failures that first put him behind the wall, then into the wall on the backstretch.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were Garrett Smithley, who Barrett said he was catching in the #53 True Brand Ford. Smithley’s day ended with battery issues in the final five laps. Taking 35th was John Hunter Nemechek, who suffered crash damage to his #38 Death Wish Coffee Ford following a late spin through the grass.

The day’s most impressive run belonged to Kaz Grala, whose Cup debut in Dillon’s #3 left him a strong 7th place. In so doing, he became the first driver other than Dale Earnhardt or Austin Dillon to start a Cup Series points race in the iconic number since 1984. Jimmy Hensley, Mike Skinner, and even Dillon’s father Mike Dillon had all served relief roles for Earnhardt in years past. Only Hensley was technically credited with a start – and a last-place finish – for putting the #3 on the pole at Martinsville in the fall of 1989.

Also turning heads was Michael McDowell, who finally earned a respectable road course finish to match his background in the discipline. McDowell’s #34 Chicago Pneumatic Ford ran as high as 5th before settling back to 10th at the finish. This was McDowell’s best run since Indianapolis, where he ran a season-best 7th.

For Gaughan, it will be a short turn-around before he runs his next-to-last NASCAR race on the Daytona oval in two weeks. He will close out his career at Talladega on October 4.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #62 in a Cup Series points race since November 15, 2015, when Timmy Hill’s run in the Prairie Auto Credit Chevrolet saw him finish nearly 100 laps down, but still under power, in the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

39) #62-Brendan Gaughan / 46 laps / transmission

38) #77-Stanton Barrett / 49 laps / running

37) #18-Kyle Busch / 53 laps / crash

36) #53-Garrett Smithley / 60 laps / battery

35) #38-John Hunter Nemechek / 62 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) JTG-Daugherty Racing (6)

2nd) Motorsports Business Management (3)

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

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

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (15)

2nd) Toyota (5)

3rd) Ford (3)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Roger Reuse’s first-lap clutch issues give #49 first Truck Series last-place finish

PHOTO: David PeQueen, @CarSDS2078

Roger Reuse picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World RV & Outdoors Truck Series career in Sunday’s Sunoco 159 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course when his #49 BELIMO / WCIParts.com Chevrolet did not complete any of the 46 laps due to clutch issues.

The finish came in Reuse’s third series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 1st for the #49, the 17th from clutch issues, and the 390th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 57th for the #49, the 67th for clutch issues, and the 1,732nd for Chevrolet.

For the last few years, Roger and his younger brother Bobby Reuse have run a handful of road course races in both the XFINITY and Truck Series. We caught up to the pair of them just last year, when they battled against each other at Mosport with Bobby 22nd and Roger 25th. 

The pair were set to do battle once again this year, even after the Mosport event was cancelled and moved to the Daytona infield road course. With the help of sponsorship from WCIParts.com, Bobby was to drive in place of Clay Greenfield in the #68 while Roger drove CMI Motorsports’ primary #49. That changed after apparent chassis certification issues for the #68 that led to Bobby’s entry being withdrawn. Bobby then landed his first XFINITY race on Saturday, taking Chad Finchum’s place in the #13 RoofClaim.com Toyota, taking 30th.

With his brother’s 37th-place truck withdrawn, Roger kept the 36th spot in the resulting 38-truck field.

Starting 38th and last in Sunday’s race was Reuse’s teammate Tim Viens in the #83 Trump / Pence 2020 Chevrolet. While no drivers were sent to the rear for pre-race penalties, Reuse had immediate issues. The #49 didn’t start, and the crew had to retrieve him and push him back to pit road. The issue was the clutch, which the driver said kept disengaging and was making “a bad noise.” The crew looked under the hood and ultimately pulled him behind the wall. When the race started, Reuse was shown 29.26 seconds back of the leader and 24.001 back of the now 37th-place Viens. But the #49 never completed a lap and remained last for the duration.

NASCAR’s officials in the garage didn’t officially declare Reuse or any other driver officially out until after the race’s conclusion. Jennifer Jo Cobb, making her 200th Truck Series start, pulled behind the wall on Lap 8 after her brake pedal went to the floor, the crew bleeding the brakes on her #10 Fastener Supply Company Chevrolet. She returned to the track on Lap 11 and, despite some penalties on pit road, ultimately climbed out of the Bottom Five to the 31st spot. Tim Viens, who passed Cobb after her brake issue, made it to 24th.

The 37th-place finisher ended up being Bobby Kennedy, who needed a driver change in his NASCAR debut. Kennedy pulled the #00 Toyota down pit road for team owner Josh Reaume to take his place, but an electrical issue then forced the truck behind the wall. Reaume returned to the race, only to stall short of the entrance of pit road and drop out with ignition failure on Lap 40.

Taking 36th was Mark Smith, making his first start since Eldora last year in the #42 St. Lucie Battery & Tire Chevrolet. Smith spun and stalled to draw the first caution on Lap 11, then ultimately retired on Lap 36 with brake issues. Drivetrain problems left Jordan Anderson 35th in the #3 Lucas Oil / Bommarito.com Chevrolet. And for Spencer Davis, who returned after missing Michigan due to a positive COVID-19 test, his #11 Toyota ended up 34th with brake issues on the 36th circuit after battling for a 10th-place finish in Stage 2.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first time a Truck Series driver finished last due to clutch issues since September 20, 2014, when Ted Minor scored his own first last-place run with first-lap issues on his #57 Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet in the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #49-Roger Reuse / 0 laps / clutch

37) #00-Bobby Kennedy / 15 laps / ignition

36) #42-Mark Smith / 31 laps / brakes

35) #3-Jordan Anderson / 31 laps / drivetrain

34) #11-Spencer Davis / 35 laps / brakes

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (3)

2nd) CMI Motorsports, 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 (6)

2nd) Ford, Toyota (3)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP