PREVIEW: Paint schemes aren’t the only throwbacks on Darlington entry lists as three past Daytona winners enter the Truck Series race

Objectively the best "throwback" scheme to run this weekend in Darlington.
PHOTO: @XfinityRacing

Saturday, September 5, 2020

XFINITY Race 23 of 33

Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Denny Hamlin

ENTRY LIST

There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots, the same number as last week in Daytona.

DRIVER SWAP: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #6-JD Motorsports

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

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

Returning to the XFINITY Series for the first time since Kansas is Ryan Vargas, who this time takes the controls of Johnny Davis’ #6 Chevrolet, and carries a throwback to Jimmie Johnson’s own Busch Series ride, the #92 Excedrin Chevrolet. Vargas’ return bumps B.J. McLeod back to his own #78, which has shaken up the lineup of his three-car effort. Vinnie Miller, who ran a strong 11th in the #78 last week, will this Saturday run the #5. Matt Mills moves from the #5 to the #99, taking the place of Joey Gase, who isn’t entered.

MISSING: #16-Kaulig Racing

A.J. Allmendinger and the third Kaulig Racing entry are not entered this weekend after a bump from teammate Ross Chastain wrecked him out of the lead on the final lap of last week’s Daytona race.

DRIVER CHANGE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

In a perfect combination of Mike Harmon Racing’s support of the “Back The Blue” campaign and a tribute to David Ragan, who repainted a 1960 Ford Fairlane to resemble the Mayberry police car from “The Andy Griffith Show,” the #47 is decorated like a police car for Saturday’s race. Kyle Weatherman returns to the team after Tim Viens finished 18th in Daytona.

RETURNING: #54-Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin and sponsor Sport Clips are back for their annual “Buschwhacking” attempt at Darlington. Last year, Hamlin was disqualified, taking last from Morgan Shepherd and handing Cole Custer the victory.

DRIVER CHANGE: #61-Motorsports Business Management

Austin Hill makes his fourth XFINITY start of the year and first since Charlotte in May, again driving the #61 MBM entry with added support from Hattori Racing Enterprises. Toyota Tsusho is the listed sponsor for his Supra. Austin takes the place of Timmy Hill, who will focus on a double-header on Sunday in both the Truck Series and Cup Series (see below).

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Stephen Leicht hopes for a better outcome than his most recent XFINITY race at Darlington this past May, where serious handling issues left him out of the race in the opening seconds. This time, Leicht drives in place of John Jackson, who isn’t entered after a Turn 1 spin left him next-to-last in Daytona. The #66 carries the familiar blue, yellow, and white colors of team owner Carl Long’s former #85 Dodge he raced for Mansion Motorsports. Incidentally, Leicht’s last name is misspelled “Leight” on the roof rails.

DRIVER CHANGE: #74-Mike Harmon Racing

Bayley Currey joins teammate Kyle Weatherman in returning to MHR this weekend, one week after Harmon himself steered the #74 to a 17th-place finish, one spot in front of the team’s #47.

DRIVER CHANGE: #90-DGM Racing

Dexter Bean makes his fourth XFINITY start of the year and first since Kansas. It will be Bean’s first XFINITY start at Darlington since back in 2016, when he fell out after five laps in DGM’s #92 due to electrical issues. Bean may run a longer race this time as he takes the place of Caesar Bacarella in Mario Gosselin’s flagship #90 Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

David Starr returns to the Bobby Dotter team for the first time since he finished 27th and 20th in the double-header at Dover. He takes the place of Daytona runner-up Gray Gaulding, who isn’t entered this week.

CUP INVADERS: #54-Denny Hamlin

Sunday, September 6, 2020 (2:00 P.M. Eastern)

TRUCKS Race 15 of 23

South Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Darlington

2011 Last-Place Finisher: Brad Sweet

ENTRY LIST

The Truck Series returns to “The Lady In Black” for the first time since 2011, and joins in the “Throwback Weekend” festivities. The field consists of 34 drivers for 40 spots.

MISSING: #7-All Out Motorsports

The #7 team is again not among this week’s entrants after they withdrew from Gateway without a driver listed.

RETURNING: #9-CR7 Motorsports

Codie Rohrbaugh returns to action for the first time since the Daytona infield road course, and will again campaign the #9 Pray For Joshua Chevrolet.

MISSING: #11-Spencer Davis Motorsports

Spencer Davis is not entered after his team withdrew from Gateway last week.

RETURNING: #17-DGR-Crosley

After two separate attempts to run a Truck Series race in 2020, where the lack of qualifying left him out of the field at both Atlanta and Michigan, David Ragan will finally get to make his season debut on Sunday in the #17 Select Blinds Ford. Ragan has a combined 15 NASCAR starts at Darlington, but only in the Cup and XFINITY Series.

DRIVER CHANGE: #24-GMS Racing

The Darlington Raceway has seen both the highs and lows of Greg Biffle’s career. He took the checkered flag in back-to-back Cup races in 2005 and 2006, and was well on his way to a third in 2008 when the engine let go after he led a then-LASTCAR record 95 laps. More than a year after he took the checkered flag in his NASCAR return at Texas for Kyle Busch Motorsports, “The Biff” returns with GMS Racing, taking the place of Sam Mayer in a #24 decorated to resemble the GMAC Chevrolet of the late Ricky Hendrick.

DRIVER CHANGE: #40-Niece Motorsports

Welcome back 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne, who on Sunday will not only make his first start in NASCAR’s top three series since November 4, 2018, but will make his Truck Series debut. His ride is Al Niece’s #40 Plan B Sales / Proceller8 Chevrolet, the same entry Carson Hocevar ran last week in Gateway.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Niece Motorsports

In addition to Saturday’s XFINITY race, Bayley Currey will run a 1983-1984 Cale Yarborough throwback on his #44 Hardcore Fish & Game Chevrolet, taking the place of Natalie Decker, 28th in Gateway.

MISSING: #49-CMI Motorsports

Neither Ray Ciccarelli truck is entered, including the #49 that ran last week in Gateway. Roger Reuse rebounded from his first-lap clutch issues at Daytona to take a 27th-place finish last Sunday.

DRIVER CHANGE: #56-Hill Motorsports

Timmy Hill will take the place of brother Tyler, who ran 21st in Gateway, and carries a throwback scheme to his father Jerry Hill. Not only will the truck continue to run Jerry’s #56 from the Cup Series, but it will feature a bold red stripe on the doors, similar to Jerry’s Truck Series ride with Rick Ware’s team in 2003.

DRIVER CHANGE: #00-Reaume Brothers Racing

Team owner Josh Reaume will resume driving duties this Sunday in place of Kyle Donahue, who took 20th in Gateway. Reaume last took the wheel as a relief driver on the Daytona infield road course before mechanical issues ended his run.

CUP INVADERS: None (technically)

Sunday, September 6, 2020 (6:00 P.M. Eastern)

CUP Race 27 of 36

Round of 16: Race 1 of 3

Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington

2019 Last-Place Finisher: B.J. McLeod

ENTRY LIST

There are 39 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the first short field since the Daytona infield road course, four races ago, and the 12th in 27 races this season.

DRIVER SWAP: #51-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #53-Rick Ware Racing

James Davison and Joey Gase will swap rides from the Daytona entries. Davison will run the #53 Signing Day Sports Chevrolet, which is decorated like the #53 Simoniz Chevrolet of open-wheel star Tom Sneva. Joey Gase will campaign the #51 ASC / Agri Supply Carolina Cooker Ford entry, which as announced on April 1st, will honor Bobby Allison. Ware’s team has two other impressive “throwback” schemes as Brennan Poole’s #15 Remember Everyone Deployed Chevrolet will resemble one of Bud Moore’s #15 Motorcraft Fords from the mid-1980s while J.J. Yeley honors the late Kenny Irwin, Jr. with the 1997 #27 NERF Ford paint scheme.

MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports

Brendan Gaughan isn’t entered this week, and will return in Talladega for the final NASCAR start of his career.

TEAM UPDATE: #77-Spire Motorsports

While Reed Sorenson was originally listed to drive, Ross Chastain will again run the #77 as he had at Daytona. As revealed on the latest episode of the “Dale Jr. Download,” the team will honor Dale Earnhardt with the Johnny Ray-owned Chevrolet Malibu paint scheme, carrying sponsorship from Dirty Mo Media. 

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 3, 1973): Richard Childress picks up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Southern 500 at Darlington after his #96 L.C. Newton Trucking 1973 Chevrolet lost the engine after 19 laps. Tim Brewer was his crew chief that day, and Cale Yarborough dominated to lead 277 of 367 laps on his way to victory.

ARCA: Owen Smith extends lead in drivers’ championship after third last-place finish

SCREENSHOT: NBC Sports, captured by @nascarcatholic

by William Soquet

LASTCAR.info Guest Contributor

Owen Smith finished last for the third time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Friday’s Dutch Boy 150 at World Wide Technology at Gateway when his #10 Fast Track Chevrolet fell out with brake problems after seven laps.

The finish came in Smith’s third career series start.

Since his most recent start at Toledo Speedway, Smith has been relatively quiet, only posting a picture of his late model shop on Instagram. He arrived at Gateway to drive a plain white #10 car for Fast Track Racing. It was so plain, in fact, that Smith’s name was not printed on the name rail but rather handwritten on a piece of tape that went on the name rail.

The entry list for Gateway was a solid 21 cars, helped in large part by it being an off-weekend in both the East and West regional series. Bill McAnally Racing brought three cars while Rev Racing brought two. Kris Wright had an appearance in a rare Chevrolet entry from Chad Bryant Racing, and Kyle Sieg returned for another race in his limited schedule this year. A number of short-track fixtures also returned, including Ty Gibbs, Sam Mayer, Max McLaughlin, Chandler Smith and Tim Richmond. Fast Track filled its other two cars with a familiar face and a new one: Mike Basham returned to drive the #11, and South Texas asphalt modified driver Max Calles filled the seat of the #12. Missing from the list was Thad Moffitt, who ran the first twelve races of the season for DGR-Crosley.

The lone practice session ended with eventual race winner Gibbs on top of the board. Owen Smith was at the bottom behind Brad Smith, Basham, Calles and Richmond. The starting lineup was set by Sioux Chief Showdown owner points, leaving 16th-quickest Kyle Sieg as the last starter.

Heading to the green, however, Owen and Brad Smith both dropped to the rear of the field, with Owen Smith in last place when the race started. The 10 car held that position the entire race until he parked his entry. Meanwhile, Kyle Sieg had made his way up to 16th position by lap nine.

Mike Basham was the only other car that retired from the race, citing a vibration after 11 laps. Rounding out the Bottom Five were Brad Smith, Wright and Calles. Wright’s debut for CBR was hampered by transmission issues, per the team.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

21) #10-Owen Smith / 7 laps / brakes

20) #11-Mike Basham / 11 laps / vibration

19) #48-Brad Smith / 109 laps / running

18) #22-Kris Wright / 109 laps / running

17) #12-Max Calles / 114 laps / running

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (8)

2nd) Toyota (4)

3rd) Ford (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Fast Track Racing (6)

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

TRUCKS: Johnny Sauter’s streak of finishing no worse than 4th at Gateway ends in last place

SCREENSHOT: @NASCARONFOX

Johnny Sauter picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career in Sunday’s CarShield 200 Presented by CK Power at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway when his #13 Vivitar Ford fell out with a vibration after 22 of 160 laps.

The finish, which came in Sauter’s 280th series start, was his second of the year and first since Atlanta, ten races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 7th for the #13, the 34th from a vibration, and the 109th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 33rd for the #13, the 214th from a vibration, and the 967th for Ford.

Sauter is now in a tie for the 2020 LASTCAR Truck Series lead with Norm Benning, who he trails on a bottom-five tiebreaker, 6-4.

One of the series’ most consistent and determined veterans, Johnny Sauter has faced a disappointing and frustrating season in 2020. The disqualification that placed him last in Atlanta dropped him from 2nd to 8th in the point standings, and was soon followed by an engine failure in Texas, then a crash in Kansas. Even 18 laps in the lead in Michigan yielded only a 16th-place finish. While he finished 6th just last week in Dover, he now found himself on the wrong side of the cut line for the Playoffs with three races to go. He hoped for better fortunes at Gateway, where he had yet to win, but had finished no worse than 4th in all seven of his previous starts there.

Sauter drew the 9th starting spot in a field that was originally set to hold 35 entries. That changed twice in the week as All Out Motorsports first withdrew their #7 Toyota without a driver listed. Spencer Davis then withdrew with the #11 Spencer Davis Motorsports team later in the week, their second withdrawal in the last four races.

Rolling off 33rd and last was Roger Reuse, who returned to the Truck Series for the first time since clutch issues kept him from starting the Daytona road course race two weeks ago. He again drove for Ray Ciccarelli in the #49 WCIParts.com Chevrolet. He rolled off to the outside of Norm Benning, who held the inside line in his #6 H&H Transport Chevrolet. Both happened to be the series’ two most recent last-place finishers.

Norm Benning during the early laps.
PHOTO: Ethan Stuckwisch, @Tah_Goat35

When the race started, Benning pulled ahead of Reuse by 0.610 seconds at the end of Lap 1, but the pair both lost ground to 31st-place Natalie Decker in the #44 N29 Capital Partners Chevrolet, 1.416 seconds ahead Benning. The intervals steadily grew through the first six laps, when Benning dropped 3.012 seconds back of Decker, 17.023 back of the leader. By then, Reuse was over two seconds back of Benning, 19.584 back of the lead. On Lap 11, Reuse was running by himself, 3.414 seconds back of Benning and 31.49 behind the leader when he was soon lapped by Zane Smith. Benning lost a lap the next time by. By Lap 19, both Reuse and Benning were on the verge of losing a second lap.

Sauter didn’t enter the battle until Lap 23, when he made an unscheduled green-flag pit stop. The crew jacked up the driver’s side and looked under the hood, the driver reporting a bad vibration. With Reuse and Benning within just two laps of the leader, this dropped Sauter to last on Lap 26. On Lap 29, the FS1 broadcast revealed an issue with the drivetrain was to blame, much as it had for J.J. Yeley in Saturday’s Cup race. A later report by Sauter himself on Lap 39 indicated the solenoid had come loose, and the truck had a possible broken bell housing.

Finishing 32nd was Christian Eckes, whose #18 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota pulled behind the wall with driveshaft issues stemming from a vibration. Jennifer Jo Cobb took 31st after her #10 Fastener Supply Company Chevrolet smacked the wall off Turn 2. Austin Wayne Self hit the same barrier even harder after contact from Carson Hocevar’s #40 Scott’s Chevrolet sent Self’s #22 Go Texan / AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet into the Turn 1 barrier. Self returned to the track in the final 10 laps and threw a block on Hocevar down the backstretch, but advanced no further than 30th before he was eliminated under the DVP. Benning rounded out the Bottom Five in 29th, 12 laps down.

Before his incident with Self, Hocevar was one of the day’s strong underdog performances. He worked his way up to 9th in the final stages when he suddenly slowed on the backstretch with 29 to go, ultimately leaving him 15th. Finishing one spot behind him was Danny Bohn, making his first start of the season, and the return of On Point Motorsports’ #30 after they team skipped Dover. After starting 29th on the grid, Bohn climbed to 20th by Lap 37, then to 14th inside the final 20 laps.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #13 in a Truck Series race at Gateway.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

33) #13-Johnny Sauter / 22 laps / vibration

32) #18-Christian Eckes / 121 laps / driveshaft

31) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb / 124 laps / crash

30) #22-Austin Wayne Self / 145 laps / dvp

29) #6-Norm Benning / 148 laps / running

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (3)

2nd) Norm Benning Racing, ThorSport Racing (2)

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

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (7)

2nd) Ford (4)

3rd) Toyota (3)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

CUP: J.J. Yeley misses the action at Daytona after early drivetrain issue

PHOTO: @RickWareRacing

J.J. Yeley picked up 18th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #27 America Strong Chevrolet fell out with engine trouble after 3 of 164 laps.

The finish, which came in Yeley’s 316th series start, was his second of the season and first since Homestead, 14 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 28th for the #27, the 696th from engine trouble, and the 793rd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 54th for the #27, the 1,092nd for engine trouble, and the 1,738th for Chevrolet.

Between these two particular last-place finishes, Yeley has shown marked improvement with the Rick Ware Racing team, pulling the organization from outside the Top 30 to inside of it. The next four consecutive races after Homestead showed him climb from 36th at Talladega to 31st and 28th at Pocono, then a season-best 21st at Indianapolis. After a 30th-place run in Kentucky, he then finished 29th or better in the next five races, including a 24th in Texas and a 22nd in Kansas.

The Texas and Kansas finishes came with little to no backing on Ware’s white #27 Ford, and soon attracted sponsorship to his team. Two weeks ago in the inaugural Daytona infield road course, Motorsport Games and the NASCAR Heat 5 video game backed his effort. Yeley was running near the rear when heat exhaustion forced him behind the wall, handing the wheel to Bayley Currey. Thriv5, a supplement company, joined the Yeley effort for the Dover double-header, where he ran 31st and 28th.

The momentum continued into this past week, where Yeley’s team announced two different paint schemes. The first was the team’s “throwback” for next week’s action in Darlington. The scheme honored the late Kenny Irwin, Jr. with a paint scheme that never got to take the green flag – the #27 Nerf / Winner’s Circle Ford fielded by Blair Motorsports at Rockingham, which Irwin failed to qualify in 1997. The other scheme was for Saturday at Daytona. Representing the America Strong charity initiative, Yeley’s car would carry a patriotic paint scheme featuring a “Mount Rushmore” of military, law enforcement, and first responders. Although depicted as a 2015 Toyota Camry in one of its first renders, the actual car would be a current Chevrolet Camaro. Yeley drew the 33rd starting spot.

Taking the 40th and final starting spot was the #62 South Point Hotel & Casino / Beard Oil Chevrolet of Brendan Gaughan, who finished last on the Daytona infield road course event two weeks ago. The night race marked Gaughan’s penultimate NASCAR start before he’d call it a career following the Playoffs race in Talladega. The only drivers joining him in the rear were 12th-place Austin Dillon, whose #3 Dow Vorasurf Chevrolet for multiple inspection failures, and 14th-place Clint Bowyer in the #14 Haas Automation Ford for unapproved adjustments. For Yeley, the Rick Ware teams swapped radio channels, so the #27’s communications were on the channel for the #53 Sparks Ford of his teammate, Joey Gase.

When the green flag dropped, the last spot fell to Yeley, who Gaughan cleared as the two crossed the stripe. Yeley remained in 40th at the end of the first lap, but was reportedly being watched by NASCAR as early as Lap 3. The reason became obvious as Yeley lost power, and by Lap 5 had fallen off the lead lap, creeping along the apron of Turns 3 and 4. Unable to find a way to turn into the garage area, Yeley was directed by NASCAR through his spotter to the nearest entrance, where he was pushed behind the wall near Gate 12. On Lap 17, someone on the crew said “Yeah, we’re done – something internal,” and NASCAR reported him out with engine failure on the 18th circuit. Yeley later tweeted that something failed in the drivetrain, putting him out.

Yeley’s teammate James Davison took 39th after he and Brendan Gaughan collided in Turn 1, damaging the left-rear of Davison’s #51 Signing Day Ford. Josh Bilicki took 38th in the #7 Ariens Chevrolet of Tommy Baldwin Racing, having lost 13 laps due to persistent fuel pressure issues. The final spots in the Bottom Five were filled by the first of two multi-car accidents in the final laps. Taking 37th was Ryan Preece, who clobbered the wall off Turn 4 in the #37 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet. Ryan Newman took 36th, suffering damage in the same incident driving the #6 Guaranteed Rate Ford.

After starting last and suffering damage in the Davison incident, Gaughan recovered to finish a strong 8th, backing up his 7th in this year’s Daytona 500. Brennan Poole finished 15th in Rick Ware’s #15 Remember Everyone Deployed Chevrolet, improving on his career-best 16th in the same 500. Ross Chastain took 16th in the #77 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet, the same Spire Motorsports team that won this race last year with Justin Haley. This was Chastain’s third-best Cup finish, trailing his 10th and 12th last year at Daytona and Talladega.

Race winner William Byron secured his spot in the Playoffs by taking his first career Cup Series victory. In so doing, Byron became the first driver since 1976 to finish last in the Daytona 500, then win the summer 400-mile race later that same year. That year, Cale Yarborough lost the engine on his #11 Holly Farms Chevrolet after just one lap of the 500, then won the July race. Byron wrecked out of this year’s 500 after it was resumed on Monday afternoon.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #27 in the 400-mile race at Daytona since July 6, 2013, when Paul Menard’s #27 Rheem / Menards Chevrolet fell out with engine trouble after 23 laps of the Coke Zero 400.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

40) #27-J.J. Yeley / 3 laps / engine

39) #51-James Davison / 139 laps / crash

38) #7-Josh Bilicki / 151 laps / running

37) #37-Ryan Preece / 151 laps / crash

36) #6-Ryan Newman / 151 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES  OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) JTG-Daugherty Racing (6)

2nd) Rick Ware Racing (4)

2nd) Motorsports Business Management (3)

3rd) Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Penske Racing (2)

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

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (17)

2nd) Toyota (5)

3rd) Ford (4)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: “LAST AF” - Joe Graf, Jr. sweeps both last-place finishes at Daytona

SCREENSHOT: @NASCARONFOX

Joe Graf, Jr. picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Friday’s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at the Daytona International Speedway when his #08 Bucked Up Chevrolet was eliminated in a multi-car accident after 7 of 100 laps.

The finish, which came in Graf’s 25th series start, was his second of the season and first since this February’s season opener at the same Daytona track, 21 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 6th for the #08, the 335th from a crash, and the 554th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 21st for the #08, the 1,222nd from a crash, and the 1,737th for Chevrolet.

Between the two races on the Daytona oval, Graf had failed to finish just three races, but has continued to climb the steep learning curve of his first full-time XFINITY Series career. His season-best finish stood at 13th, which he scored at Bristol, the second round of the Homestead double-header, and the first race of Kentucky’s double. 

For Daytona, in conjunction with sponsor Bucked Up, Graf would run a distinctive purple paint scheme featuring the company’s curiously branded “BAMF” and “WOKE AF” supplements. The latter logo occupied the hood in the same bright yellow as the door and roof numbers, representing a Bucked Up promotional code. Graf drew the 22nd starting spot.

Taking 37th and last was John Jackson, who returned to the XFINITY Series for the first time since Talladega, where he dropped out early with overheating issues. He would run the same car from the Talladega race, the teal-and-black Toyota Supra that last year was driven by Max Tullman as MBM’s #42. Inspection would shuffle the order, however, as the 10th-place #18 Monster Energy Toyota failed inspection multiple times, dropping Riley Herbst to the back for the start. By failing three times, Herbst would also have to serve a pass-through penalty after the green flag.

When the race started, however, Herbst was already around the 34th spot ahead of both Jackson and the Mike Harmon Racing teammates of Tim Viens in the #47 Mutt & Jeff Porkskins Chevrolet and Harmon himself in the #74 Back The Blue Chevrolet. Viens was slow to catch the field at the start, and was last across the stripe, 5.91 seconds back. By the end of the first lap, Viens had started to lose touch with the rest of the field, and was still behind Herbst as he slowed to come onto pit road at the end of Lap 1. Herbst took last on Lap 2, and was running by himself. Without any drafting help, Herbst would surely be lapped if the race stayed green. His only hope was Viens himself, who was 2.065 seconds back of 35th-place Jackson on Lap 3. Fortunately, the caution fell on Lap 6.

Unfortunately, this was where Graf entered the last-place battle. Heading into the tri-oval, Graf made contact with the #0 Drydene Chevrolet of Jeffrey Earnhardt, who was on Graf’s left-rear quarter-panel. The contact caused Graf to spin up the track into the passing Caesar Bacarella, putting Bacarella’s #90 Alpha Prime Chevrolet into the outside wall. Bacarella appeared to escape with minimal damage, but Graf’s front valence was destroyed and the right-rear panel peeled away. Limping down the backstretch, the #08 dropped chunks of blue energy-absorbing foam on the track. “Pretty tore up here, took the sides off it,” said a disappointed Graf. As the crew saw the damage for the first time, someone said “We’re done,” and efforts turned to changing the tires and piecing the car together so it could be loaded in the hauler. This was done by Lap 11, when the car was pushed behind the wall.

The rest of the Bottom Five filled up soon after. Bacarella’s damaged car spun and wrecked on the restart, leaving his machine destroyed on the apron of Turn 3. At nearly the same instant in the tri-oval, Jackson had spun the #66 to the apron of Turn 1. According to a member of the team, Jackson ran through debris that came off Graf’s car on the backstretch during the caution and cut a tire. The spin flattened the other three, leaving him crawling along the apron. Unfortunately, much like Jennifer Jo Cobb’s similar incident in last year’s Talladega Truck Series race, the team didn’t have any other tires in the pit stall. Jackson suggested the team park the car rather than get more tires. He hoped he could be loaded on a flatbed, but the team said there were only tow trucks, which would damage the car further. So, with an equipment truck following him close behind, Jackson pulled behind the wall, done for the night.

Earnhardt, who made contact with Graf, only lasted to the next restart, when he spun in Turn 2 and struck the wall. Among those involved in the ensuing pileup was Kody Vanderwal, whose #52 The Swag Spot Chevrolet made contact and rolled to the apron with the hood flapped up over the windshield. Earnhardt was briefly shown one spot below Vanderwal in the rankings, but the order soon refreshed showing the two positions swapped.

After a series of early crashes, a few underdog competitors survived to earn strong runs. Vinnie Miller tied his career-best 11th-place finish from this same race last year, driving B.J. McLeod’s plain white #78 Koolbox Toyota. One spot in front of him, JD Motorsports’ Jesse Little tied his own career-best from Pocono earlier this summer in the #4 Skuttle Tight Chevrolet while teammate Colby Howard took a career-best 12th in the #15 Project Hope Foundation Chevrolet. The final driver to pass wrecked race leader A.J. Allmendinger earned the third-best finish of his career, taking 14th in the #44 AAN Adjusters Chevrolet, just one spot short of his 13th two weeks ago on the road course. Josh Williams outlasted his two DGM Racing teammates and was running as high as 5th with 19 to go before he dropped to 9th. This tied Williams’ second-best finish of his career at Bristol, just one spot of his own career-best of 8th last year at Talladega.

Topping the list, however, was Gray Gaulding, who for the third time in just over a year nearly scored his first career XFINITY Series victory. Rejoining SS-Green Light Racing in the #07 Walk-Ons.com Chevrolet, Gaulding teamed up with the Kaulig Racing trio at the end of Stage 2, moving him to the lead before Allmendinger shuffled him back to 4th. The two parties crossed paths again on the last lap, where Gaulding was running 9th when he followed Justin Haley through the wreck triggered by Ross Chastain. By hugging the inside line, Gaulding slipped through to finish a close 2nd to Haley, tying his career-best runner-up finish at Talladega just last year.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*Graf becomes the third driver to sweep both last-place finishes in XFINITY races on the Daytona oval since the summer event was added to the schedule in 2002. The previous occurrences were in 2012 by Jeff Green and in 2015 by Dexter Bean.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

37) #08-Joe Graf, Jr. / 7 laps / crash

36) #90-Caesar Bacarella / 12 laps / crash

35) #66-John Jackson / 14 laps / handling

34) #52-Kody Vanderwal / 24 laps / crash

33) #0-Jeffrey Earnhardt / 24 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Motorsports Business Management (5)

2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing (3)

3rd) JD Motorsports, Jimmy Means Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, Shepherd Racing Ventures, SS-Green Light Racing (2)

4th) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Jeremy Clements Racing, JR Motorsports, Kaulig Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (14)

2nd) Toyota (8)

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP