ARCA: Wayne Peterson continues yearly late-season title hunt at Springfield

PHOTO: @DriverBradSmith

by William Soquet

LASTCAR.info Guest Correspondent

Wayne Peterson finished last for the 47th time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Saturday’s Illinois Truck and Equipment Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack when his #0 GreatRailing.com Chevrolet did not start the race.

The finish was Peterson’s first since Winchester, two races ago. The finish came in Peterson’s 115th series start.

In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Peterson’s starts in the ARCA Menards Series have skewed towards the end of the season. He won LASTCAR ARCA Menards Series championships in 2018 and 2019 and is looking to make a run at the 2020 championship, as he currently sits second in the championship standings to Owen Smith on a tiebreaker.

The initial entry list for the only dirt race of 2020 released with eighteen cars. Traditional dirt ringers Ryan Unzicker and Kelly Kovski were on the list, as well as a four-car team for Fast Track Racing featuring Alex Clubb in the #01, Mike Basham in the #10, Tim Monroe in the #11 and Owen Smith in the #12. Eric Caudell and Will Kimmel returned as part of their limited schedules, and Corey Heim filled out the Venturini Motorsports lineup in the #20 car.

Clubb’s entry withdrew before on-track activity began, leaving seventeen cars in the field. Fifteen cars took a time in the half-hour practice, of those that did, Peterson was the slowest, clocking in at just over 66 seconds on what was likely a lap just to make sure there were no mechanical gremlins in the car. In qualifying, Peterson was the only driver that did not take a time. Eric Caudell was sixteenth-fastest; his lap of 42 seconds was about eight seconds off of Unzicker’s pace.

Peterson’s car was on the grid for driver introductions but the 82-year-old’s machine was not included in any of the pace lap television shots. He was later listed as a “did not start” by Racing-Reference.

Caudell pulled off after six laps, followed by Owen Smith two laps later. Will Kimmel retired with damage just shy of the quarter-race mark, and Brad Smith parked with clutch issues after thirty laps, rounding out the Bottom Five.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
17) #0-Wayne Peterson / 0 laps / did not start
16) #7-Eric Caudell / 6 laps / suspension
15) #12-Owen Smith / 8 laps / brakes
14) #69-Will Kimmel / 23 laps / accident
13) #48-Brad Smith / 30 laps / clutch

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Toyota (6)
3rd) Ford (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Fast Track Racing (9)
2nd) Wayne Peterson Racing (5)
3rd) Brother-In-Law Motorsports, DGR-Crosley, Kimmel Racing, Reeves Racing, Russ Lane Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

CUP: While several underdogs brighten ugly finish for NASCAR, Christopher Bell finishes last at Talladega

PHOTO: @LFR95

Christopher Bell picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway when his #95 Rheem / Procore Toyota was eliminated in an accident after 1 of 200 laps.

The finish, which came in Bell’s 31st series start, was his second of the year and first since Fontana, 28 races ago. In the Cup Series last-place rankings, it was the 18th for the #95, the 166th for Toyota, and the 605th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 27th for the #95, the 348th for Toyota, and the 1,228th from a crash.

When we last featured Bell in February, he was struggling to make the adjustment to the Cup Series, having finished no better than 21st. But his performance improved noticeably after the season’s suspension lifted in May. His first top-ten finish came with a 9th in the Coca-Cola 600, followed by three more finishes of 9th or better in the next seven races, capped by a career-best 4th in Pocono. Bell then enjoyed one of his strongest runs of the year at Loudon, where he flirted with a possible victory before he spun near the halfway point, leaving him 28th. He was again among the leaders just last week in Las Vegas, but a late-race wreck left him 24th.

All of this was against the background of Leavine Family Racing’s impending closure, which was announced this past summer along with Bell’s move to Joe Gibbs Racing’s #20. With the sale of the LFR team’s Charter to Spire Motorsports and the Toyota contract headed to the new Michael Jordan / Denny Hamlin venture in 2021, this year would mark the Bob Leavine-owned team’s tenth and final in the Cup Series. The Talladega race was one of the last opportunities for the LFR team to score their first win in 251 combined Cup starts. Bell would roll off 22nd in Sunday’s field.

Rolling off 39th and last was Brendan Gaughan, who prior to the season indicated he would retire from NASCAR’s top three series after running the four plate races for Beard Motorsports. That plan later changed to include the Daytona infield road course, where he finished last, and he’s reportedly considered running next year’s Daytona 500.

Gaughan’s #62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet would be joined at the rear by Cody Ware, a late driver change with J.J. Yeley in the #27 Thriv5 Ford set to start 34th, plus two other drivers for multiple inspection failures: 32nd-place Brennan Poole in the #15 Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing Chevrolet and 37th-place Timmy Hill in the #66 Trump 2020 Ford, a Go FAS Racing car run in place of Motorsports Business Management’s Toyotas. Go FAS ran Schluter Systems as Corey LaJoie’s sponsor instead, decorating a chassis Roush Racing built in 2008 for David Ragan.

When the green flag dropped, Gaughan pulled ahead of Hill, who held last across the stripe, 3.311 seconds back of the lead. Hill then moved to the high lane and passed at least one car, which appeared to be the blue #15 of the penalized Poole. Poole was still running in last when trouble broke out in the middle of the pack. 

Heading into Turn 3, Bell’s #95 unexpectedly spun to the inside directly into the path of Tyler Reddick. Reddick cut to the right and nearly cleared Bell, but suffered damage to the front of his #8 CAT Next Gen Dozers Chevrolet. Both drivers made it to pit road under caution, but while Reddick returned to stay on the lead lap, Bell’s crew was still hard at work. Both rear tires were flat, and the track bar had been bent into a “U” shape. On Lap 4, Bell had still yet to complete a lap, and the crew had just one minute and fifteen seconds left on the “Crash Clock.” “If it’s not straighter, it’s gonna smoke a tire.” Still, the team got Bell back onto the track, but the problem wasn’t at all fixed. While being advised by the crew not to run near anyone, the driver said. “I can barely drive it.” The crew responded, “Don’t get yourself hurt here.” Then Bell said “I just broke a driveshaft,” and he was told to go to the garage. With just one completed lap, he pulled behind the wall, done for the day under the “Damaged Vehicle Policy.”

Finishing 38th was Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., whose #47 Hungry Jack Chevrolet was turned by John Hunter Nemechek exiting the tri-oval, sending his car backing into the inside wall. James Davison dropped to 37th in the #53 America’s Best Value Inn Chevrolet after he pulled behind the wheel around 30 laps in with grease leaking from the right-rear hub getting on the tire. The team attempted to replace the rear gear, and finally succeeded in the closing laps before the car dropped debris near the very end. He ultimately climbed to 30th by the end, the last car under power.

When Davison got back up to speed, 37th went to Aric Almirola, whose #10 Smithfield Power Bites Ford was turned after contact from fellow Playoff contender Alex Bowman as the pair battled for the lead at the end of Stage 1. Bowman managed to recover in 14th while Almirola dropped even further back in the Playoff standings, needing a win in Charlotte to advance. The 36th spot fell to Michael McDowell, whose #34 Love’s Travel Stops / Luber Finer Ford unexpectedly pulled out of the lead draft entering the tri-oval, then pulled behind the wall with a hole in the radiator. Rounding out the group was Gaughan, who nearly avoided the day’s biggest wreck until Kyle Busch’s spinning car crossed his path entering Turn 1, destroying his #62. As of this writing, there is no news as to whether he’ll return to run Cup in 2021.

While the finish of Sunday’s race was negatively affected by NASCAR’s interpretation of the outdated and controversial “Yellow Line Rule,” several underdog drivers enjoyed some of the best runs of their careers. Just like LFR, Germain Racing will shut down at the end of this season as a result of a lost sponsor and the “Air Jordan” venture. In the team’s 420th series start, Ty Dillon handed Germain their best-ever Cup Series finish by taking 3rd in the #13 GEICO For Your RV Chevrolet. Five spots behind him came the #38 Speedy Cash Ford of John Hunter Nemechek in 8th, matching his equally strong bid for the lead when the Cup Series last ran at Talladega in June.

One spot behind Nemechek in 9th came Brennan Poole, who wasn’t even in the #15 Geottl Air Conditioning & Plumbing Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing just two rounds ago in Bristol. Despite running over debris in one of the day’s biggest wrecks, damaging his front splitter, he managed to take 9th – his first career top-ten finish and a significant improvement over his previous career-best of 15th under the lights at Daytona. Justin Haley, back in Spire Motorsports’ #77 Parts Plus Chevrolet in a points race for the first time since his upset win at Daytona, escaped with an 11th-place finish, just one day after he took the checkers in the XFINITY race.

Quin Houff took 13th in the #00 Permatex Chevrolet, a full ten spots better than his previous best Cup finish of 23rd earlier this year at both Indianapolis and Daytona. Only Landon Cassill’s 11th-place finish in July 2019 at Daytona saw the Derrike Cope effort finish better in a Cup points race. Two spots back in 15th, Timmy Hill briefly entered the Top Ten in a partnership between Motorsports Business Management and Go FAS Racing in the #66 Trump 2020 Ford, running as high as 3rd and coming within one spot of MBM’s best-ever Cup finish at Indianapolis three years ago.

Finally, two Rick Ware Racing entries also turned heads, starting with Cody Ware, who was not even entered in the #27 Thriv5 Chevrolet until mid-week, when he took the place of original entrant J.J. Yeley. Making his first Cup start since August 2019, Ware climbed as high as 5th and was still in the lead draft when he wrecked on the final lap of the race, dropping him to 19th – nine spots better than his previous best of 28th, also at Talladega. Among the drivers who inched past Ware was his teammate Joey Gase in the #51 Jimco Windows / Donate Life Ford. This was just enough to improve on Gase’s own career-best with StarCom in this same race two years ago.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #95 in a Cup race at Talladega.
*The one lap Bell completed is the fewest by any Cup Series last-place finisher at Talladega since April 17, 2011, when Kevin Conway’s #97 ExtenZe Toyota fell out with electrical issues after 1 lap of the Aaron’s 499.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
39) #95-Christopher Bell / 1 lap / crash
38) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. / 8 laps / crash
37) #10-Aric Almirola / 57 laps / crash
36) #34-Michael McDowell / 79 laps / overheating
35) #62-Brendan Gaughan / 108 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) JTG-Daugherty Racing (7)
2nd) Motorsports Business Management, Rick Ware Racing (5)
3rd) Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Leavine Family Racing, Penske Racing (2)
4th) Beard Motorsports, B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Front Row Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, StarCom Racing, Tommy Baldwin Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (19)
2nd) Toyota (8)
3rd) Ford (4)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Michael Annett’s runner-up finish negated by disqualification at Talladega

PHOTO: @NASCARonNBC

Michael Annett picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 at the Talladega Superspeedway when his #1 Pilot / Flying J Chevrolet finished 2nd, but was disqualified after completing 113 of 113 laps.

The finish, which came in Annett’s 290th series start, was his second of the year and first since Bristol, 21 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 13th disqualification, the 17th for the #1, and the 557th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 40th disqualification, the 67th for the #1, and the 1,748th for Chevrolet.

Colby Howard picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 at the Talladega Superspeedway when his #15 Guy Roofing Chevrolet was collected in a multi-car accident after 45 of 113 laps.

The finish, which came in Howard’s 19th series start, was his second of the season and first since Charlotte, 22 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 6th for the #15, the 338th from a crash, and the 557th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 43rd for the #15, the 1,228th from a crash, and the 1,748th for Chevrolet.

Since he was last featured on this website in June, Michael Annett had become one of the most consistent drivers in the XFINITY Series. He finished no worse than 18th in the next four races, then starting at Pocono began a streak of seven straight top-ten finishes. After a 15th on the Daytona infield road course, he began the streak anew, finishing between 7th and 9th in the next six straight races before Bristol once again turned ugly, leaving him 31st. By then, he’d secured a Playoff berth for Las Vegas, where just last week he took home still another 7th-place run. He’d take the green at Talladega from 9th on the grid.

Starting 37th and last on Saturday was Timmy Hill, who had continued to turn heads with his strong runs on the XFINITY side in Motorsports Business Management’s #66 CrashClaimsR.us Toyota. No drivers would join him at the back of the field prior to the start. However, in the early laps, Kody Vanderwal went behind the wall with ignition issues, and by Lap 10 was shown seven laps down in last place. At the time, only he was one of only two drivers off the lead lap, joined by Vinnie Miller, two down in B.J. McLeod’s #78 Koolbox Chevrolet. This trend would continue for much of the race’s first half as Miller got both his laps back with Lucky Dogs while the rest of the field remained on the lead lap. Vanderwal’s crew completed repairs and returned to action 14 laps down with all 36 other drivers still running.

On the Lap 47 restart, the last-place battle suddenly appeared over. Coming to the stripe, Ross Chastain’s #10 Dyna-Gro Seed Chevrolet was spun by Harrison Burton’s #20 Dex Imaging Toyota. As the field scattered, Colby Howard couldn’t avoid Chastain and slammed into the right side of the Chevrolet, destroying his #15 Guy Roofing Chevrolet. With Vanderwal back in action, it wasn’t until Lap 62 that he dropped Howard to last place. From there, the attrition picked up, and Vanderwal climbed to 28th at the finish, the last car running under power.

Taking 36th unofficially was Riley Herbst, whose #18 Monster Energy Toyota was eliminated under the Damaged Vehicle Policy following a Lap 43 tangle with Austin Hill. Hill was also involved in the incident that put Austin Cindric and Jeffrey Earnhardt into the Bottom Five. During green-flag pit stops on Lap 76, the trio were turned into the inside wall, both from avoiding other cars or getting bumped from behind. Hill’s #61 AISIN Group Toyota and Cindric’s #22 Carquest Auto Parts Ford struck the inside wall nearly head-on while Earnhardt’s #0 KSDT CPA / Swenson Advisors Chevrolet skidded into the barrier between them.

Meanwhile, Annett was enjoying his best performance of the year. Closing on the inside line, he hooked up with the #11 Leaf Filter Chevrolet of Justin Haley and surged to the runner-up spot after Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson tangled for the lead. A last-lap wreck in the middle of the pack caused the caution to fly short of the finish, securing Annett the runner-up spot to Haley. It was a tremendous effort that significantly buoyed his chances of advancing to the next round of the Playoffs following next week’s cut-off race on the Charlotte “Roval.”

Then word broke that one or perhaps two teammates had been disqualified from the race. It was then revealed it was only driver – Annett. His car had failed post-race heights, and was stripped of the runner-up finish, classifying him last and bumping Jeffrey Earnhardt from the Bottom Five. The result dropped Annett to last in the Round of 12, nearly 40 points short of the bubble, all but requiring a win at the “Roval” to advance.

Annett’s disqualification further improved a number of strong runs by other drivers. Ryan Sieg, who scored several stage points in Las Vegas, improved his cushion further by inheriting the runner-up spot in his #39 CMRroofing.com Chevrolet. Josh Williams took 7th after leading the inside line for much of the late stages in his #92 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet, a new career-best for Williams, and three spots ahead of his DGM Racing teammate Alex Labbe in the #36 Can-Am Chevrolet. Garrett Smithley scored his first top-ten in the series in two years by taking 8th in Bobby Dotter’s fleet #07 Trophy Tractor / Black Draft Chevrolet, building on the team’s many strong runs with Gray Gaulding and Jade Buford. One spot behind him, Brandon Brown took 9th in the #68 Original Larry’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet, having led four laps on old tires in a bid to improve his own Playoff chances.

Chad Finchum took 11th in the #13 RoofClaim.com Toyota, his new career-best, improving on a 14th at Daytona two years ago, and was joined by 14th-place Timmy Hill in the Top 15, marking a banner day for Motorsports Business Management. Caesar Bacarella tied his own career-best of 13th in the 2018 Daytona opener, driving still another DGM car in the #90 AP Sport Regimen / Mr. Olympia Chevrolet. Mike Harmon Racing also got both their cars into the Top 20 once more, this time with Joe Nemechek in 16th in the #47 Mutt & Jeff Porkskins Chevrolet and Mike Harmon in the #74 Back the Blue Chevrolet. The pair were at one point running five seconds apart, but remained in touch at the finish. And taking 18th was Josh Bilicki, who earned his career-best superspeedway finish in B.J. McLeod’s #99 Gravely Toyota.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time a disqualification classified an XFINITY driver last at Talaldega.
*This marked Annett’s second last-place finish in an XFINITY race at Talladega since April 25, 2010, when his #15 Pilot Travel Centers Toyota wrecked after 20 laps of the Aaron’s 312. That day, he happened to be driving the same car number as Colby Howard, who was unofficially Saturday’s last-place finisher before the disqualification.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
37) #1-Michael Annett / 113 laps / disqualified
36) #15-Colby Howard / 45 laps / crash / led 1 lap
35) #18-Riley Herbst / 48 laps / dvp
34) #22-Austin Cindric / 75 laps / crash
33) #61-Austin Hill / 75 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Motorsports Business Management (8)
2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing, JR Motorsports, Mike Harmon Racing (3)
3rd) JD Motorsports, Jimmy Means Racing, Shepherd Racing Ventures, SS-Green Light Racing (2)
4th) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Jeremy Clements Racing, Kaulig Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (17)
2nd) Toyota (11)


2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Defending winner Spencer Boyd collected in violent multi-truck accident at Talladega

PHOTO: @SpencerBoyd

Spencer Boyd picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in Saturday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at the Talladega Superspeedway when his #20 Alabama Roofing Professionals Chevrolet was collected in a multi-truck accident after 12 of 94 laps.

The finish came in Boyd’s 43rd series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 8th for the #20, the 160th from a crash, and the 396th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 52nd for the #20, the 1,227th from a crash, and the 1,747th for Chevrolet.

Just under a year ago, Boyd pulled off a controversial upset at the same Talladega track. Running third off the final corner as race leader Johnny Sauter forced Riley Herbst below the yellow line, then went below the line himself, Boyd edged Herbst for second. But NASCAR penalized Sauter for the move, handing Boyd the victory – the first not only for Missouri driver, but the first for Young’s Motorsports, which had been fielding Truck Series entries since 2012. Alabama Roofing Professionals, which jumped on board just in time to have their logo roll into Victory Lane, would again back Boyd for the 2020 running, along with Crowe Equipment, Inc.

Boyd would start 24th in Saturday’s race, where he looked to turn around a rather difficult season. He entered the event just 19th in the standings with no finishes better than the 17th he took at, of all places, the Daytona infield road course. That race also marked one of only five times in 18 races that his #20 finished on the lead lap.

Starting 38th and last on Saturday was Bryan Dauzat, who carried a number of small associate sponsors on the side of Jim Rosenblum’s #28 Chevrolet, including new backing from Peter Navarra Landscape. It was Dauzat’s first series start since a terrible Kansas weekend where he finished 37th in both races. Following the events about to occur, he would cross the stripe in 21st, one lap down, his best finish since the same 2019 running that Boyd had won, where he took 17th. Dauzat was joined in the back by Kaz Grala, who just as during the Cup race on the infield road course was serving as a relief driver. This time, he drove the #44 Remarkable Pillow Chevrolet in place of Natalie Decker, whose truck was classified last in Las Vegas after Decker wasn’t medically cleared to compete.

When the race started, Dauzat appeared to be in last off Turn 2, but Grala had lost the draft by Lap 3, dropping him a full 26 seconds back of the lead. By Lap 7, he was 38.78 seconds back, and it was only a matter of time before the leaders put him a lap down. Moments later, he’d move past Grant Enfinger, who made an unscheduled stop after a left-rear tire went down entering the tri-oval, costing the #98 Champion / Curb Records Ford at least a lap. Enfinger had barely returned to the track when trouble broke out in the lead pack.

On Lap 13, heading into Turn 3, race leader Sheldon Creed made an aggressive block on Austin Hill. Creed somehow managed to regain control and merge back in front of Hill on the inside line, but the resulting chain-reaction caused GMS Racing teammates Zane Smith and Chase Purdy to collide around 11th place. Nine more trucks piled in, including Dawson Cram, who had driven one of Jordan Anderson’s Chevrolets as his #41 Magnum Contracting Chevorlet. Cram skidded up the track and bounced off the wall, then slid directly into the path of Joe Nemechek’s #8 Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet. Boyd, trying to follow Nemechek through on the inside, collided with the #8, and he stopped on the apron of Turn 4 as Nemechek rolled back onto pit road. This put Boyd behind Nemechek, which proved significant as the two occupied the final two spots.

Cram took 35th, one spot ahead of Korbin Forrister, who was making his first-ever start with DGR-Crosley, the team that acquired his Owner Points with All Out Motorsports. While listed as a Ford, consistent with DGR-Crosley’s manufacturer partnership, Forrister’s #17 Supreme Attrax machine appeared to be one of All Out’s gray Toyotas with the Toyota crest blacked out on the grille. Rounding out the group was Danny Bohn, also eliminated in the wreck after his #30 North American Motor Car / Sierra Delta Toyota ended up in the infield grass.

Jordan Anderson and Codie Rohrbaugh, who finished a strong 2nd and 3rd in this year’s Daytona opener, impressed again by finishing 6th and 5th, respectively in the #3 Bommarito.com / Rusty’s Off Road Chevrolet and #9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet. Anderson’s run came just days after his Daytona-winning truck was released by Lionel for their latest wave of 1:64 scale diecast.

Kaz Grala finished 9th, once again impressing in his role as a relief driver, but one of his teammates at Niece Motorsports performed even better. Trevor Bayne, who just weeks ago was disqualified at Bristol, nearly pulled off the victory only for his #45 Plan B Sales Chevrolet to be edged by first-time winner Raphael Lessard when a caution froze the field on the final lap.

Also surviving the chaos was Norm Benning, whose #6 H&H Transport Chevrolet took 22nd at the checkered flag, improving on his season-best 25th in Kansas.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Boyd has now scored a last-place finish in all three of NASCAR’s top series at Talladega – each in consecutive years. His XFINITY finish came there on April 28, 2018, and he finished last in Cup on October 14, 2019 driving for Rick Ware Racing, two days after his win in the Truck Series race.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #20-Spencer Boyd / 12 laps / crash
37) #8-Joe Nemechek / 12 laps / crash
36) #17-Korbin Forrister / 12 laps / crash
35) #41-Dawson Cram / 12 laps / crash
34) #30-Danny Bohn / 12 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (4)
2nd) Niece Motorsports (3)
3rd) Norm Benning Racing, ThorSport Racing (2)
4th) CMI Motorsports, DGR-Crosley, FDNY Racing, Halmar Friesen Racing, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Spencer Davis Motorsports, Young’s Motorsports (1)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Ford (4)
3rd) Toyota (3)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Brendan Gaughan's final NASCAR start among storylines for Talladega's "White-Knuckle Weekend"

PHOTO: Chris Graythen, Getty Images

Saturday, October 3, 2020 (1:00 P.M. Eastern)

TRUCKS Race 19 of 23

Round of 10: Race 3 of 3 

Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Mason Massey

ENTRY LIST

There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots in Saturday’s Truck Series race, up two entries from last week in Las Vegas.

RETURNING: #6-Norm Benning Racing

Norm Benning returns to action this week after skipping the Las Vegas event, and on Saturday will make his 10th series start at Talladega. Last year, he finished 18th, which is tied for his third-best finish in the event.

RETURNING: #8-NEMCO Motorsports

Joe Nemechek will pull double-duty in both the Truck and XFINITY Series on Saturday, starting with the return of his #8 Ford for the first time since Bristol, where Camden Murphy finished 19th. The NEMCO team failed to qualify for this year’s other superspeedway race at Daytona, where John Hunter Nemechek drove, but will not have that issue this time around.

RETURNING: #9-CR7 Motorsports

Also returning from a one-week hiatus is Codie Rohrbaugh, who nearly pulled the upset at Daytona in February en route to a career-best 3rd-place finish. More recently, he finished 6th on the short track at Richmond.

MISSING: #11-Spencer Davis Motorsports

Not among the entrants is Spencer Davis, who ran 19th in Las Vegas last week.

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-DGR-Crosley

Curiously, Korbin Forrister is entered in the #17 team that acquired his Owner Points from the All Out Motorsports team earlier this month. Forrister’s first run with DGR-Crosley sees him take the place of Dylan Lupton, who was switched in for David Ragan last week in Las Vegas and took a 14th-place finish.

RETURNING: #28-FDNY Racing

Bryan Dauzat is back in action this week as the Jim Rosenblum team returns for the first time since the Kansas double-header, where they finished last in the second round. Peter Navarra Landscape has joined the FDNY effort as an associate sponsor.

DRIVER SWAP: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

DRIVER CHANGE: #00-Reaume Brothers Racing

Also among the superspeedway ringers is Canadian driver Jason White, who finished 10th in this year’s Daytona opener in just his fourth series start. This time, he drives Josh Reaume’s #00 Powder Ventures Chevrolet in place of Reaume himself, who moves to the #33. Reaume takes the place of Jesse Iwuji, who finished 31st in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #40-Niece Motorsports

Bayley Currey returns to Truck Series competition for just the sixth time this year and first time since Darlington, where he finished a season-best 12th. This time, he takes the place of Ryan Truex in Al Niece’s #40 Chevrolet. It will be Currey’s first Truck Series start at Talladega. He will then run double-duty with the XFINITY race for Mike Harmon Racing (see below).

MISSING: #42-Niece Motorsports

Al Niece’s part-time #42 team is not entered following Conor Daly’s 18th-place run in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Niece Motorsports

Natalie Decker was entered in Saturday’s race after she wasn’t medically cleared to start last week’s event in Las Vegas, resulting in a last-place finish. As of this writing, further information has not yet been disclosed. UPDATE: Revealed on Thursday, Decker will not run Saturday as Kaz Grala runs in her place.

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports

Trevor Bayne will go superspeedway racing again this Saturday, taking the place of Travis Pastrana, who took 21st in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #56-Hill Motorsports

As at Daytona, where he finished 26th, Gus Dean will drive Timmy and Tyler Hill’s #56 Chevrolet this week with Mashonit as sponsor. Tyler ran the truck last week in Vegas, where he ran 17th.

WITHDREW: #83-CMI Motorsports

While both of Ray Ciccarelli’s trucks were originally entered in this weekend’s race, the second truck to be driven by Tim Viens was since withdrawn on Wednesday.

RETURNING: #97-Diversified Motorsports Enterprises

The former JJL Racing team returns for the first time since the Kansas double-header, and for the fourth time this year will see Robby Lyons behind the wheel with Sunwest Construction as sponsor. Lyons has run this event just once before, when he finished 14th two years ago for Reaume Brothers Racing.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, October 3, 2020 (4:30 P.M. Eastern)

XFINITY Race 28 of 33

Round of 12: Race 2 of 3

Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Race

ENTRY LIST

There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots, up one entry from last week in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #6-JD Motorsports

As announced on September 24, Ryan Vargas will carry sponsorship from the popular social media app TikTok this Saturday, bringing much-needed funding to Johnny Davis’ underdog team. Vargas takes the place of B.J. McLeod, who will not race this week and instead focuses on his own XFINITY team. This will be Vargas’ seventh series start and first in an XFINITY race at Talladega.

DRIVER SWAP: #13-Motorsports Business Management

DRIVER SWAP: #66-Motorsports Business Management

MBM has swapped two of their three drivers this week as Chad Finchum moves to the #13 and Timmy Hill runs the #66.

RETURNING: #16-Kaulig Racing

Superspeedway racing means Matthew Kaulig’s team has loaded up the field with all three of his cars, including the returning part-time #16 with A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel. Allmendinger will be one to watch after contact from teammate Ross Chastain cost him a chance at victory last month in Daytona.

DRIVER CHANGE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

Joe Nemechek’s double-header on Saturday will include a return to Mike Harmon’s #47 for the first time since Atlanta, where he ran 32nd. He also finished 15th in this year’s Daytona opener. Nemechek takes the place of Kyle Weatherman, who finished last with a strange steering problem at Las Vegas. Both MHR cars were also late entries, bringing the field from 35 drivers to 37.

SPONSOR UPDATE: #51-Jeremy Clements Racing

After running last week without a sponsor after Repairables.com backed out, AllSouthElectric.com has jumped on board the #51 this week to back Jeremy Clements. This will be Clements’ 11th series start at Talladega, where he has a best finish of 4th in 2016.

TEAM UPDATE: #74-Mike Harmon Racing

While Mike Harmon had originally been listed as the driver of his own #74, by Wednesday, it was Bayley Currey back behind the wheel once more. Currey will thus make his first XFINITY start at Talladega as part of a Saturday double-header.

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

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

Josh Bilicki returns to the #99, moving Vinnie Miller from the #99 to the #78 in place of Stefan Parsons, who isn’t entered. Gravely will sponsor Bilicki this week while Koolbox will again back the Miller effort.

DRIVER CHANGE: #90-DGM Racing

Caesar Bacarella continues his superspeedway schedule as he takes the place of Dexter Bean, who ran 29th in Las Vegas. AP Sport Regimen and Mr. Olympia are the listed sponsors of his Mario Gosselin-owned Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

Not among this week’s entrants is Gray Gaulding, who ran this #07 just last week in Las Vegas for a 24th-place finish. Taking the wheel this time around is Garrett Smithley, who has equally solid finishes at Talladega. In four previous starts, he’s only once finished worse than 12th with a best of 10th two years ago, all for Johnny Davis’ team JD Motorsports.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, October 4, 2020

CUP Race 31 of 36

Round of 12: Race 2 of 3

YellaWood 500 at Talladega

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Spencer Boyd

ENTRY LIST

There are 39 drivers entered in Sunday’s main event, the same number as last week in Las Vegas. This marks the 15th short field in 31 races this season and the fourth in the last five races.

DRIVER CHANGE: #27-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

Welcome back to Justin Haley, who for the first time since his upset victory at Daytona last year will run a Cup Series points race in the Spire #77. This will also be his first start in the car since this year’s All-Star Race in Bristol. Haley takes the place of J.J. Yeley, who was set to take the place of Gray Gaulding in the #27. However, that changed by Wednesday as Cody Ware took Yeley’s place. Sunday will mark Ware’s first Cup start in over a year, dating back to August 11, 2019 at Michigan. Ware will drop to the rear before the start on Sunday due to the driver change with Yeley.

SPONSOR UPDATE: #32-Go FAS Racing

SPONSOR UPDATE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

The Patriots of America PAC will see their Trump 2020 logos on a different team this week as the scheme seen as recently as last Sunday on Corey LaJoie’s #32 Go FAS Racing Ford will now be on Timmy Hill’s #66. The effort will be in conjunction with Go FAS, meaning that Hill will run a Ford instead of one of MBM’s Toyotas. Schluter Systems is instead listed as LaJoie’s sponsor for Sunday. Hill, who will also run the #66 in Saturday’s XFINITY race, finished 33rd in the June race at Talladega.

MISSING: #49-Motorsports Business Management

Despite this team attempting the Daytona 500 in February, the second MBM car has not been entered this week following Chad Finchum’s last-place finish in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Rick Ware Racing

After he was denied making his Cup debut in the June race at Talladega, James Davison will make his 11th career Cup start this Sunday, taking the place of Josh Bilicki in the #53 Chevrolet. Bilicki, who ran 36th after suspension issues in Vegas, will instead run Saturday’s XFINITY race for B.J. McLeod (see above).

RETURNING: #62-Beard Motorsports

The man of the hour on Sunday will be popular veteran Brendan Gaughan, who announced prior to this season that this very race would be his last as a driver in NASCAR’s top three series. It’s perhaps appropriate it would be this event, not only for battling for the lead late in the 2019 running, but that his career-best Cup finish came in the 2004 race, where he took 4th with Jasper Motorsports. Most recently for both Gaughan and the Beard team, the duo turned in a strong 8th-place finish under the lights in Daytona. They took 21st in the June Talladega race.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (October 1, 1967): Harold “Frog” Fagan of Willowdale, Ontario scored the first last-place finish of his Cup Series career in the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro when his #75 1966 Ford fielded by Bob Gilreath dropped out with engine failure after 16 laps. Fagan started last in the 35-car field in what was his fourth of 20 career series starts. Interestingly, he wasn’t the only Canadian in the field – Don Biederman took 28th in Ron Stotten’s #94 1966 Chevrolet.