TRUCKS: AM Racing team jumps the battery on Stephen Mallozzi's truck before rain stops the action in Martinsville

ALL PHOTOS: Cameron Tracey, @conrail_1

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Stephen Mallozzi picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s Long John Silver’s 200 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #22 Stacking Dennys Ford finished under power, coming home eight circuit down after 116 of 124 laps.

The finish came in Mallozzi’s second series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 7th for the #22, the 7th to finish under power, and the 118th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 45th for the #22, the 50th for one still running at the finish, and the 1,008th for Ford.

The excitable 22-year-old driver from New Jersey has worn many hats in his pursuit of a racing career. He’s been a college sports commentator, a writer for sponsor TobyChristie.com, and a go-kart enthusiast. Last summer, we were introduced to Mallozzi in the lead-up to the Truck Series race at Mid-Ohio, where he would drive for the Reaume Brothers in the #43 COMPKART Toyota. There, he was involved in a practice crash caused by oil leaking from Mason Filippi’s #46 OpenFender.com Toyota, leading to his statement that G2G is the “biggest joke of a racing organization in NASCAR.” Driver and team managed to repair the #43 in time for qualifying, where he earned the last starting spot. In the race, Filippi’s faltering engine failed after just 9 laps, but Mallozzi finished on the lead lap in 22nd. Friday’s race would be Mallozzi’s first since that day.

For Martinsville, Mallozzi was originally entered in the Reaume Brothers Racing #34 – the same team as the #43 he ran last summer in his debut – but Reaume decided to swap rides in case qualifying was rained out, putting Mallozzi into AM Racing’s #22. The #34 would ultimately be withdrawn, trimming the entry list from 38 trucks down to 37. The change was made early enough for Mallozzi to release his own merchandise with the #22, proudly featuring his sponsors. Chief among them is the Stacking Dennys podcast, which helped with a fundraiser that placed several supporter’s names on the hood of his truck. Joining as sponsors were TobyChristie.com, L’uva Bella Wines, the Kingsway Regional School District’s STEM Racing program, and AM Racing’s partner AM Technical Solutions.

After running slowest in practice, qualifying was not rained-out, and Mallozzi secured the 35th starting spot with a lap of 90.184mph (20.997 seconds).

While Mallozzi’s lap was the slowest of the session, starting 36th and last was Dean Thompson, whose #5 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota required unapproved adjustments after turning the 27th-fastest time in practice. The battle for the final starting spot on speed was won by Brad Perez, whose #20 Bonesteel Aerospace Chevrolet bested Justin S. Carroll’s #90 Carroll’s Automotive / Duratrain Toyota by just 0.047 second. For Carroll, the result was his first DNQ of 2023 and his sixth unsuccessful attempt at an elusive Truck Series debut. 

Mallozzi stalled on pit road.

After a lengthy delay for a lightning hold, then a massive downpour, the field bolted on wet-weather tires with the condition that everyone switch to dry tires at the competition caution on Lap 25. Just before the green, Chase Purdy surrendered the 8th-place starting spot in his #4 Bama Buggies Chevrolet and dropped to the tail end of the field due to an unapproved adjustments penalty. But, according to timing and scoring, Purdy took the green flag in 33rd place ahead of Perez, Thompson, and Mallozzi. Mallozzi brought up the rear 7.33 seconds back of the lead, and more than a second back of Thompson, who was 5.876 back of the leaders.

By the end of Lap 1, Mallozzi had fallen 2.014 back of Perez, who Thompson had dropped back to 35th. By Lap 3, Mallozzi cut that deficit down to 1.777. On Lap 4, Perez climbed past Mason Massey in the #33 Colonial Countertops Ford, and that time by Mallozzi closed to just 0.616 second back of Massey’s rear bumper. The gap continued to fluctuate over the next two laps, during which time Mallozzi’s spotter said, “When we get there, we’re not gonna waste any time.” Massey then climbed to 34th past Kaden Honeycutt, whose #04 CarQuest Ford had plummeted from 17th on the grid. On Lap 10, Mallozzi was told to “show your nose” under Honeycutt’s truck, and the two pulled side-by-side the next time by, just 0.047 apart. The next time by, Mallozzi was clear, putting Honeycutt to last for the first time. By Lap 13, the leaders caught both trucks, and put each a lap down.

When the competition caution fell on Lap 25, Honeycutt remained in last place while Chase Purdy, 33rd at the start, was now the final truck on the lead lap in 25th. One spot ahead was Brad Perez, who after battling Mallozzi for last in the early laps reached 24th. The prolonged caution for non-competitive pit stops for dry tires caused last place to change once more. On Lap 39, Spencer Boyd was classified last in the #12 Freedom Warranty Chevrolet, but Honeycutt retook the spot on Lap 40 after the lapped trucks made their stops. Honeycutt remained last through the ensuing restart until Lap 47, when he dropped Mallozzi back to 36th. The #22 remained there when Stage 1 soon ended on Lap 50. During this caution, both Honeycutt and Mallozzi faced opposing brake issues. While Honeycutt’s brakes were “shaking like hell” from running too cold, Mallozzi was using his too much, causing the rotors to glow noticeably brighter.

More rain led to more caution laps, and another change in the running order. On Lap 64, Rajah Caruth was classified last in his #24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet. “Rain is picking up here,” said Mallozzi’s crew. “Keep getting heat in those tires, don’t get lazy on me.” NASCAR called off the restart, then by Lap 67 sent the trucks down pit road to stop under the red flag. That time by, Mallozzi was again credited with last with Caruth now 34th. Somehow, the scoring changed once more under the ensuing delay with newcomer Jonathan Shafer ranked last in the #30 Osgar’s Autobody Toyota. But Mallozzi regained the last spot when track drying completed on Lap 69.

Mallozzi (center) goes behind the wall
as the race restarts.

Back under green on Lap 72, Mallozzi was encouraged to race Brad Perez, who had been penalized by NASCAR for making two stops. “Don’t be too timid,” said the crew. “Stay with that 20, he’s making moves.” By Lap 76, Mallozzi had dropped Shafer back to last again, but Shafer raced him back for position. Moments later, the caution fell on Lap 82 when contact from Daniel Dye’s #43 HEISE LED Lighting Systems Chevrolet sent Lawless Alan’s #45 AUTOChargit Chevrolet into a spin entering Turn 3. Alan continued without damage, but took over last that time by.

On the Lap 87 restart, Alan met minimum speed, and the next time by dropped Mason Massey’s #33 back to last place. With a fast-closing Hailie Deegan behind him, Massey now raced to the outside of Mallozzi’s Ford on Lap 92. But the Lap 97 caution for Stewart Friesen spinning his #52 Halmar International Toyota forced Stage 2 to finish under the caution flag. During this yellow, Massey’s crew took a photo of his right-front tire and texted it to another crew member, remarking on the cosmetic damage. Regardless, Massey stayed out, and on Lap 103 allowed the penalized Spencer Boyd to slot in front of him. Massey then dropped Mallozzi back to last on Lap 112. “Way to keep those elbows up, man,” said the #33 crew.

The next time by, Mallozzi’s truck stalled on track. “It won’t turn over at all,” said the driver. The crew told him to shut off all his fans to save energy, but by then, NASCAR was showing the one-to-go signal for a restart following Daniel Dye’s spin. The crew diagnosed the issue as either a dead battery or faulty alternator, and now pushed him down pit road to the nearest garage entrance at Stall 11. Behind the wall on Lap 115, the crew set to work jumping the battery by the Illmor trailer in the infield. As the crew worked, Carson Hocevar was parked for two laps after he turned his #42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet into Taylor Gray’s #17 Dead On Tools Toyota. While Gray continued on without spinning and finished 8th, Hocevar spun to a stop in Turn 3 with a flat right-rear tire.

Under Hocevar’s caution on Lap 118, Mallozzi’s engine re-fired and he returned to the track eight laps down, joining the rest of the field that was still under power. The driver apologized to the crew, who said, “Don’t worry about it. . .We’ve just gotta be disciplined with the fans because this is what happens on the short tracks.” This same caution saw issues for Brad Perez, whose #20 had been damaged during the previous run and now had just two minutes left on his “Crash Clock.” With Mallozzi back running, this narrowed the gap from him to the now 35th-place Perez – all while the rain started to pick up again. 

On Lap 122, Perez returned to the track seven laps down, just two ahead of Mallozzi. Perez didn’t have a chance to make minimum speed as the rain finally put an end to the evening. He joined the field coming down pit road one more time, where the race was soon called 76 laps short of the scheduled distance. “Good job, guys, everyone,” said Perez’ crew. “Busted your butt to stay in the fight.” Perez, having just completed his first NASCAR oval race, said, “Definitely did. We need to get more aggressive with these fuckers.” “If that is it, Brad, I appreciate it. Can't wait for the next opportunity.”

Hocevar finished 34th ahead of Perez and Mallozzi with Massey and Alan completing the Bottom Five.

Chase Purdy climbed to 10th at the finish after starting 33rd with his pre-race penalty, one spot behind a surprising William Sawalich. On an excellent night for TRICON Garage, which saw four of its five trucks in the Top 10 behind race winner Corey Heim, 16-year-old Sawalich finished 9th in his series debut driving the #1 Starkey / Soundgear Toyota. 

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #22 in a Truck Series race since September 9, 2022, when Brett Moffitt lost his engine at Kansas. It’s the first last-place finish for the number in a Truck race at Martinsville.

*Only three times has the last-place finisher of a Truck Series race at Martinsville completed more than the 116 laps turned Friday by Mallozzi. The record remains 136, set by Ken Schrader who had radiator issues on his #52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet on April 17, 2004.

*This is only the second Truck Series race where all the starters finished under power. The last time it happened was on the Bristol Dirt Track on April 16, 2022, where the AM Racing #22 also finished last with Austin Wayne Self.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #22-Stephen Mallozzi / 116 laps / running

35) #20-Brad Perez / 117 laps / running

34) #42-Carson Hocevar / 122 laps / running

33) #33-Mason Massey / 122 laps / running

32) #45-Lawless Alan / 122 laps / running

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) AM Racing, Reaume Brothers Racing, Young’s Motorsports (2)

2nd) Niece Motorsports, TRICON Garage (1)

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet, Ford (3)

2nd) Toyota (1)

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Late model stars among the newcomers joining the action in Martinsville

IMAGE: @TRICONGarage

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, April 14, 2023 (7:30 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 7 of 23

Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Dean Thompson

ENTRY LIST

There are 38 drivers entered for 36 spots, meaning two will fail to qualify. UPDATE: Make that one truck will DNQ as the #34 withdrew on Friday.

RETURNING: #1-TRICON Garage

Just 16 years old, William Sawalich – winner of this year’s ARCA East opener at Five Flags – will make his Truck Series debut in the TRICON #1, a truck that hasn’t run since Kaz Grala’s 9th-place showing in COTA. Starkey and Soundgear join the newcomer as sponsors.

MISSING: #6-Norm Benning Racing

Last week’s Bristol Dirt Race, where Norm Benning made his first Truck Series start since 2021 after a dramatic finish to the final heat race, was also his last opportunity to run the older Chevrolet nose. As he seeks funding to upgrade his three trucks, Benning is not entered this week.

MISSING: #7-Spire Motorsports

Also missing is the Spire entry, which Jonathan Davenport steered to a 14th-place finish on the dirt.

DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Young’s Motorsports

The latest in a series of misfortunes for Randy Young’s #20 entry occurred at Bristol, where late entry Stefan Parsons slid into a pileup, resulting in the team’s second last-place finish of 2023. Parsons’ truck was also without primary sponsorship, which is not the case this week. Brad Perez will be driving with backing from, among other companies, Bonesteel Aerospace, a sponsor of his employer Patrick Emerling at the Emerling-Gase Motorsports XFINITY team. This will be Perez’ first NASCAR national series start on an oval after what has been exclusively a road course schedule, and his first start for the Young’s team.

DRIVER CHANGE: #22-AM Racing

WITHDREW: #34-Reaume Brothers Racing

Also returning to the Truck Series is Stephen Mallozzi, who last summer made his Truck Series debut at Mid-Ohio. That day, he overcame damage from a practice crash to finish in the 22nd spot. Mallozzi was originally slated to run for the Reaume Brothers again, just as he had in Mid-Ohio, but has since been swapped from the #34 to AM Racing’s #22, replacing Cup regular Chase Briscoe who was 7th in Bristol. Stacking Dennys and Win The Race are among his backers. Josh Reaume, originally slated to run the #22, will instead pilot the #34 as he had at Bristol, where he failed to qualify. UPDATE: Reaume's #34 was wothdrawn on Friday.

DRIVER CHANGE: #30-On Point Motorsports

The latest in a series of newcomers joining the On Point effort is 17-year-old late model stock car racer Jonathon Shafer, who will carry sponsorship from Osgar’s Autobody and AutosByNelsom.com on his white #30. Shafter is a winner in the CARS Late Model tour, having scored a win last year at Ace Speedway en route to a 14th-place rank in points during a part-time campaign. The truck had been listed as “TBA” on the initial entry list.

DRIVER CHANGE: #41-Niece Motorsports

Ross Chastain continues his longstanding business relationship with Al Niece as he runs double-duty at Martinsvile, piloting the #41 Chevrolet. This entry was run last week by Tyler Carpenter, who narrowly made the field at Bristol, only to be involved in multiple incidents that left him a disappointing 29th. This, Chastain’s third Truck start of the season, will again see Worldwide Express join as sponsor.

DRIVER CHANGE: #46-G2G Racing

MISSING: #47-G2G Racing

G2G Racing scales back to only their primary #46 entry this week, and has brought on one of their own crew members to drive. Memphis Villarreal is one of six full-time crew members on the team, and a short track racer from Texas. He takes the place of Jerry Bohlman, whose own attempted debut at Bristol was cut short by a pressure plate failure on the opening lap of his heat race. Villarreal carries sponsorship from S&S Fishing and Rental.

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports

A second Cup regular in the field is Kyle Busch, who himself takes the place of 3rd-place Bristol finisher William Byron.

MISSING: #62-Halmar Friesen Racing

Jessica Friesen is not entered following her DNQ from a third-straight Bristol Dirt Race.

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-ThorSport Racing

Another late model driver looking to break through in NASCAR is Conner Jones, who this week pilots the #66 entry that defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano steered to victory last week in Bristol. The 16-year-old from Fredericksburg, Virginia already has seven ARCA starts to his credit with a best finish of 5th last year at Iowa, and most recently took 7th in this spring’s race at Phoenix.

MISSING: #75-Henderson Motorsports

Parker Kligerman is not entered after a fire behind his right-front wheel spoiled his run at Bristol, leaving him 31st.

RETURNING: #90-Terry Carroll Motorsports

Justin S. Carroll and his family’s team tried five times to make their series debut last year, beginning with this very event, and each time was sent home. Will they break through this week – and will the weather hold off long enough for them to try?

CUP INVADERS: #41-Ross Chastain, #51-Kyle Busch

Saturday, April 15, 2023 (7:30 P.M. ET, FS1)

XFINITY Race 8 of 33

Call 811 Before You Dig 250 at Martinsville

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Brennan Poole

ENTRY LIST

There are 40 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning two will fail to qualify.

DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #38-RSS Racing

In his two previous XFINITY Series starts this season, Ryan Truex earned a runner-up finish at Phoenix and a 3rd-place showing in Atlanta. Still seeking his first win in what would be his 87th series start, Truex takes the place of Joe Graf, Jr. in the Joe Gibbs Racing #19 entry. Graf struggled tremendously in this car at Richmond, nearly finishing last in the process, and this week rejoins RSS Racing in the #38. Graf takes the place of Chris Hacker, who in that same Richmond race finished a sterling 14th in his series debut.

DRIVER SWAP: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

The preliminary entry list had Joey Gase and Patrick Emerling swapping rides with Emerling in the #35 and Gase in the #53. But by Tuesday, it was revealed Matt Mills would take Gase’s place in the #53, bringing his familiar J.F. Electric sponsorship that last backed Mills’ crash-marred Truck Series effort in Texas. Mills seeks his 120th XFINITY start and first of the season. He last took the green at this same Martinsville track last fall, where his B.J. McLeod entry lost the engine, then failed to qualify the next week in Phoenix.

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

While Timmy Hill was shown on the entry list, it was already announced that Chad Finchum would pilot the #66 this week, seeking his first start of 2023. Like Mills, Finchum’s most recent XFINITY start came at Martinsville last fall, where he ran 36th in MBM’s #13. If he qualifies, it will be the 108th start of Finchum’s career.

DRIVER CHANGE: #74-CHK Racing

DRVER SWAP: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

Fresh off a career run at Bristol, where he matched his career-best 9th-place finish with Roper Racing, and on the one-year anniversary of his Truck Series debut at this same track with G2G Racing, Kaden Honeycutt will attempt his first XFINITY Series race taking over for Dawson Cram in CHK Racing’s #74 Chevrolet. UPDATE: Late-breaking news Thursday has Cram in SS-Green Light's No. 07, replacing Stefan Parsons and bringing back BeWater as sponsor.

TEAM UPDATE: #96-FRS Racing

After they were washed out of the Richmond field by rain, FRS Racing with Kyle Weatherman driving old Brandonbilt Motorsports equipment will again seek their team’s debut. This has also kept Blaine Perkins in Our Motorsports’ #02 with which Weatherman started his season.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, April 16, 2023 (3:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

CUP Race 9 of 36

NOCO 400 at Martinsville

2022 Last-Place Finisher: B.J. McLeod

ENTRY LIST

It’s back to the 36 Chartered entries for Martinsville, marking the eighth straight short field in nine races.

DRIVER CHANGE: #9-Hendrick Motorsports

Certainly the biggest story in the Cup garage is the return of Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver, who will climb aboard his #9 for the first time since his snowboarding injury during the Las Vegas weekend, six races ago. Elliott takes the place of Josh Berry, who among the five of those six races finished a career-best 2nd to Kyle Larson at Richmond.

MISSING: #13-Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing’s “open” entry is not making the trip to Martinsville following the back-to-back Cup debuts of Chandler Smith and Jonathan Davenport. Davenport finished next-to-last at Bristol following a late-race tangle with a crashing Kyle Larson.

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Rick Ware Racing

The other big news story of the week involves Rick Ware Racing, whose driver Cody Ware was swapped out of the #51 entry coming into last Saturday’s race at Bristol in favor of Matt Crafton. The reason stems from Cody Ware’s alleged domestic dispute, which resulted in his arrest for felony assault, his indefinite suspension from NASCAR, and his upcoming court date on May 1. Crafton was again rumored to drive this Sunday, but by Wednesday, the ride went to Zane Smith – already the fourth different car number he’s driven in his first four Cup starts.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-Live Fast Motorsports

Just as he had in Richmond. Anthony Alfredo will pull double-duty for B.J. McLeod, taking over for the 26th-place Bristol finisher in the #78 Ford. Andy’s Frozen Custard will sponsor his Cup entry at a track where he finished 26th and 20th in 2021 for Front Row Motorsports.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (April 13, 2002): Loni Richardson picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in the Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville when his #73 Intensitee Custom Racewear / UTI Chevrolet lost the engine after 62 laps. 

CUP: Joey Logano struggles through multiple incidents en route to second last-place finish of 2023

PHOTO: @joeylogano

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Joey Logano scored the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track when his #22 Shell / Pennzoil Ford fell out with crash damage after 96 of 250 laps.

The finish, which came in Logano’s 515th series start, was his second of the season and first since Las Vegas, five races ago. In the Cup Series last-place rankings, it was the 28th for the #22, the 645th from a crash, and the 728th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 44th for the #22, the 1,007th for Ford, and the 1,327th from a crash.

Coming into Sunday’s Bristol Dirt Race, where he was the inaugural winner in 2021, Logano had just one finish worse than 11th since his last-place run in Las Vegas, which was a 28th in the chaotic road course event in COTA. This span also included a in from the pole at Atlanta, where he scored his first win of the season with a last-lap pass on Brad Keselowski. Logano would pull double-duty at Bristol, combined with an effort with ThorSport in the #66, to which he brought last-minute sponsorship from Hang 10 Car Wash. There, Logano stormed to a dominant victory, leading 138 of 150 laps in an easy win over last summer’s Bristol winner Ty Majeski. Coming into the Cup race, Logano had to be one of the favorites.

Just like the Truck Series race, Sunday’s Cup event had practice and qualifying washed out by rain on Friday, putting a premium on Saturday’s four 15-lap heat races. 

In Heat Race #1, Ross Chastain was to start 10th and last in his #1 AdventHealth Chevrolet, but B.J. McLeod voluntarily surrendered 3rd on the grid to drop to the rear in his #78 Gunk Chevrolet. As McLeod would later report, this would be his first dirt track race in 35 years, dating back to his time running late models. At the end of Lap 1, McLeod was 1.594 seconds back of the lead, but dropped 1.608 seconds back of 9th by Lap 4. Under the first caution for Josh Berry’s spin, McLeod asked his crew for advice on how to run faster laps. The crew said the leaders were gaining ground through Turns 3 and 4, and suggested he charge the corner more. But McLeod’s car felt “too stable” for the rest of the race, keeping him in last place until the checkered flag.

Heat Race #2 placed Todd Gilliland in the 9th and final spot, driving the #38 Speedy Cash Ford. “Go where they're not here,” the crew told him. “Eyes forward.” After warm-up laps, Gilliland reported his car felt snug on entry and free on exit. Gilliland soon began to climb up the ranks, and by Lap 3 dropped Noah Gragson to last in the #42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet. From there, Gragson lost ground exponentially, dropping 1.900 seconds back of 8th place on Lap 9, 2.504 back on Lap 13, and 3.333 back of Lap 15.

Starting 9th and last in Heat Race #3 was J.J. Yeley in Rick Ware Racing’s #15 Public Sq. Ford, which also carried a tribute to the victims of the victims of The Covenant School shooting, and a link to a fundraiser for the victims. During the warm-up laps, Ty Dillon spun his #77 Ferris Commercial Mowers Chevrolet, then lined up in the 3rd spot. On the first lap, Yeley promptly dropped Chris Buescher to last in the #17 Fastenal Ford, which now was locked in a tight side-by-side battle with both Ty Dillon and Matt Crafton, the latter a late driver change in the #51 Biohaven Ford after Cody Ware responded to an off-track obligation. By Lap 6, Yeley had climbed his way to 4th, and two circuits later, Buescher inched ahead of Crafton by 0.040 at the stripe. On Lap 9, when Yeley climbed to 3rd, the tail end of the field remained locked in a knot of traffic. Buescher re-took the spot, followed on Lap 12 by Corey LaJoie in the #7 NationsGuard Chevrolet. By then, Ty Dillon had also lost ground, and his teammate LaJoie pulled alongside on Lap 14, the pair just 0.091 apart at the line. Dillon pulled ahead on the final lap, and LaJoie crossed the stripe 0.195 behind. Yeley remained in 3rd, which would place him 3rd on the grid – the best-ever Cup start for Rick Ware Racing, and Yeley’s best since he started 4th at Phoenix on November 11, 2007. Yeley finished the night on the lead lap in 20th, his best run in a Cup race since he finished 12th at Daytona on July 7, 2019.

Logano was in Heat Race #4, where he started next-to-last ahead of 9th-place Kevin Harvick in the #4 Busch Light Ford. Harvick remained last at the start, and had dropped 0.328 second back of the next car of Austin Cindric at the end of Lap 1. On Lap 5, Harvick cleared Daniel Suarez in the #99 Jockey Chevrolet, and by Lap 8, Suarez fell 1.373 seconds back of Harvick. The next time by, Suarez spun by himself, then struggled to re-fire the engine. A push-truck got him going again. The crew thought Suarez was a lap down, and planned to use the rest of the heat as a test session, but then learned they were still on the lead lap. Suarez closed to within 0.157 of Harvick at the end of the heat, but remained in last place. “This car is driving like a dirt car,” said Suarez. “I need it to drive like a regular car.”

Logano finished the final heat in 5th place, which after “passing points” were tabulated secured him 12th on the starting grid for Sunday.

Rolling off 37th and last was McLeod, the last-place finisher of Heat Race #1, with fellow last-place heat runners Gragson, LaJoie, and Suarez just ahead. When the race started, McLeod climbed to 34th on the first lap, dropping Ty Dillon to last. By Lap 3, both had dropped Buescher to last, though he was side-by-side with Dillon’s #77, just 0.069 second ahead. Dillon cleared Buescher by Lap 5, and McLeod returned to last place on Lap 6. Now with clear track around him, McLeod was encouraged by his team to try different lines. He remined in touch with the tail end of the field when the caution fell on Lap 12.

This was the moment of Logano’s first incident, where he checked-up for a spinning Bubba Wallace off Turn 2. As Logano slowed for Wallace’s #23 McDonald’s / Dr. Pepper Toyota, Logano was rear-ended by William Byron’s #24 Raptor Chevrolet, sending Logano spinning rear-first into the sand barrels near pit entrance. Byron then yanked his car right, which clipped Todd Gilliland’s #38 and sent his Ford into the outside wall. All cars involved continued, and crews cleaned up the couple sand barrels knocked over in the incident. This put Logano in last on Lap 12, and he called for a handling adjustment during his stop, looking to run tighter. Gilliland cut down a left-front tire in the incident, and he took last on Lap 17 to get it replaced. This put Gilliland one lap down, and he incurred a redundant penalty for both pitting too soon and having too many crew members over the wall.

While Gilliland had been pleased with his car’s handling during the opening laps, he struggled after the incident, and by Lap 34 was hoping for another caution. As the crew told Gilliland to remain “smooth on the pedal” and “control the yaw,” the next caution did come on Lap 39. Again, Logano found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time, it was Matt Crafton who spun off the corner, and Logano checked-up, nearly causing Gilliland to collide with him. “That was a lot of fun,” said Gilliland, now back on the lead lap. “Let’s do it again.” On Lap 42, Gilliland dropped McLeod back to last, and the #78 remained in 37th for the Lap 46 restart. Soon after, Erik Jones’ #43 Club Wyndham Chevrolet collided with Corey LaJoie’s #7, sending both cars to pit road. LaJoie pitted first on Lap 52, but received a pass-through penalty for speeding in Section 1. As LaJoie prepared to serve his penalty, Jones cut down a tire from the incident and made a stop of his own. This dropped LaJoie three laps down to Jones’ two, putting Jones in the Lucky Dog spot. “43 came down and door-slammed us,” said LaJoie’s team on Lap 61. “Probably killed it. We were good before that.”

The Spire Motorsports team advised LaJoie to lag back for the restart, and to see if the team’s adjustments helped. This kept him well clear of a collision between Josh Berry, Ty Dillon, and Denny Hamlin, which ended Stage 1 just short of the checkered flag. All three drivers cleared the “Crash Clock” on the Lap 76 restart, at which point LaJoie remained in last place. Logano’s struggles continued as he drifted high and lost several spots. The next two cautions for spins by Jonathan Davenport (Lap 81) and Michael McDowell (Lap 88 – the first of two times McDowell spun 360 degrees without hitting anything) put Jones back on the lead lap, making LaJoie next in line to receive the Lucky Dog. But before that could happen, yet another incident occurred – again involving Logano - and this time the caution didn’t fall.

On Lap 95, Logano tangled with Daniel Suarez, leaving Suarez with left-front damage and Logano with a smoking right-rear. Logano made it to pit road, where on Lap 99 his crew said “We’re done – a-frame’s broke.” LaJoie dropped Logano to last place the next time by, and the #22 pulled behind the wall on Lap 103, done for the day under the “Damaged Vehicle Policy.” On Lap 110, Logano’s crew radioed “We’re officially done,” and NASCAR’s garage official confirmed this on Lap 115.

While the race was slowed by 14 cautions for 73 laps, they didn’t fall in time for LaJoie to capitalize on the “Lucky Dog” even once, and he finished the race three laps down in 30th spot. Five of the seven cars behind him failed to finish. Kyle Larson won Stage 1 in his #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet and appeared to have the best car in the field, but a game of bumper tag with Ryan Preece led to an incident on Lap 175 where Larson bounced off the outside wall, then spun out, collecting Davenport’s #13. Both drivers were eliminated with Davenport taking 36th and Larson 35th. Crafton took 34th after the engine let go while Noah Gragson’s bid for a Top 10 fell short after his #42 bounced off the wall and spent several laps on pit road, taking 33rd.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #22 in a Cup Series dirt track race since November 26, 1959, when Bob Welborn’s 1959 Ogden-Ridgeway Chevrolet crashed on the opening lap around the Columbia (South Carolina) Speedway. Though run in late 1959, this was the second round of the 1960 championship. The very next rounds were in Daytona in February 1960 for the lead-up to the Daytona 500.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

37) #22-Joey Logano / 96 laps / crash

36) #13-Jonathan Davenport / 176 laps / crash

35) #5-Kyle Larson / 177 laps / crash / led 75 laps / won stage 1

34) #51-Matt Crafton / 185 laps / engine

33) #42-Noah Gragson / 205 laps / running

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Live Fast Motorsports, Penske Racing, Spire Motorsports (2)

2nd) Kaulig Racing, Legacy Motor Club (1)

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (6)

2nd) Ford (2)

2023 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Late entry Stefan Parsons collected in early Bristol pileup

SCREENSHOT: FS1

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Stefan Parsons scored the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track when his unsponsored #20 Chevrolet was involved in a multi-truck accident after 7 of 150 laps.

The finish, which came in Parsons’ 9th series start, was his first of the season and first since last June at Sonoma, 17 races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 12th for the #20, the 182nd from a crash, and the 433rd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 57th for the #20, the 1,326th from a crash, and the 1,883rd for Chevrolet.

After competing in 24 of last year’s 33 XFINITY Series races with multiple teams, Parsons has continued to avail himself to teams in need of a driver. In this year’s Daytona opener, he was called upon by Alpha Prime Racing when Caesar Bacarella fell ill before the race. Parsons climbed aboard the #45 Clear Cryptos Chevrolet and came home a strong 13th, a run reminiscent of his series debut in 2019 at the same track, where he filled a similar role for Cody Ware and took home 12th. His other NASCAR start so far this year came at Richmond, where SS-Green Light Racing has brought on multiple drivers after parting ways with a struggling Blaine Perkins. Parsons brought his sponsorship from SOKAL Digital and finished 32nd.

The dirt race at Bristol saw a reunion with Young’s Motorsports, which twice last year hired him to drive their #20, yielding finishes of 22nd in Nashville and 26th in Homestead. The Randy Young effort has kept the #20 as their “all-star” entry, which along with G2G Racing’s #46 have remained one of the few Truck Series teams to hire multiple drivers to one and two-race deals. Coming into Bristol, the team had faced increasing struggles. After Derek Kraus’ 18th-place showing in Daytona, Matt Mills finished 26th in Las Vegas. Mason Maggio struggled with multiple cut tires before crashing out at Atlanta, followed by IndyCar star Ed Jones’ flat tire at COTA that kept him from completing a single lap. This was capped last week at Texas by Matt Mills’ brake failure at Texas, where his pedal went to the floor while trying to avoid a wrecking Dean Thompson. The resulting impact sent Thompson to the hospital, though he was soon discharged and cleared to race.

The Young’s team didn’t have a driver listed for Bristol until Thursday, when Parsons was revealed as driver. It was also shown that the truck didn’t have any sponsors, and would run a flat-white paint scheme on the Chevrolet.

With no practice and qualifying, the lineup for the heat races was determined by random draw. Parsons drew the pole for Heat Race #1, where he’d kick off Saturday’s on-track action. Parsons finished 4th, securing him 20th on the starting grid, while the battle at the back of the field remained competitive.

PHOTO: @StefanParsons_

In Heat Race #1, Taylor Gray started 11th and last in his #17 JBL Toyota, which the crew reported had a small left-rear tire rub during the warm-up laps. After NASCAR retrieved a piece of debris in Turn 3, Taylor was advised to run the inside while other trucks washed up the banking. He remained last at the end of Lap 1, but by Lap 2 pulled alongside Kris Wright in the #02 Wrightcars.com Chevrolet. The two were 0.045 second apart at the stripe, and by Lap 3, both had passed Josh Reaume in the #34 JAG Metals LLC / Colonial Countertops Ford. Reaume struggled for speed, and by Lap 7 had dropped a full 2.710 seconds back of 10th-place Tanner Gray in the #15 Mobil 1 Toyota. Tanner had a flat tire, which sent him to pit road, and Lawless Alan joined him for an issue on his #45 AUTOParkit Chevrolet. 

On Lap 10, as Reaume was lapped by the leader though Turns 3 and 4, Alan returned to the track two laps down with Tanner five down. The next time by, Wright rear-ended Taylor Gray’s #17, pushing in the nose of Wright’s Chevrolet and rupturing the radiator. Wright was pushed to the garage for a new radiator while Taylor continued with a pushed-in rear bumper. By then, there were so few laps left that Wright didn’t drop to the same lap as Tanner Gray’s #15 until the checkered flag. Even then, Tanner was credited with last place, ranking Wright in 10th.

In Heat Race #2, Zane Smith rolled off 10th and last in his #38 Love’s / Speedco Ford. He only remained in the spot for a moment as polesitter Colby Howard’s #9 Project Hope Foundation Chevrolet pulled high in Turns 3 and 4 and suddenly stopped, drawing the first caution of the day. As the crew tried to figure out what happened, Howard got a push down the banking, where they saw the right-rear tire had come apart. Unable to re-fire the truck, Howard climbed out, and his truck was pushed back to the hauler. With six to go in the heat, Howard’s crew said, “The tire's wrapped around the whole clip, that's what made it not roll. Ripped a brake line off, broke a track bar mount.” 

Heat Race #3 ranked west coast dirt tracker Tanner Carrick in the 10th and final spot, seeking his NASCAR debut in On Point Motorsports’ #30 CVC Concrete Toyota. Further ahead, another driver had a left-rear tire rub as Corey Heim prepared to roll off 7th in the #11 Safelite Toyota. When the heat started, last-place starter Carrick worked to the outside of Cup regular William Byron in the #51 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. But this immediately changed to a battle for 9th as another truck failed to fire off at the start. This was Jerry Bohlman, who drove one of two G2G Racing entries. Bohlman said he had enough clutch on his #46 Eco Pile / Bohlman Marine Toyota, but the crew estimated the pressure plate had failed. The crew apologized, saying the part seemed to be working properly at the shop. Bohlman didn’t turn a lap and remained the last-place finisher. Carrick’s heat didn’t go much longer as he damaged the right-front of his #30 in a collision with Daniel Dye’s #43 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet. This sent Carrick behind the wall after just three laps. With three heats completed and one to go, repairs continued on the trucks of Kris Wright, Colby Howard, Tanner Carrick, and Jerry Bohlman.

Heat Race #4, the last of the night, saw Kaden Honeycutt rank 10th and last in Roper Racing’s #04 CarQuest / Technet Ford. On the pole was Andrew Gordon, Bohlman’s teammate at G2G Racing, in his #47 Trick Shot / Staar Trucking Ford. Both Gordon and fellow front-row starter Rajah Caruth in the #24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet spun their trucks during the warm-up laps in separate incidents, though both avoided making any contact. When the race started, Honeycutt began his charge to 3rd at the finish, dropping to last at the end of Lap 1 one Norm Benning. Benning, who had not made a Truck Series start since October 2, 2021 at Talladega, was already 1.124 seconds back of 9th place at the end of the first lap. The driver said his engine shut off, and he had to re-fire it. From there, Benning gradually lost more ground. His gap from 9th place increased to 2.183 seconds on Lap 5, 4.294 on Lap 6, and 5.953 seconds on Lap 9. Ahead of him, Spencer Boyd had a left-front tire rub on his #12 Fr8 / logic Chevrolet, but he managed to come home in 5th.

Then, with just two laps to go, Benning’s spotter broke in, shouting “Get that 47, get by him!” Andrew Gordon had run inside the Top 5 for most of the heat, but was now losing so much ground that Benning was closing fast. The spotter then said, “Go low – low, low, low. 41’s coming at you.” This referred to Tyler Carpenter, who also dropped back in his #41 AutoVentive Chevrolet. Benning cleared both trucks just seconds before he crossed the finish line, placing him 8th in the heat – and into the main event, where he’d roll off 30th. Gordon missed the race, joined by his teammate Jerry Bohlman from Heat Race #3. The other three DNQs were Jessica Friesen in the #62 Aim Autism / Halmar International Toyota – her third-straight DNQ in the race – plus Josh Reaume’s sluggish #34 and Lawless Alan following a costly pit stop in his #45.

Kris Wright secured the 36th and final starting spot for the 150-lap main event, the crew having taped up the damaged nose and replaced the radiator. Many of the other trucks that sustained damage filled the final few spots, including Tanner Carrick with repairs to the right-front corner of his #30, and Colby Howard with repaired suspension on his #9. All three incurred tail-end penalties for unapproved adjustments along with and 7th-place Ben Rhodes, 9th-place Taylor Gray, 12th-place Corey Heim in the #11 Safelite Toyota, 22nd-place Spencer Boyd, 25th-place Jonathan Davenport in the #7 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, and 32nd-place Daniel Dye.

But, just seconds before the green flag, Tyler Ankrum made an unscheduled stop in his #16 Liuna Toyota, which had a flat right-rear tire. NASCAR didn’t delay the start, and Ankrum just pulled back onto the track as the leaders took the green. This gave Ankrum last place, 12.18 seconds back of the leader at the end of Lap 1. Ankrum then set to work tracking down Kris Wright, who was 5.957 seconds ahead. By Lap 6, he’d cut the gap down to 3.368 seconds, and was even closer when the first caution fell the next time by.

On Lap 7, Mason Massey was running in the high lane through Turns 1 and 2 when his #33 Brunt / Colonial Countertops Ford broke loose and slid down the track. Closing fast in the high lane, Ben Rhodes jumped on the brakes and skated his #99 Campers Inn RV Ford into the side of Massey. Rhodes had only minor damage, but by now both trucks were sideways, blocking the entire track. Running the low lane was Taylor Gray’s #17 JBL Toyota with Parsons just behind. Both Taylor and Parsons also jumped on the brakes and cut hard to the left, each skating into the stopped Massey. While Taylor glanced off the right-front of Massey’s truck, Parsons’ slammed into the nose of Massey with the right-front wheel. Also involved was Tyler Carpenter, whose difficult evening continued when he tried to weave through the middle, only to rip off the left-front fender by clipping Taylor’s rear bumper.

“It ripped the wheel out of my hands,” said Parsons over the radio as equipment trucks came to the scene. Parsons was told he’d be pushed for 100 yards to see if he could re-fire the engine. If he couldn’t, he’d have to go to the garage area. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Parsons went to the garage along with Massey, followed a lap later by Taylor Gray. All three were declared out by NASCAR on Lap 41, just before non-competitive pit stops began at the conclusion of Stage 1. While NASCAR’s garage official listed Parsons and Massey out with “DVP” while Taylor Gray was listed as a “crash,” all three were listed as crashes instead. Tyler Ankrum and Kris Wright rounded out the Bottom Five after both were eliminated in accidents.

Kaden Honeycutt capped off a strong Saturday with a career-tying 9th-place finish, already his second top-ten finish in 13 career Truck Series starts.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the third last-place finish for Young’s Motorsports’ #20 entry in the last seven Truck Series races, dating back to last year’s 2022 finale at Phoenix with Armani Williams.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #20-Stefan Parsons / 7 laps / crash

35) #33-Mason Massey / 7 laps / crash

34) #17-Taylor Gray / 8 laps / crash

33) #16-Tyler Ankrum / 25 laps / crash

32) #02-Kris Wright / 75 laps / crash

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Reaume Brothers Racing, Young’s Motorsports (2)

2nd) Niece Motorsports, TRICON Garage (1)

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (3)

2nd) Ford (2)

3rd) Toyota (1)

2023 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: A few dirt track ringers return to action on mud-caked Bristol

IMAGE: On Point Motorsports

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, April 8, 2023 (8:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 6 of 23

Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Dirt

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Austin Wayne Self

ENTRY LIST

There are 41 drivers entered for 36 spots, meaning five teams will be sent home after Saturday’s four 15-lap heat races.

WITHDREW: #1-TRICON Garage

After not entering their #1 Toyota for the first time in 2023 at Texas, the team withdrew from Saturday’s race without a driver listed.

TEAM UPDATE: #5-TRICON Garage

As of this writing, Dean Thompson is listed to drive at Bristol. Thompson was hospitalized following his terrible crash at Texas last week, but was discharged later that evening.

RETURNING: #6-Norm Benning Racing

Norm Benning returns for the first time since Daytona, where he fell short in qualifying after a strong top-ten run in practice. Instead of the G2G Racing Toyota from that race, Benning arrives with his own #6 Chevrolet. Benning seeks his 245th career Truck Series start, his first since October 2, 2021 at Talladega.

RETURNING: #7-Spire Motorsports

Leading this weekend’s dirt track “ringers” is “Superman,” dirt late model star Jonathan Davenport. The three-time Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series Champion and 2022 XR Super Series titlist will attempt to run double-duty in conjunction with Kaulig Racing, who will field his #13 Chevrolet entry on Sunday. Kaulig sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions backs his ride for Saturday, Spire Motorsports’ #7 Chevrolet, which failed to qualify in its last attempt at COTA with Cup regular Alex Bowman.

MISSING: #14-Trey Hutchens Racing

Also involved in the Thompson accident was 30th-place Texas finisher Trey Hutchens, who along with his #14 entry is not entered in this week’s race.

DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Young’s Motorsports

Matt Mills, still another driver from the Thompson wreck, finished 31st after the incident last week. No driver was listed until Thursday, when Stefan Parsons was announced in what appears to be an unsponsored white Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #22-AM Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #34-Reaume Brothers Racing

The first of no less than three Cup Series invaders in Saturday’s field is Chase Briscoe, who in last year’s Cup race was one corner away from a possible win before he spun with race leader Tyler Reddick. This year, Briscoe starts his double-duty effort in AM Racing’s #22 Ford with Production Alliance Group as sponsor. Briscoe takes the place of Josh Reaume, who returns to his own team to pilot the #34 in place of 33rd-place Texas finisher Keith McGee.

DRIVER CHANGE: #30-On Point Motorsports

Tanner Carrick is a regular at tracks near LASTCAR Headquarters, running winged sprint cars across northern California, and on Saturday seeks his first-ever start in NASCAR’s top three series. Carrick will carry his sponsorship from CVC Concrete with On Point’s #30, the same team with which Ryan Vargas scored a career-best 8th last week in Texas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #41-Niece Motorsports

Last summer in Knoxville, Tyler Carpenter raced from 6th to 2nd in his heat race, then finished last in the main when the driveshaft failed on his Al Niece entry. This brought to an abrupt end the NASCAR debut he earned with a “Win and You’re In” effort at the Gateway Dirt Nationals. On Saturday, he makes his first start since that night, and again campaigns Niece’s #41 Chevrolet. Taking the place of Texas last-place finisher Chad Chastain, Carpenter carries sponsorship from AutoVentive.

WITHDREW: #44-Niece Motorsports

The Niece team had originally entered their part-time fourth entry, but withdrew it early in the week without a driver listed. The truck hasn’t run since last fall’s race at Hometead, where Chad Chastain finished 30th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #46-G2G Racing

G2G Racing enters two trucks for the first time in 2023. Running their flagship #46 in place of Armani Williams, who in 29th was the last driver involved in the Thompson wreck, is rookie Jerry Bohlman in the #46 Toyota. Bohlman followed his father Gary’s footsteps into late models in Florida, and also oversees Bohlman Marine Construction, which constructs and repairs boat docks and lifts. EcoPile, which sponsors the #46, is one of the business’ partners.

RETURNING: #47-G2G Racing

Last year saw the second G2G entry hastily renumbered from the #47 to the #49, a consequence of the truck not properly passed from its previous owners at the shuttered CMI Motorsports. Andrew Gordon qualified for the main event in that truck and finished in 32nd. This year, Gordon returns and is again entered in the #47, seeking his fourth career Truck Series start.

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports

Another Cup regular invading the field is William Byron, already twice a winner in the Cup Series this season. Byron takes the place of 9th-place Texas finisher Jack Wood in the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. This will be Byron’s third Truck Series start since his last full-time season in 2016. He won his last time out  in Martinsville last spring.

RETURNING: #56-Hill Motorsports

RETURNING: #04-Roper Racing

Both these entries are returning to action after practice crashes forced them to withdraw in Texas. Timmy Hill takes over for brother Tyler in the #56 with shophillmotorsports.com as sponsor while Kaden Honeycutt remains in the #04.

RETURNING: #62-Halmar Friesen Racing

Dirt track racing means another battle of the spouses as Jessica Friesen returns in a second HFR entry, competing against her husband Stewart. Running the Aim Autism / Halmar Internaitonal Toyota, Jessica seeks her third series start in as many years – and her first in the Bristol Dirt Race. She finished 26th and 34th at Knoxville.

RETURNING: #66-ThorSport Racing

The last time the Truck Series ran at Bristol – on the original concrete surface – Ty Majeski broke through with his first career win in the #66. With Majeski now driving ThorSport’s #98, the #66 now returns with two-time and defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano.

RETURNING: #75-Henderson Motorsports

An off-weekend for the XFINITY Series – and the close proximity of Charlie Henderson’s shop in Abingdon, Virginia – puts Parker Kligerman back into the field for his third start of the season and first since COTA. Continuing the Henderson team’s long and successful career at Bristol, Kligerman finished 8th and 4th in his previous two runs at the Bristol Dirt Race.

CUP INVADERS: #22-Chase Briscoe, #51-William Byron, #66-Joey Logano

Sunday, April 9, 2023 (7:00 P.M. ET, FOX)

CUP Race 8 of 36

Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Dirt

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Justin Allgaier

ENTRY LIST

There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the seventh straight short field of the 2023 season.

DRIVER CHANGE: #13-Kaulig Racing

Jonathan Davenport’s double-duty effort concludes with his Cup debut, driving the same entry with which Chandler Smith earned a strong 17th-place finish in his own debut at Richmond. Nutrien Ag Solutions is again the sponsor, joined by the detergent-backed entries of A.J. Allmendinger (Gain) and Justin Haley (Tide). This is again the lone "open" entry in the field.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-Live Fast Motorsports

While the last two runnings of the Bristol Dirt Race saw the Live Fast team hire a “ringer” of their own – Shane Golobic in 2021 and XFINITY Series newsmaker Josh Williams in 2022 – B.J. McLeod will himself compete in this year’s race. He carries sponsorship from Gunk, a brand from team backer B’laster products.

Saturday, April 15, 2023

XFINITY Race 8 of 33

Call 811 Before You Dig 250 at Martinsville

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Brennan Poole

The XFINITY Series returns at Martinsville, where all three divisions will be back in action.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (April 6, 1985): Tim Richmond picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Valleydale 500 at Bristol when his #27 Old Milwaukee Pontiac was eliminated in a multi-car pileup on Lap 37. The next year, when Richmond signed with Hendrick Motorsports, his Blue Max Racing team would win this same race with Rusty Wallace, the first of Wallace’s career.