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CUP: McDowell Claims First LASTCAR Cup Driver’s Title With A 43rd At Homestead

SOURCE: SPEED

Michael McDowell picked up the 14th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his unsponsored #66 HP Racing LLC Toyota fell out with driveshaft problems after completing 13 of the race’s 267 laps.

The finish was McDowell’s series-leading seventh of 2011 and his first since Chicago, nine races ago. By picking up the finish, McDowell also picked up his first-ever LASTCAR Sprint Cup Driver’s Championship, edging fellow Arizona native J.J. Yeley. Yeley, driver of the Front Row Motorsports #55 which clinched the 2011 LASTCAR Owner’s Title last Sunday, finished 41st, twelve laps behind McDowell.

McDowell and Yeley qualified 33rd and 30th, respectively, with McDowell turning in an average speed of 171.059 mph. In Saturday’s final practice, his #66 had turned in the 13th-fastest time, second among the weekend’s “go-or-go-homers” behind Red Bull Racing’s Cole Whitt, who was third.

At the start of Sunday’s race, it first appeared that Kurt Busch would pick up his first last-place finish since scoring the second of his two Homestead 43rd-place runs in 2008. A sudden transmission failure on Lap 2 forced Busch behind the wall for several laps. A last-place finish by Busch - or any driver other than Yeley - would secure McDowell the LASTCAR title by virtue of his tiebreaking 26 bottom-five finishes to Yeley’s 21.

Eleven laps later, with rain in the area, McDowell pulled behind the wall, followed under an ensuing caution flag by David Stremme in Inception Motorsports’ #30. J.J. Yeley, still on track when rain brought out that yellow on Lap 14, was told over radio communications to stay out and help teammate Travis Kvapil in the 38 lock up a spot in the Top 35. Soon after the Lap 22 restart, Yeley pulled out of the race, but twelve laps too short to take 42nd from McDowell.

When Kurt Busch returned to the track around Lap 64, McDowell was shuffled down to 43rd, breaking his tie with Yeley.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was McDowell’s second last-place finish in a Cup race at Homestead. The other time was in the 2009 Ford 400, back when he was driving Tommy Baldwin’s #36 Wave Energy Drink Toyota. McDowell left that race after 16 laps with engine woes.
*This is the #66 team’s second consecutive last-place finish in a Cup race at Homestead. Last year, when the Phil Parsons team was called PRISM Motorsports and Mike Bliss was driving, the unsponsored car fell out after 10 laps with electrical problems.

Baxter Price's #45 Buick, 1981
SOURCE: Historical Stock Car Racing Forum

*A Cup driver had not finished last due to a driveshaft problem since February 22, 1981, when owner-driver Baxter Price’s #45 McWhirter Grating Buick fell out after 16 laps of the Richmond 400 at Richmond.







THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #66-Michael McDowell / 13 laps / driveshaft
42) #30-David Stremme / 14 laps / ignition
41) #55-J.J. Yeley / 25 laps / vibration
40) #87-Joe Nemechek / 29 laps / vibration / led 3 laps
39) #9-Marcos Ambrose / 72 laps / engine

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
The last time a LASTCAR Cup Driver’s title was settled in the final race of the year was in 1989 when none other than McDowell’s team owner, Phil Parsons, scored the final last-place finish of the year at Atlanta, breaking a tie with Butch Miller. Parsons ended the year with four last-place finishes to Miller’s three. The last time a LASTCAR Cup Driver’s title was settled by a tiebreaker was in 2008, when Joe Nemechek and A.J. Allmendinger’s tie of three finishes apiece was decided by Nemechek’s nine bottom-fives to Allmendinger’s six.
1st) Michael McDowell (7)
2nd) J.J. Yeley (6)
3rd) Mike Skinner (5)
4th) Kevin Conway, Joe Nemechek (4)
5th) Travis Kvapil (3)
6th) Robby Gordon (2)
7th) Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Jeff Green, P.J. Jones, Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) #55-Front Row Motorsports (8)
2nd) #66-HP Racing LLC (7)
3rd) #60-Germain Racing (6)
4th) #87-NEMCO Motorsports (4)
5th) #46-Whitney Motorsports, #97-NEMCO Motorsports (3)
6th) #7-Robby Gordon Motorsports (2)
7th) #37-MaxQ Motorsports, #81-Whitney Motorsports, #77-Robby Gordon Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) Toyota (19)
2nd) Ford (10)
3rd) Chevrolet (4)
4th) Dodge (3)

N’WIDE: Shepherd’s Rough Week Ends With His First 43rd Since 2008

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums

Morgan Shepherd picked up the 13th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Ford 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #89 Victory In Jesus Chevrolet fell out with engine trouble after completing 1 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish came at the end of a very difficult week for Shepherd and his Faith Motorsports team. Last Sunday at Phoenix, while running in the Top 20 in the closing stages, he was involved in a grinding multi-car accident that destroyed the car he’d planned to bring to Homestead.

Uninjured in the crash, Shepherd, a NASCAR veteran with more than 41 years of experience, then received help from a surprising source. Tony Stewart, days before he would claim his third Sprint Cup Championship, paid for Shepherd’s tires, allowing the #89 to make a run in the finale. In qualifying, Shepherd made the show based on his rank in Owner Points, timing in 39th at a speed of 158.753. Among the six drivers to miss the race were 2011 LASTCAR Nationwide Driver’s Champion Jeff Green, who thus missed out on an opportunity to tie Jeff Fuller’s record-setting mark of 11 finishes in the 2004 season.

At the start of Sunday’s race, Shepherd’s luck proved no better. Early in the event, Shepherd made an unscheduled pit stop where the crew looked under his hood. Citing engine failure, the #89 team exited the race.

Shepherd and the other occupants of the Bottom Five became the focus of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who needed just a 37th-place finish to claim his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship over Elliott Sadler. With five cars joining Shepherd in the garage by Lap 10, and all of them listed as “out” by Lap 30, Stenhouse clinched the title. He would go on to finish second in the race to Brad Keselowski.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Shepherd and the #89 had not finished last in a Nationwide Series race since 2008, when his Victory In Jesus Racing Dodge fell out with ignition failure without completing a single lap of the Meijer 300 at Kentucky. Brett Rowe, who drove a “start-and-park” #55 entry for Shepherd earlier this season, picked up three last-place finishes in 2011, most recently at Road America.
*Shepherd had never before finished last in a Nationwide race at Homestead.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #89-Morgan Shepherd / 1 lap / engine
42) #39-Fain Skinner / 2 laps / crash
41) #42-Scott Speed / 3 laps / overheating
40) #71-Matt Carter / 4 laps / vibration
39) #47-Josh Wise / 4 laps / electrical

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) Jeff Green (10)
2nd) Brett Rowe (3)
3rd) Kelly Bires, Johnny Chapman, Dennis Setzer (2)
4th) T.J. Bell, Matt Carter, Kevin Conway, Marc Davis, Matt Frahm, Mike Harmon, James Hylton, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brian Keselowski, Blake Koch, Justin Marks, Morgan Shepherd, Scott Speed, Scott Wimmer, J.J. Yeley (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) #44-TriStar Motorsports (10)
2nd) #47-Key Motorsports, #55-Faith Motorsports (3)
3rd) #25-Ed Rensi, #27-Baker Curb Racing, #49-Jay Robinson Racing (2)
4th) #0-JD Motorsports, #13-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #39-Go Green Racing, #41-Rick Ware Racing, #50-Mark Beaver, #68-Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #75-Rick Ware Racing, #82-MacDonald Motorsports, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #89-Faith Motorsports, #03-R3 Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) Chevrolet (26)
2nd) Ford (7)
3rd) Dodge (1)

TRUCKS: Chapman Inches Closer To Truck Series Record At Homestead

SOURCE: TheHotLap.com

Johnny Chapman picked up the 10th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s Ford 200 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #07 Bobber.info / ASI Limited Toyota fell out with clutch failure after completing 1 of the race’s 119 laps.

The finish was Chapman’s first of 2011. His most recent finish came in the CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway last summer, where his #72 TireMonkey.com / James Carter Attorney Chevrolet also left the race after the opening lap. For the #07 SS Green Light Racing Team, it was their second finish of 2011, joining a finish earned by Scott Riggs at Kansas, seventeen races ago.

In the LASTCAR standings, Chapman remains in sole possession of third in the Truck Series and sixth all-time. In the Truck Series, he stands just three finishes away from tying all-time series leader Wayne Edwards.

Chapman, who two weeks ago found himself in the middle of the controversial Kyle Busch / Ron Hornaday accident at Texas, made the show when qualifying was cancelled, forcing the lineup to be set by practice speeds. This gave him the 33rd spot in the 36-truck field, thus allowing the #07 team to make all 25 races of the 2011 season. It also gave team owner Ken Smith his 100th Truck Series start.

After the opening lap, moments before Jennifer Jo Cobb’s engine failure brought out the first caution of the night, Chapman was behind the wall.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Neither Chapman nor the #07 have ever finished last in a Truck Series race at Homestead.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #07-Johnny Chapman / 1 lap / clutch
35) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb / 3 laps / engine
34) #38-Dennis Setzer / 4 laps / ignition
33) #74-Mike Harmon / 14 laps / overheating
32) #7-Miguel Paludo / 30 laps / engine

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) Mike Garvey (6)
2nd) Norm Benning, Chris Lafferty, Brent Raymer (2)
3rd) Johnny Borneman III, James Buescher, Johnny Chapman, Chris Jones, Mike Harmon, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Travis Kvapil, Johanna Long, Scott Riggs, Greg Seevers, Dennis Setzer, Brad Sweet, J.J. Yeley (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) #38-Shane Sieg (5)
2nd) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #57-Norm Benning Racing, #75-Norm Benning Racing, #93-Shane Sieg, #07-SS Green Light Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Randy Moss, #20-Panhandle Motorsports, #27-Shane Sieg, #31-Turner Motorsports, #32-Turner Motorsports, #65-Joey Sonntag, #66-Turn One Racing, #74-Mike Harmon, #87-Rick Jones, #89-Chris Lafferty (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL STANDINGS
1st) Chevrolet (19)
2nd) Toyota (4)
3rd) Ford (2)

CUP: Kvapil Locks Up LASTCAR Owner’s Title For #55 Team; Driver’s Title A Two-Man Showdown Between McDowell and Yeley

SOURCE: SPEED

Travis Kvapil picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his #55 Aloft Hotels Ford fell out with brake problems after completing 20 of the race’s 312 laps.

The finish was Kvapil’s third in 2011 and his first since Dover, six races ago.

For Phoenix, Kvapil again switched rides with Front Row Motorsports teammate J.J. Yeley and returned to “start-and-park” duty in the #55. He qualified 37th for Sunday’s race - sliding very close to the turn four wall in the process - at an average speed of 133.136 mph. Yeley timed in 40th in the fully-sponsored #38, which was painted by disabled veteran Scott Bates.

At the start of the race, it first appeared that Regan Smith would pick up the first last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. On Lap 2, the Southern 500 winner was involved in a two-car crash with David Ragan, resulting in severe rear-end damage to both cars. Ragan returned to the track quicker than Smith, who spent more than 100 laps behind the wall.

Following the restart, the 42nd spot, held early on by Mike Skinner in the #37, was soon taken over by Kvapil, who pulled behind the wall on Lap 20. Skinner, who needed the finish to stay in contention for the LASTCAR Cup Driver’s Championship, did not pull out until five laps later. When Smith returned to the race around Lap 129, he needed only complete 17 laps to drop Kvapil to the 43rd spot. This Smith accomplished, and Kvapil picked up the finish.

Yeley came home 28th.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*The last Cup driver to finish last at Phoenix due to brake failure was Tony Raines, who exited the 2009 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix after 56 laps while driving Barry Haefele’s #73 Quality Concrete Dodge.
*This was the first Cup last-place finish at Phoenix for both the #55 and for Kvapil.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #55-Travis Kvapil / 20 laps / brakes
42) #37-Mike Skinner / 25 laps / brakes
41) #87-Joe Nemechek / 30 laps / brakes
40) #66-Michael McDowell / 46 laps / transmission
39) #46-Scott Speed / 60 laps / electrical

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Heading into the season finale at Homestead, the Driver’s Title is still up for grabs between Michael McDowell and J.J. Yeley, both still tied with a series-leading six last-place finishes in 2011. McDowell can claim the title even if Yeley does not finish last since McDowell has amassed 26 bottom-five finishes to Yeley’s 21, breaking the current tie. Yeley can only claim the title if he finishes last at Homestead. Mike Skinner is eliminated from competition as his lower number of bottom-five finishes will not win him the resulting three-way tie.
1st) Michael McDowell, J.J. Yeley (6)
2nd) Mike Skinner (5)
3rd) Kevin Conway, Joe Nemechek (4)
4th) Travis Kvapil (3)
5th) Robby Gordon (2)
6th) Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Jeff Green, P.J. Jones, Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
With now a two-finish lead over the field with one race to go, the #55 Front Row Motorsports team has locked-up the 2011 LASTCAR Owner’s Championship. It’s a remarkable accomplishment since the #55 did not attempt a single race until Loudon in July while most other teams in the rankings - including McDowell’s #66 HP Racing LLC Team - have attempted every race this season.
1st) #55-Front Row Motorsports (8)
2nd) #60-Germain Racing, #66-HP Racing LLC (6)
3rd) #87-NEMCO Motorsports (4)
4th) #46-Whitney Motorsports, #97-NEMCO Motorsports (3)
5th) #7-Robby Gordon Motorsports (2)
6th) #37-MaxQ Motorsports, #81-Whitney Motorsports, #77-Robby Gordon Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Ford’s ten last-place finishes in 2011 are the most the manufacturer has scored in a single Cup Series season since 2004, when they picked up another 10 finishes. Ford did not finish last a single time in the 2010 season.
1st) Toyota (18)
2nd) Ford (10)
3rd) Chevrolet (4)
4th) Dodge (3)