CUP: Bliss Ties McDowell For 2013 LASTCAR Lead After Brake Trouble At Richmond

SOURCE: motorsport.com

Mike Bliss picked up the 12th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at the Richmond International Raceway when his #19 Plinker Tactical / G-Oil Toyota fell out with brake problems after he completed 17 of the race’s 406 laps.

The finish was Bliss’ third of the 2013 season, and his first since Fontana, four races ago.  He is now tied with two-time and defending LASTCAR Cup Series Champion Michael McDowell for the 2013 LASTCAR Cup Series lead.

Bliss qualified 38th for Saturday’s race at an average speed of 127.485 mph.  Without the two Scotts - #95 Leavine Family Racing Ford of Scott Speed and the #44 Xxxtreme Motorsports Ford of Scott Riggs - there were just 43 cars present for 43 spots, so every car made the field.

Bliss fell to the rear early and pulled behind the wall in the opening laps.  Michael McDowell and his #98 Phil Parsons Racing Ford pulled behind the wall after him, then returned to the track briefly after Marcos Ambrose lost an engine after 109 laps.  Unconfirmed reports indicate that McDowell’s car leaked fluid on the backstretch, bringing out the third caution of the night on Lap 147, and McDowell’s #98 ended up 41st - one spot ahead of Ambrose.

Finishing 40th on Saturday was Brian Keselowski, who made his first Cup Series start since he raced his way into the field for the 2011 Daytona 500.  Brian ran the same #52 Highland Wealth Advisors Toyota he attempted to race into the 2013 running of The Great American Race, though now with added support from Go Green Racing, which campaigned the #79 Fords run by Kelly Bires in Cup last fall.

With 43 cars for 43 spots, Brian secured the final starting spot, though he ran 7 mph slower than polesitter Matt Kenseth.  Though the car’s owner was Brian’s father Bob Keselowski, the #52 was also prepared by 1988 LASTCAR Cup Champion Jimmy “Smut” Means, thus putting one of Means’ partially-owned cars into a Cup race for the first time since Darlington last spring, and the first time in a Cup race at Richmond since September 11, 1993.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Bliss’ first last-place finish in a Cup Series race at Richmond.
*This was the first last-place finish for the #19 in a Cup Series race at Richmond.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #19-Mike Bliss / 17 laps / brakes
42) #9-Marcos Ambrose / 109 laps / engine
41) #98-Michael McDowell / 121 laps / brakes
40) #52-Brian Keselowski / 186 laps / brakes
39) #87-Joe Nemechek / 245 laps / vibration

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Mike Bliss, Michael McDowell (3)
2nd) Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #19-Humphrey-Smith Motorsports, #98-Phil Parsons Racing (3)
2nd) #7-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #44-Xxxtreme Motorsports, #87-NEMCO Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford, Toyota (4)
2nd) Chevrolet (1)

N’WIDE: In Manufacturer’s Race, Green Scores Toyota’s 150th Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: NASCAR Media

Jeff Green picked up the 41st last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Friday’s ToyotaCare 250 at the Richmond International Raceway when his unsponsored #10 TriStar Motorsports Toyota fell out with a vibration after he completed 4 of the race’s 250 laps.

The finish was Green’s third of 2013 and his second in a row.  He now holds a two-finish lead over four other drivers in the 2013 LASTCAR Nationwide Series Championship and is already on pace to score his third consecutive title.

Green qualified 24th for the race at an average speed of 122.845 mph, ranking him sixth among the sixteen “go-or-go-homers” who attempted to qualify.  Six drivers failed to qualify, including Derek Thorn in Jimmy Means’ #52, 2007 LASTCAR Nationwide Series Champion Morgan Shepherd in his #89, and the #46 and #47 The Motorsports Group entries driven by Chase Miller and Jason Bowles, respectively.

Green pulled behind the wall during the opening green-flag run and was again quickly followed by another car from The Motorsports Group - this time J.J. Yeley in the #42.

Also, as reported during the early stages of the ESPN broadcast, current analyst and former car owner Andy Petree did in fact finish last in his Nationwide Series debut at Richmond when his #4 Lambert Racing Oldsmobile crashed 9 laps into the Commonwealth 200 on September 10, 1988.  The race, won by Harry Gant, was the first NASCAR Nationwide Series event on the current 0.750-mile configuration.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Green’s third-consecutive last-place finish in a Nationwide Series race at Richmond.  Green’s finish here last fall beat the single-season last-place record set by fellow three-time LASTCAR Nationwide Series Champion Jeff Fuller - 11 in 2004.  All three finishes were listed as due to a “vibration.”
*This was the 150th last-place finish for Toyota across all three of NASCAR’s top divisions.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #10-Jeff Green / 4 laps / vibration
39) #42-J.J. Yeley / 7 laps / electrical
38) #92-Dexter Stacey / 22 laps / crash
37) #51-Jeremy Clements / 36 laps / engine
36) #29-Kenny Wallace / 142 laps / rear gear

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (3)
2nd) Joey Gase, Johanna Long, Eric McClure, Michael McDowell (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (3)
2nd) #14-TriStar Motorsports, #27-SR2 Motorsports, #52-Jimmy Means Racing, #70-ML Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (6)
2nd) Chevrolet (1)

The LASTCAR Nationwide and Truck Series Book - Now On Sale!

Now on sale, by popular demand!

Presenting “LASTCAR: The Nationwide and Truck Series Expansion Pack (1982-2012),” a complete year-by-year analysis of NASCAR’s other two top divisions from the perspective of their last-place finishes.

For just $3.99 - two series for the price of one - you can download your copy right now by going to either Amazon.com or Smashwords.com.

Just like the Cup Series book before it, this book contains:

*Profiles on every driver who has won the LASTCAR Nationwide and Truck Series Championship

*Year-end LASTCAR championship standings for every Nationwide season from 1982 through 2012 AND every Truck Series season from 1995 through 2012

*Historical statistics on other significant drivers, races, and moments in LASTCAR history

*Information on the first last-place finishes of NASCAR’s biggest stars, past and present

For more on these books, including a free sample, click this link at Amazon.com or at Smashwords.com.  Both books will soon be available for download for the same $3.99 price at iTunes, Kobo, and Nook.

FREE 2013 UPDATES FOR BOTH BOOKS!

Also, if you purchase this book, the Cup Series book, or both books, I will be updating them for free at the end of the season!

That’s right - if you purchase either of my books before this December, you will be able to re-download an updated version of your book for free, including both 2013 season reviews and other updated statistics.  This includes everyone who has already bought my Cup Series book since January.

Stay tuned to LASTCAR for when these updates will be available.

Sincerely,
Brock, LASTCAR

CUP: Blaney Ends McDowell’s Bid For Three Straight Last-Place Finishes

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Dave Blaney picked up the 21st last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s STP 400 at the Kansas Speedway when his #7 Sany Chevrolet was involved in a single-car accident after he completed 36 of the race’s 267 laps.

The finish was Blaney’s first of 2013 and his first in Cup since last fall at Charlotte, thirteen races ago.  That race was also the last time that Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing, and a 42nd-place starter finished last in a Cup Series race.

Blaney, the 2009 LASTCAR Cup Series Champion, has had a quiet season so far in 2013.  After parking owner Tommy Baldwin’s #36 so the team’s #10 could help Danica Patrick remain in the Top 35, Blaney was awarded the honor of racing the #7 in 2013, the number Baldwin’s father raced in the NASCAR Modified Series.  Blaney and new teammate J.J. Yeley in the #36 both made the field for the Daytona 500, where Blaney finished 17th and Yeley a surprising 10th.  Since then, both Baldwin cars have made every race, but neither have finished inside the Top 20.

At Kansas, Blaney ended up 42nd with a lap of 183.811 mph, the lap still enough to hand two-time LASTCAR Cup Series Champion Joe Nemechek his first DNQ of the season.  An engine change kept Blaney in the back for the start of the race, but a number of unscheduled stops put Brad Keselowski in 43rd.  Keselowski was prevented from his first Cup Series last-place finish when Michael McDowell made some stops of his own.

However, McDowell was still on track when Blaney lost a right-front tire entering turn one, sending him hard into the outside wall.  Blaney was uninjured, but his #7 was done for the day.  McDowell parked on the ensuing restart, giving Blaney the 43rd spot.  The wreck prevented McDowell from becoming the first Cup driver to score three consecutive last-place finishes since Max Papis at Michigan, Sonoma, and New Hampshire in the summer of 2010.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #7 in a Cup Series race since Bristol in the summer of 2011, when Robby Gordon’s #7 Speed Energy Dodge lost the brakes after 10 laps of he Irwin Tools Night Race.  That was also the most recent last-place finish for a Dodge in a Cup Series race.  The #7 had never before finished last in a Cup Series race at Kansas.
*This was Blaney’s first last-place finish in a Cup race at Kansas since 2003, when his #77 Jasper Engines & Transmissions Ford fell out with crash damage after 80 laps of the Banquet 400.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #7-Dave Blaney / 36 laps / crash
42) #98-Michael McDowell / 43 laps / vibration
41) #19-Mike Bliss / 65 laps / brakes
40) #81-Elliott Sadler / 85 laps / crash
39) #22-Joey Logano / 102 laps / crash

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell (3)
2nd) Mike Bliss (2)
3rd) Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (3)
2nd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Motorsports (2)
3rd) #7-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #44-Xxxtreme Motorsports, #87-NEMCO Motorsports (1)

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

TRUCKS: Scott Saunders Finishes Last In Truck Series Debut

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Scott Saunders picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s SFP 250 at the Kansas Speedway when his #0 Koma Unwind RAM fell out with a vibration after he completed 2 of the race’s 167 laps.  The finish came in Saunders’ first series start.

The 24-year-old from Brisbane, Australia was making his Truck Series debut.  In 2012, he ran three races each in the K&N Pro Series East, and the Nationwide Series, and the X-1R Pro Cup Series, the latter resulting in three Top Tens.  His best Nationwide finish came in his series debut at Iowa, when he finished 28th in the #24 inox / Standout Wraps Chevrolet owned by Jason Sciavicco.

At Kansas, Saunders fielded Jennifer Jo Cobb’s “start-and-park” #0 entry, a team making its first start since Homestead last November, where the #0's driver Blake Koch tied Dennis Setzer for the LASTCAR lead with the #0's most recent last-place finish in the Truck Series.  However, Koch lost the LASTCAR Truck Series Championship on a bottom-five tiebreaker with Setzer, 12-5.  Kansas also saw the first start of the season for RSS Racing’s #38, the truck Setzer raced to that title.  Yeley put the #38 22nd in Saturday’s field while Saunders timed in 32nd at a speed of 167.312 mph.

In the race itself, Saunders’ truck was the first behind the wall, followed two laps later by Yeley, who edged RSS teammate Chris Jones in the #93.  Jennifer Jo Cobb, in her own #10, finished 17th in the crash-filled race, her best finish since Kentucky last summer.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Saunders is the first Australian to finish last in a Truck Series race (excepting Tasmania’s Marcos Ambrose, who finished last at Charlotte in 2006).  He is the first foreign-born driver to finish last in the series since this race three years ago, when India’s Narain Karthikeyan crashed his #60 SafeAuto Insurance Chevrolet 7 laps into the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.
*Saunders is the first Truck Series driver to finish last in his series debut since Greg Seevers at Iowa in 2011, when his #75 Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet overheated after 3 laps of the Coca Cola 200.
*This was the first last-place finish for the #0 in a Truck Series race at Kansas since 2008, when Wayne Edwards’ #0 PAD Motorports / Green Light Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after 2 laps of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.  Edwards currently has the most last-place finishes in Truck Series history - 13.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #0-Scott Saunders / 2 laps / vibration
35) #38-J.J. Yeley / 4 laps / brakes
34) #93-Chris Jones / 5 laps / carburetor
33) #84-Mike Harmon / 8 laps / overheating
32) #7-John Wes Townley / 27 laps / crash

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Mike Harmon, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Scott Riggs, Scott Saunders (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #84-Chris Fontaine, #92-Ricky Benton (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) RAM (2)
2nd) Chevrolet, Ford (1)