CUP: Mike Bliss Gives TBR #37 Its Second-Straight Cup Series Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: @TBR_Racing

Mike Bliss picked up the 16th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Oral-B USA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway when his #37 Accell Construction Inc. Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after he completed 23 of the race’s 335 laps.

The finish was Bliss’ second of the 2014 season and his first since Loudon, six races ago.  With eleven races to go, he now takes sole possession of second in the battle for the 2014 LASTCAR Cup Series Championship, one finish behind leader Dave Blaney.

For the Atlanta race, Bliss was tabbed to drive in place of Blaney in the #37, the part-time third entry Tommy Baldwin Racing debuted at Indianapolis in July.  Last Saturday at Bristol, Blaney pulled out of the Bristol race after 37 laps, giving him the LASTCAR lead.  Bliss, meanwhile, finished 17th in Bristol’s Nationwide race - his fourth-consecutive finish inside the Top 20.

44 cars showed up to attempt to qualify, but by one position in Owners Points, Bliss’ ride outranked the #77 Randy Humphrey Racing team, which for the first time had Joe Nemechek behind the wheel.  Bliss timed in 33rd in the opening practice, then improved in qualifying with the 28th-fastest time at a speed of 187.481 mph.  Nemechek, meanwhile, squeezed into the Top 36 by securing the 34th spot, leaving Michael McDowell and the Leavine Family Racing #95 with its first DNQ since Richmond in April.

Bliss was 40th-fastest in Saturday’s first practice, and was the ony driver to not participate in Happy Hour later that day.  He then participated in the night’s Nationwide event for TriStar Motorsports, extending his top-twenty streak with another 17th-place finish.

In Sunday’s race, Bliss’ teammate Reed Sorenson started last in a flat black #36 Chevrolet.  Bliss took 43rd on Lap 2, then was passed by Nemechek on Lap 9.  On Lap 17, Nemechek was the first to lose a lap to race leader Kevin Harvick.  But just six laps later, Bliss was the first car to pull behind the wall, securing him the last-place finish.

For the rest of the race, the remainder of the Bottom Five changed several times until four separate incidents made them the only other retirees of the night.  Finishing 42nd was Marcos Ambrose, who was running mid-pack when the engine on his #9 Stanley Tools / DeWalt Ford let go on the backstretch on Lap 125.  In 41st was Tony Stewart, making his first Cup start since his tragic sprint car accident on August 9th.  Stewart started 12th and contended early, only to hit the wall twice.  The second incident on Lap 173 tore up the right-front fender, ending his night.

40th spot went to A.J. Allmendinger, whose right-rear tire on his #47 Hungry Jack Chevrolet shredded in the opening stages, leaving debris that was picked up on the nose of Jimmie Johnson’s #48.  Allmendinger spent several laps behind the wall, then briefly returned before finally falling out in the closing stages.  39th-place Brad Keselowski started on the outside-pole and was running 3rd with just 27 laps to go when he was wrecked in Turn 4 during a sequence of green-flag stops.  Keselowski didn’t fall to 39th until five laps to go as Clint Bowyer’s gearbox problem cost him eleven laps in the garage.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first last-place finish for the #37 in a Cup race at Atlanta since October 30, 2005, when Mike Skinner’s BoSPOKER.net Dodge was involved in a crash after he completed 5 laps of the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500.
*This is the first time two different drivers finished last for the same team in consecutive Cup races since August 2012, when the late Jason Leffler lost fuel pressure on the #19 Humphrey Smith Racing Ford at Michigan, then Mike Bliss climbed aboard Humphrey’s #19 Toyota that lost power steering after 6 laps at Bristol.
*Bliss is the first Cup driver in 2014 to finish last with “vibration” as the official cause.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #37-Mike Bliss / 23 laps / vibration
42) #9-Marcos Ambrose / 122 laps / engine
41) #14-Tony Stewart / 170 laps / crash
40) #47-A.J. Allmendinger / 258 laps / vibration
39) #2-Brad Keselowski / 296 laps / crash / led 3 laps

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dave Blaney (3)
2nd) Mike Bliss (2)
3rd) A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Trevor Bayne, Clint Bowyer, Landon Cassill, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., David Gilliland, Denny Hamlin, Timmy Hill, Travis Kvapil, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Morgan Shepherd, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex, Jr., Ryan Truex, Brian Vickers, Cole Whitt (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #37-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #77-Randy Humphrey Racing, #93-BK Racing (2)
2nd) #11-Joe Gibbs Racing, #14-Stewart-Haas Racing, #15-Michael Waltrip Racing, #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #26-BK Racing, #32-Go FAS Racing, #33-Circle Sport, #38-Front Row Motorsports, #40-Hillman Racing, #42-Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, #43-Richard Petty Motorsports, #47-JTG-Daugherty Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #66-Michael Waltrip Racing / Identity Ventures Racing, #78-Furniture Row Racing, #83-BK Racing, #87-Identity Ventures Racing, #88-Hendrick Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet, Toyota (9)
2nd) Ford (7)

N’WIDE: Jeff Green Trails First Atlanta Field Since 2010

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums

Jeff Green picked up the 58th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Great Clips 300 to benefit Feed the Children at the Atlanta Motor Speedway when his #10 Heroes Behind the Camo / SupportMilitary.org Toyota fell out with a vibration after he completed 3 of the race’s 195 laps.

The finish was Green’s fifth of the season and his second in a row.  With nine races to go, he trails teammate Blake Koch by two finishes, and is very much in contention for his fourth-consecutive LASTCAR Nationwide Series title.

While 41 cars were on the weekend’s preliminary entry list, the #13 Headrush / OCR Gaz Bar Dodge to be run by Carl Long was withdrawn, allowing Long to run the #46 The Motorsports Group Chevrolet in place of Matt DiBenedetto, who took a turn in the team’s primary #40.  Guaranteed a starting spot in the field, Green did not participate in the opening practice, ran 33rd-fastest in Happy Hour, then climbed to 30th in qualifying with an average speed of 173.039 mph.

In the race itself, Green edged Long for last place by a single lap, both leaving the race in the opening green-flag run.  Finishing 38th, fifteen laps behind the pair, was John Jackson, back in the #72 James Carter Attorney / CrashClaimsR.Us Chevrolet after the team’s withdrawal last week at Bristol.  Series veteran Carlos Contreras came home 37th for Rick Ware in the #23 RaceTrac Chevrolet, which was sent to the back before the start for unapproved adjustments.  Rounding out the Bottom Five in 36th was Kevin Swindell in his fourth start of the year driving JGL Racing’s #93 Dodge.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is Green’s first Nationwide Series last-place finish at Atlanta since September 4, 2010, when his #36 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet lost the transmission after 1 lap of the Great Clips 300.
*This is the first last-place finish for the #10 in a Nationwide Series race at Atlanta.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #10-Jeff Green / 3 laps / vibration
39) #46-Carl Long / 4 laps / overheating
38) #72-John Jackson / 19 laps / vibration
37) #23-Carlos Contreras / 35 laps / engine
36) #93-Kevin Swindell / 43 laps / fuel pump

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Blake Koch (7)
2nd) Jeff Green (5)
3rd) Matt DiBenedetto, Kevin Lepage (2)
4th) Tanner Berryhill, Ryan Ellis, Matt Frahm, Roger Reuse, Robert Richardson, Jr., Tim Schendel, Jimmy Weller, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (9)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (5)
3rd) #91-TriStar Motorsports (3)
4th) #17-Vision Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports, #55-VIVA Motorsports / SS Green Light Racing, #74-Mike Harmon Racing, #77-Mike Harmon Racing, #87-Rick Ware Racing, #93-JGL Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (12)
2nd) Chevrolet (8)
3rd) Dodge (4)

TRUCKS: Caleb Roark Scores Cobb’s Second-Straight Mosport Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: Ray Courtemanche

Caleb Roark picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park when his #0 Grimes Irigation & Construction RAM fell out with a broken clutch before he completed any of the race’s 64 laps.

The finish was Roark’s second of the 2014 season and his first since Michigan, two races ago.  With eight races to go, Roark is now tied with Ryan Ellis and Justin Jennings for the most last-place finishes this season.  Jennings leads Roark in the 2014 LASTCAR Championship by a single bottom-ten finish (as both have five Bottom Fives).

Just 29 trucks were slated to attempt the second-annual race at the sprawling Canadian road course.  However, the number was trimmed to 28 in the aftermath of some discord within the Turner-Scott Motorsports team, who withdrew one of their three trucks - the #30 Rheem Chevrolet of former series champion Ron Hornaday.

For the first time since Eldora, both of Jennifer Jo Cobb’s entries for the weekend were RAM trucks.  Cobb ran the team’s familiar green #10 while Roark drove a flat black #0.  Roark did not participate in the opening practice session, then helped Cobb practice the #10 in Happy Hour, turning in the slowest time overall.  Roark still managed to qualify his #0, which ended up at the back of the field with a speed of 71.713 mph - 43 seconds slower than pole winner Alex Tagliani’s lap of 109.889 mph.

Whatever struggles Roark faced during the weekend may have contributed to his early exit from Sunday’s race.  His truck pulled off the track without completing a single lap.

Finishing 27th, eight laps ahead of Roark, was B.J. McLeod, who mid-week was named the driver of Bobby Dotter’s unsponsored #08 Chevrolet.  In 26th was Justin Jennings, whose ride in the black #36 Mittler Bros. / LG Seeds / Ski Soda Chevrolet was highlighted by a Lap 17 spin in Turn 5 that nearly collected Cole Custer and Erik Jones.  Jennings’ teammate Scott Stenzel in the #63 remained in the Bottom Five for mechanical issues, but returned to the track to finish 24th.

Between Jennings and Stenzel was 25th-place John Hunter Nemechek, who fought electrical issues as early as Lap 19 before bringing out the first caution on Lap 47 for stalling entering the first corner.  He retired from the race with transmission issues as the official cause.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Jennifer Jo Cobb’s #0 team has now finished last in both Truck Series races at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.  Last year, Chris Lafferty broke the clutch after 3 laps, scoring the third of six last-place finishes that season on his way to the LASTCAR Truck Series Championship.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
28) #0-Caleb Roark / 0 laps / clutch
27) #08-B.J. McLeod / 8 laps / ignition
26) #36-Justin Jennings / 15 laps / transmission
25) #8-John Hunter Nemechek / 26 laps / transmission
24) #63-Scott Stenzel / 45 laps / running

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ryan Ellis, Justin Jennings, Caleb Roark (2)
2nd) Mike Affarano, Bryan Dauzat, Alex Guenette, Blake Koch, Charles Lewandoski, Tommy Regan, Scott Stenzel, Jason White (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb (4)
2nd) #36-Mike Mittler, #63-Mike Mittler / Randy Young (2)
3rd) #28-FDNY Racing, #42-Randy Young, #45-Regan Motorsports, #74-Mario Gosselin, #93-RSS Racing, #03-Mike Affarano Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) RAM (2)

CUP: Dave Blaney Extends 2014 LASTCAR Lead At Bristol

SOURCE: @TBR_Racing

Dave Blaney picked up the 24th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Saturday’s IRWIN Tools Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway when his #37 Accell Construction Inc. Chevrolet fell out with overheating problems after he completed 37 of the race’s 500 laps.

The finish was Blaney’s third of the 2014 season and his first since June at Pocono, ten races ago.  Blaney, the 2009 LASTCAR Champion, remains the only driver to finish last more than once this season, and in so doing extends his lead to two finishes over the field with twelve races to go.

Following Blaney’s most recent last-place run, the #77 Ford fielded by Randy Humphrey Racing suspended operations to reorganize, and planned to return to the series at Indianapolis.  However, when the #77's hiatus continued past Indy, Blaney reunited with Tommy Baldwin, for whom Blaney qualified in three consecutive Daytona 500s.  Blaney drove the #37, a third team Baldwin debuted at Indianapolis with Bobby Labonte, and finished 26th at Pocono, then 33rd at Michigan.  In between those races, Humphrey’s team returned at Watkins Glen with Nelson Piquet, Jr. behind the wheel.

Blaney and the #37 returned at Bristol, where 43 drivers showed up for as many spots.  In Friday’s opening practice, he turned in the 30th-fastest time, skipped Happy Hour, and put up the 35th-fastest time in qualifying with a speed of 127.081 mph.

In the race itself, Blaney fell to the back and around Lap 10, was the first driver to lose a lap.  He was then unseated by Brett Moffitt, back in the #66 Identity Ventures Racing entry that was originally slated to be driven by Joe Nemechek.  Moffitt lost four laps due to an unscheduled stop after making contact with Aric Almirola.  By Lap 36, however, Blaney had gone to the garage area, done for the night.  Moffitt, who damaged the front valence of his Toyota after rear-ending J.J. Yeley, lost the engine forty laps later and ended up 42nd.

Finishing 41st was Almirola, whose STP Ford was involved in a hard crash on Lap 126 when a spinning Brian Vickers turned him into the inside wall.  The next wreck on Lap 162 filled out the Bottom Five when a spinning Denny Hamlin slid directly into the path of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., ripping off the driver’s side sheet metal of Earnhardt’s #88.  Earnhardt returned to the track on Lap 284, 106 laps in arrears, with duct-tape numbers on the driver’s door.  He only completed one lap before pulling out once more, ending his night.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is Blaney’s first last-place finish in a Cup race at Bristol since August 22, 2009, when his #66 PRISM Motorsports Toyota started 4th, scraped the wall early, then fell out after 8 laps of the Sharpie 500.  Blaney swept both last-place finishes that season on his way to the LASTCAR title.
*This is the first last-place finish for the #37 in a Cup race at Bristol since August 28, 2004, when Kevin Lepage and his Carter’s Royal Dispos-All Dodge fell out with a vibration after he completed 11 laps.
*This is the first time a Cup driver finished last at Bristol due to overheating issues since March 25, 2001, when Joe Nemechek’s #33 Oakwood Homes Chevrolet fell out after 108 laps of the Food City 500.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #37-Dave Blaney / 37 laps / overheating
42) #66-Brett Moffitt / 78 laps / engine
41) #43-Aric Almirola / 123 laps / crash
40) #11-Denny Hamlin / 160 laps / crash / led 28 laps
39) #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. / 176 laps / crash

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dave Blaney (3)
2nd) A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Trevor Bayne, Mike Bliss, Clint Bowyer, Landon Cassill, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., David Gilliland, Denny Hamlin, Timmy Hill, Travis Kvapil, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Morgan Shepherd, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex, Jr., Ryan Truex, Brian Vickers, Cole Whitt (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #77-Randy Humphrey Racing, #93-BK Racing (2)
2nd) #11-Joe Gibbs Racing, #14-Stewart-Haas Racing, #15-Michael Waltrip Racing, #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #26-BK Racing, #32-Go FAS Racing, #33-Circle Sport, #37-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #38-Front Row Motorsports, #40-Hillman Racing, #42-Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, #43-Richard Petty Motorsports, #47-JTG-Daugherty Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #66-Michael Waltrip Racing / Identity Ventures Racing, #78-Furniture Row Racing, #83-BK Racing, #87-Identity Ventures Racing, #88-Hendrick Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (9)
2nd) Chevrolet (8)
3rd) Ford (7)

N’WIDE: Jeff Green Scores Toyota’s 200th NASCAR Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: @TriStarRaceTeam

Jeff Green picked up the 57th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Friday’s Food City 300 at the Bristol Motor Speedway when his #91 Heroes Behind the Camo / SupportMilitary.org Toyota fell out with a vibration afer he completed 3 of the race’s 300 laps.

The finish was Green’s fourth of 2014 and his first since Fontana, eighteen races ago.  It is the

eleventh for TriStar Motorsports this season.  With ten races to go, the all-time LASTCAR leader now trails teammate Blake Koch by three finishes.  It is the 200th last-place finish by Toyota across all three of NASCAR’s top divisions.

Since Fontana, Green has made ten of the eighteen races with a season-best 18th at Dover in one of three starts driving in relief of teammate Eric McClure in TriStar’s #14 Hefty Ultimate / Reynolds Wrap Toyota.  His other starts came in TriStar’s “start-and-park” entries, #10 and #91, he has shared with Blake Koch.

Bristol would be Green’s 385th Nationwide start and the first for the #91 since Green’s 38th-place run at Talladega in May.  As of Tuesday, he was one of 46 entries for the race - the biggest entry list since 45 showed up at Daytona in July.  John Jackson had been added as the 45th entry, but withdrew by Thursday.  The remaining 45 waged battle for the remaining 40 spots.

Green was the only driver to not participate in the opening practice session, then jumped to 35th in Happy Hour, besting seven “go-or-go-homers.”  In qualifying, he improved further, jumping to 29th with an average speed of 120.588 mph.  Among the five DNQs were LASTCAR Truck Series co-leader Ryan Ellis in Vision Racing’s #37, Iowa last-placer Matt Frahm in The Motorsports Group’s #46, and Milka Duno, who was attempting her first NASCAR start with RAB Racing.

The first 42 laps of Friday’s race were run under the green flag, with Green leading two other drivers to the garage during that stretch.  Green beat Morgan Shepherd by thirteen laps in what was Shepherd’s first start since Iowa, and one lap afer came Kevin Lepage in Mike Harmon’s unsponsored #74 Dodge.  Finishing 37th was Chad Boat, whose #84 Billy Boat Performance Exhaust / CorvetteParts.net Chevrolet was wrecked in a three-car accident on Lap 112.  Rounding out the Bottom Five was Tanner Berryhill in the Vision Racing team car to Ellis’ #37, after Berryhill’s #17 NationalCashLenders.com Dodge was damaged in the Boat wreck.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is Green’s first last-place finish in a Nationwide Series race at Bristol since this race in 2011, when a vibration after 4 laps left him with his record-setting fourth consecutive last-place finish while driving TriStar’s #44 Chevrolet.
*This is the first last-place finish by the #91 in a Nationwide race at Bristol since this race in 2008, when Justin Hobgood’s MSRP Motorsports Chevrolet had ignition problems after he completed just one lap.

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Blake Koch (7)
2nd) Jeff Green (4)
3rd) Matt DiBenedetto, Kevin Lepage (2)
4th) Tanner Berryhill, Ryan Ellis, Matt Frahm, Roger Reuse, Robert Richardson, Jr., Tim Schendel, Jimmy Weller, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (8)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (5)
3rd) #91-TriStar Motorsports (3)
4th) #17-Vision Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports, #55-VIVA Motorsports / SS Green Light Racing, #74-Mike Harmon Racing, #77-Mike Harmon Racing, #87-Rick Ware Racing, #93-JGL Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (11)
2nd) Chevrolet (8)
3rd) Dodge (4)