LASTCAR.info Store

(1) White LASTCAR.info cap (NewEra 39THIRTY FlexFit) like the one I wear at the races. Hat proudly displays the LASTCAR.info logo in red.
$34.99 (includes shipping to U.S.) in one of two styles: FlexFit or FlexFit Mesh Back

(2) "J.D.: The Life and Death of a Forgotten NASCAR Legend." Paperback published by Waldorf Publishing. Autographed and personalized by the author upon request. For eBook and audiobook formats, plus other retailers where it can be found, click here.

(3) eBay Store for LASTCAR.info bumper stickers and more at this link.

(4) LASTCAR.info T-Shirts, apparel, and notebook stickers. Available on RedBubble.com.
ONLINE STORE

(5) LASTCAR.info Cup Series Year-By-Year (eBook only). Contains year-by-year Cup Series last-place statistics from 1949 to present. Includes free yearly updates.
$3.99

(6) LASTCAR.info XFINITY and Truck Series Expansion Pack (eBook only). Contains year-by-year XFINITY and Truck Series statistics from 1982 to present. Includes free yearly updates.
$3.99

(7) LASTCAR.info's Formulast One (eBook only). Contains year-by-year last-place statistics from Formula One from 1950 to present. Includes free yearly updates.
$2.99

(8) LASTCAR.info Track Guide (eBook only). Contains track-by-track last-place statistics for the Cup Series through 2020. 
FREE

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)

N’WIDE: Lap One Crash Gives Frahm First Nationwide Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: ESPN2

Matt Frahm picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Wypall 200 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his #39 TSP Powder Coating Ford was involved in an eight-car wreck on the opening lap of the race and was unable to continue. The finish came in Frahm’s third series start.

The 21-year-old Frahm, a competitior from the K&N East Series, has made all three of his Nationwide Series starts this season. He made his debut with the Go Green #39 team at Loudon in July, where he came home 26th. Later that month, he improved to a 25th-place run in the finale at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

The #39 Go Green Racing Team, owned by Archie St. Hillaire, has made every race in the 2011 Nationwide Series season with multiple drivers. In all, ten other drivers have shared the ride with Frahm: Josh Wise, Danny Efland, Matt Carter, Luis Martinez, Jr., Joey Gase, Fain Skinner, Charles Lewandoski, Casey Roderick, Danny O’Quinn, Jr., and Will Kimmel. Among that group, Josh Wise’s 13th-place run at Road America in June remains the team’s best performance of the year. Up until Sunday, Go Green Racing team had yet to finish last in a race this season.

Frahm qualified the #39 in the 32nd spot at a speed of 129.037 mph. Joining Frahm in Row 16 was teammate Tim Andrews, driving Go Green’s “start-and-park” #04.

When the green flag flew on race day, Frahm and Andrews were jockeying for position when Danica Patrick and Brian Scott collided in front of him, triggering a multi-car accident. Frahm, unable to avoid the initial wreck, suffered damage to the right-front of his car and was struck again by Scott on the apron. This blocked the lower lane for several cars that rear-ended each other as they stopped, including Andrews in the #04 and 2011 LASTCAR Nationwide Champion Jeff Green.

In the end, Green returned to the race to finish 34th while Frahm and Andrews were two of the four cars that failed to continue after the crash. Andrews was at first credited with the 43rd spot, but Frahm claimed the position by virtue of his lower starting spot. The #04 team has now finished 42nd in four races this year and has yet to score a 43rd of its own in 2011.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*The #39 had not finished last in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race since 2006, when Sam Hornish, Jr.’s Mobil 1 Dodge was involved in a single-car crash after 20 laps of the 2006 Ford 300 at Homestead. Curiously, it was Hornish who won Saturday’s race, picking up an emotional first-ever NASCAR victory in his sixth season of competition. He now enters Homestead five years after his 43rd-place run as the Nationwide series’ most recent winner.
*The #39 had never before finished last in a Nationwide race at Phoenix.
*Ford swept both Phoenix last-place finishes in Nationwide competition this season. Justin Marks, driving the unsponsored Baker Curb #27, finished last in February.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #39-Matt Frahm / 0 laps / crash
42) #04-Tim Andrews / 0 laps / crash
41) #11-Brian Scott / 0 laps / crash
40) #41-Johnny Chapman / 1 lap / crash
39) #71-Matt Carter / 2 laps / vibration

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Although Frahm’s finish prevented Jeff Green from breaking Jeff Fuller’s single-season record, he can still tie Fuller’s record with a 43rd-place run in next Saturday’s Homestead finale.
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, Scott Speed, Scott Wimmer, J.J. Yeley (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
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, #03-R3 Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (25)
2nd) Ford (7)
3rd) Dodge (1)

CUP: Yeley Ties LASTCAR Cup Championship While McDowell Relieves Kyle Busch

SOURCE: ESPN2

J.J. Yeley picked up the 8th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #55 Ingersoll-Rand Ford fell out with fuel pressure issues after 10 of the race’s 334 laps.

With two races to go, the finish, Yeley’s sixth of 2011 and first since Kansas, four races ago, ties Michael McDowell for the lead in the 2011 LASTCAR Cup Driver’s Championship. Also, when combined with the efforts of teammates Travis Kvapil and Jeff Green, the #55 Front Row Motorsports Ford has now assumed a one-finish lead in the 2011 LASTCAR Cup Owner’s Championship over McDowell’s #66 HP Racing Team and the disbanded #60 Germain Racing entry.

Yeley qualified 27th at a speed of 191.069 mph, earning the #55 team its best starting spot of 2011. Though three teams failed to qualify, none of them were Yeley’s LASTCAR Championship contenders. Mike Skinner made his second-straight start for Larry Gunselman and started 38th, defending LASTCAR Cup Champion Joe Nemechek timed in 40th, and Michael McDowell put the #66 HP Racing entry in the 35th position.

However, on Saturday morning, NASCAR’s decision to park Kyle Busch for the weekend following a controversial wreck in the Truck Series gave McDowell the opportunity to run the entire race. McDowell, who had driven for Joe Gibbs’ Nationwide team in five races this season, was tabbed as Busch’s replacement for the Cup race. This put Josh Wise, recently released from Gunselman’s #37 team, back in the race as McDowell’s replacement in the #66.

Thus, when Sunday’s race began, McDowell was fighting his way through the pack in Busch’s #18 when Yeley pulled his #55 behind the wall. Nemechek and Skinner followed suit within the next nine circuits, followed by Wise and the #66 on Lap 23.

McDowell, who struggled with handling woes all afternoon long, fought his way to a 33rd place finish, three laps down to race winner Tony Stewart. As of this writing (late Sunday night), McDowell’s plans next Sunday for the Cup race at his home track at Phoenix are unknown.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Yeley has just one other Cup Series last-place finish at Texas - which, interestingly, came while driving Joe Gibbs’ #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet - in 2007. That day, Yeley was involved in a multi-car crash with Casey Mears, Ricky Rudd, and David Ragan after the opening lap of the 2007 Samsung 500. It was also the first last-place finish of Yeley’s Cup career.
*The #55's most recent Cup Series last-place finish at Texas came in 2010, when the suspension on Dave Blaney’s #55 PRISM Motorsports Toyota failed after 20 laps of the 2010 Samsung Mobile 500.
*A Cup Series driver had not finished last due to “fuel pressure” issues since way back on July 26, 1964, when Darrell Bryant’s #36 Wade Younts-owned 1962 Dodge fell out after the opening lap of the Volunteer 500 at Bristol.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #55-J.J. Yeley / 10 laps / fuel pressure
42) #87-Joe Nemechek / 14 laps / clutch
41) #37-Mike Skinner / 19 laps / brakes
40) #66-Josh Wise / 23 laps / rear gear
39) #46-Scott Speed / 30 laps / rear gear

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Although two finishes out of the lead in the LASTCAR Cup Driver’s Championship, Joe Nemechek can still clinch his second-straight title with 43rd-place finishes at both Phoenix and Homestead. In the event of a tiebreaker with Nemechek last in those two races and both he, McDowell, and Yeley, scoring Bottom-Five Finishes in both races, Nemechek would claim the title with 32 bottom-fives to McDowell’s 27 and Yeley’s 23. Those two finishes would also give Nemechek the all-time LASTCAR record of 36 career NASCAR last-place runs.

Mike Skinner, currently with 16 bottom-fives, can also only claim the LASTCAR Cup Driver’s title with 43rds in these final two races. In short, McDowell, Yeley, Skinner, and Nemechek are all mathematically still in contention for the title, but Skinner and Nemechek will be eliminated from contention if they don’t finish 43rd next Sunday at Phoenix.
1st) Michael McDowell, J.J. Yeley (6)
2nd) Mike Skinner (5)
3rd) Kevin Conway, Joe Nemechek (4)
4th) Robby Gordon, Travis Kvapil (2)
5th) Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Jeff Green, P.J. Jones, Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #55-Front Row Motorsports (7)
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
1st) Toyota (18)
2nd) Ford (9)
3rd) Chevrolet (4)
4th) Dodge (3)

N’WIDE: Speed Nips LASTCAR Nationwide Champion Jeff Green For First Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: Brian Keselowski's Facebook Page

Scott Speed picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #47 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet fell out with electrical problems after completing 3 of the race’s 200 laps. The finish came in Speed’s 16th series start.

Speed, who came home a season-best 6th at Montreal in August while driving for Kevin Harvick, entered the Texas race as the latest driver of the #47, the newest of Key Motorsports’ three “start-and-park” teams. It was Speed’s second start in as many races with the team, following a 41st-place run at Charlotte.

He qualified 35th for the race at a speed of 179.265 mph, good enough to beat five other “go-or-go-homers” who failed to qualify. Among the DNQs was defending LASTCAR Nationwide Series champion Dennis Setzer, whose Jay Robinson Racing #48 has been absent since Chicago in September.

Three laps into the race, and moments before Jamie Dick’s single-car spin, Speed’s was the first car behind the wall. Current LASTCAR Nationwide Champion Jeff Green followed suit three laps later under the ensuing caution.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Speed is the fifth first-time Nationwide Series last-placer in 2011, joining Kelly Bires (Daytona), Blake Koch (Dover), Marc Davis (Nashville), and T.J. Bell (Chicagoland).
*This was the first Nationwide Series last-place finish at Texas for the #47.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #47-Scott Speed / 3 laps / electrical
42) #44-Jeff Green / 6 laps / vibration
41) #50-T.J. Bell / 9 laps / electrical
40) #04-Tim Andrews / 11 laps / vibration
39) #46-Chase Miller / 13 laps / vibration

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
For 2011 LASTCAR Driver’s Champion Jeff Green to break Jeff Fuller’s all-time single-season LASTCAR record of 11 last-place finishes, he must finish last in both the season’s remaining races at Phoenix and Homestead.
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, Mike Harmon, James Hylton, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brian Keselowski, Blake Koch, Justin Marks, Scott Speed, Scott Wimmer, J.J. Yeley (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
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, #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, #03-R3 Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR N’WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (25)
2nd) Ford (6)
3rd) Dodge (1)

TRUCKS: Garvey Ties Bonifield For Most Last-Place Finishes In A Single Truck Series Season

SOURCE: TheHotLap.com

Mike Garvey picked up the 11th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s WinStar World Casino 350k at the Texas Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #38 RSS Racing Chevrolet fell out with clutch issues after completing 5 of the race’s 148 laps.

The finish was Garvey’s sixth in 2011 and his second in as many races. This six-finish season ties that of 1999 LASTCAR Truck Series Champion Phil Bonifield for the most last-place runs in a single Truck Series season. Garvey can break this record with a last-place run in the Homestead finale in two weeks.

Garvey also ties Bonifield for the second-most last-place finishes in Truck Series history. Both trail all-time leader Wayne Edwards’ record of 13.

Garvey qualified 30th for Friday’s race at a speed of 175.524 mph, good enough to bump three other teams out of the field. Among those DNQs was second-ranked Norm Benning in his #57 Chevrolet.

SPEED’s scoring ticker showed at least three different changes for the 36th spot between Johnny Chapman, Mike Harmon, and T.J. Bell. However, when the final results were shown, it was Garvey in 36th, having exited the race after only five laps.

Chapman, driving Ken Smith’s #07 Toyota, found himself an unwilling participant in the night’s most controversial moment. On Lap 13, he was being lapped by Ron Hornaday, Jr. and Kyle Busch when the two faster trucks slid into the wall. Busch’s subsequent wrecking of Hornaday under caution led to NASCAR’s decision to park him for the night and, ultimately, for the rest of the weekend. This put both Hornaday and Busch - and their teams - in the Bottom Five for the first time in 2011.

Chapman, who avoided contact in the initial wreck, went on to finish 29th.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Garvey scored one other Truck Series last-place finish at Texas back in 2010 when his #93 S&W Services Chevrolet fell out with transmission trouble six laps into the 2010 WinStar World Casino 400k, held in June.
*This is the first Truck Series last-place finish at Texas for the #38.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #38-Mike Garvey / 5 laps / clutch
35) #87-Chris Jones / 10 laps / transmission
34) #33-Ron Hornaday, Jr. / 13 laps / crash
33) #18-Kyle Busch / 14 laps / parked
32) #0-T.J. Bell / 19 laps / vibration

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Mike Garvey (6)
2nd) Norm Benning, Chris Lafferty, Brent Raymer (2)
3rd) Johnny Borneman III, James Buescher, 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
1st) #38-Shane Sieg (5)
2nd) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #57-Norm Benning Racing, #75-Norm Benning Racing, #93-Shane Sieg (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, #07-SS Green Light Racing (1)

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