CUP: Bliss Finishes Last As McDowell Snags 2012 LASTCAR Cup Title From Sorenson

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Mike Bliss picked up the 9th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at the Homestad-Miami Speedway when his #19 Plinker Tactical Toyota fell out with electrical problems after he completed 16 of the race’s 267 laps.

The finish was Bliss’ third of the 2012 season, his first since Bristol, twelve races ago.

Bliss qualified 29th for Sunday’s race at an average speed of 171.881 mph, ranking him fifth among the twelve "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to qualify. A multi-car accident in practice dropped Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, and polesitter Joey Logano to the back of the field. At the start of the race, all three moved through the field, and David Gilliland briefly held the 43rd spot in his Front Row Motorsports #38. However, Bliss’ car was the first behind the wall, securing him the last-place finish by seven laps over Scott Riggs in the R3 Motorsports #23.

2012 LASTCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPION - MICHAEL McDOWELL
As it turned out, qualifying played a critical role in deciding the 2012 LASTCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship between Michael McDowell and Reed Sorenson. Both drivers came into the weekend tied for the championship with Sorenson holding a one-finish lead in the tiebreaker determined by Bottom Fives. However, Sorenson spun in the opening practice, then failed to qualify, edged by Scott Riggs for the final spot in the field by less than one-tenth of a second. This opened the door for McDowell, who qualified 25th and, despite scraping the wall in Happy Hour, was in a position to take the title from Sorenson with a bottom-five finish.

McDowell accomplished this, scoring his second-consecutive LASTCAR Cup Championship with a 41st-place run. The finish tied the two drivers with 14 bottom fives apiece, and McDowell took the championship based on Bottom Tens - 25 to Sorenson’s 15. It is the first time the Cup championship has been settled by a bottom-ten tiebreaker since 1993, when rookie Jeff Gordon, Sunday’s race winner, beat Bob Schacht 6-3.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Mike Bliss’ second last-place finish in a Cup race at Homestead. The last time was in 2010, when his #66 PRISM Motorsports Toyota also fell out with electrical problems 10 laps into the Ford 400. Curiously, Bliss and Michael McDowell have alternated Homestead last-place finishes since 2009 - McDowell finished last in both the 2009 and 2011 runnings.
*This was the fourth consecutive year that a Toyota has finished last in this race.

CONGRATULATIONS TO 2012 SPRINT CUP CHAMPION BRAD KESELOWSKI

Brad Keselowski's #23 Busch Series Car, 2007
SOURCE: NASCAR Media, HSCRF

*As an added statistic, as of this writing, 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski does not have a single last-place finish in Sprint Cup or Truck Series competition. He does have two last-place runs in the Nationwide Series. The finishes came just five years ago early in the 2007 season at Mexico City and Texas while driving the Keith Coleman-owned #23 Oklahoma Centennial Chevrolet on a part-time schedule. It just goes to show how a driver featured on this site must never be underestimated.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #19-Mike Bliss / 16 laps / electrical
42) #23-Scott Riggs / 23 laps / vibration
41) #98-Michael McDowell / 34 laps / overheating
40) #26-Josh Wise / 38 laps / vibration
39) #6-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. / 157 laps / accident

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) Michael McDowell, Reed Sorenson (5)
2nd) Josh Wise (4)
3rd) Mike Bliss, Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (3)
4th) Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
5th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Martin Truex, Jr., Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (5)
2nd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #26-Front Row Motorsports, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (4)
3rd) #23-R3 Motorsports (3)
4th) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (2)
5th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #56-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) Ford (16)
2nd) Toyota (12)
3rd) Chevrolet (8)


**Thank you, LASTCAR fans, for another great season!  --Brock**

N’WIDE: Canadian Dexter Stacey Becomes The Final Nationwide Series Driver To Finish 43rd

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Dexter Stacey picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #39 Maddie’s Place Ford fell out with engine problems without completing any of the race’s 200 laps. The finish came in Stacey’s seventh series start at the end of his first season on the tour.

Stacey, a nineteen-year-old Canadian driver and four-year campaigner on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, qualified 40th for Sunday’s race at an average speed of 160.399 mph. Fortunately, his #39 team was locked-in on owner points as the car made all thirty-three races in 2012 with Stacey and seven other drivers. However, engine troubles prevented Stacey’s car from completing a lap, securing him a last-place finish before The Motorsports Group teammates Josh Wise and Chase Miller fell out six laps into the race.

Stacey’s best finish of his rookie season remains a 24th at Chicago back in September, his second career start for owner Archie St. Hillaire’s Go Green Racing Team. He also made two other starts on the road courses at Watkins Glen and Montreal in R3 Motorsports’ #23, coming home 32nd and 35th, respectively.

2012 LASTCAR Nationwide Series Champion Jeff Green came home 40th in TriStar Motorsports’ #91, coming up just short of a thirteenth last-place finish in thirty-three races this season. His mark of twelve last-place finishes, all of them scored in the first twenty-five races, remains the new LASTCAR single-season record.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #39 in a Nationwide Series race since the fall of 2011, when Matt Frahm’s TSP Powder Coating Ford was involved in a multi-car crash on the opening lap of the Wypall 200 at Phoenix.
*It is the first last-place finish for the #39 in a Nationwide Series race at Homestead since 2006, when Sam Hornish, Jr.’s Mobil 1 Dodge was involved in a crash after 20 laps of the 2006 Ford 300.
*Stacey is the first Canadian-born driver to finish last in a Nationwide Series race since 2007, when D.J. Kennington’s #72 Northern Provincial Pipelines Dodge crashed 7 laps into the Arizona Travel 200 at Phoenix.
*This was the first time a Nationwide Series last-placer at Homestead did not complete a single lap since 2003, when Casey Atwood’s #14 Navy "Accelerate Your Life" Chevrolet was taken out in a four-car crash on the opening lap of the Ford 300.
*With the Nationwide Series scaling back to 40-car fields in 2013, Stacey also became the final Nationwide Series driver to finish 43rd in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race. The first driver to finish 43rd in a Nationwide Series race was Dick McCabe, whose #33 Jonathon’s Restaurant / Bosch Buick fell out with engine problems 29 laps into the Oxford 250 at the Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine on July 14, 1986.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #39-Dexter Stacey / 0 laps / engine
42) #42-Josh Wise / 6 laps / overheating
41) #46-Chase Miller / 6 laps / vibration
40) #91-Jeff Green / 17 laps / vibration
39) #00-Blake Koch / 40 laps / fuel pump

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Chase Miller (3)
3rd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski, Tony Raines (2)
4th) Tim Andrews, T.J. Bell, Ryan Blaney, Angela Cope, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Scott Speed, Dexter Stacey, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (3)
3rd) #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon, #91-TriStar Motorsports (2)
4th) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #39-Go Green Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #50-Mark Beaver, #70-ML Motorsports, #00-Jason Sciavicco, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) Toyota (17)
2nd) Chevrolet (14)
3rd) Ford (2)

TRUCKS: Koch Ties Setzer With Homestead Last-Place Finish, But Setzer Claims Season Title

SOURCE: Getty Images

Blake Koch picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when his #0 Driven2Honor.org Ford fell out with transmission problems after he completed 3 of the race’s 140 laps.

The finish was Koch’s third of the season and his second in a row, tying him with Dennis Setzer for the most last-place finishes in the 2012 Truck Series campaign. However, Setzer clinched the LASTCAR Truck Series Championship earlier this season based on the Bottom Five tiebreaker that Setzer led with a final score of 12-5.

Koch qualified 31st for Friday’s race at an average speed of 160.867 mph, ranking him ninth among the thirteen "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to make the field. Dennis Setzer was not entered in the race; his #38 was driven by Chris Jones. In the race itself, Koch’s truck beat Jones to the garage by seven laps, securing the tying last-place finish in the final race of the year.

This marked the third-straight year that the LASTCAR Truck Series Champion did not start the final race of the year. Mike Garvey was not entered in the Homestead races when he claimed his two titles in 2010 and 2011.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #0 in a Truck Series race at Homestead since 2008, when Kevin Lepage’s ASI Limited Chevrolet lost the clutch after two laps of the Ford 200.
*This was the first time a Ford finished last in a Truck Series race at Homestead since 2004, when Jon Wood’s #50 roushracing.com Ford was involved in a two-truck wreck with Kelly Sutton after the opening lap of the Ford 200.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #0-Blake Koch / 3 laps / transmission
35) #38-Chris Jones / 10 laps / brakes
34) #20-Dusty Davis / 28 laps / clutch
33) #99-Bryan Silas / 43 laps / crash
32) #09-John Wes Townley / 118 laps / running

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) Blake Koch, Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield, Brandon Knupp (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Chris Fontaine, Chris Jones, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #38-RSS Racing (4)
2nd) #27-Hillman Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #25-Hillman Racing, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #84-Chris Fontaine, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Ford (5)
3rd) RAM (3)
4th) Toyota (2)
　

CUP: Truex, Jr. The First Outside-Polesitter To Finish Last In Five Years; Sorenson and McDowell To Settle LASTCAR Title at Homestead

SOURCE: Autoweek

Martin Truex, Jr. picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s AdvoCare 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota fell out with engine trouble after he completed 10 of the race’s 319 laps.

The finish was Truex’s first of the 2012 season and his first in a Cup Series race since this same event in 2008, 145 races ago. In that race, the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil, Truex’s #1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet fell out with overheating problems after he completed 27 of the race’s 313 laps.

Truex qualified second for Sunday’s race at an average speed of 138.217 mph. He was just narrowly edged for the pole by 0.103 of a second by Kyle Busch, the final driver out to qualify. Busch, Truex, and third and fourth-place starters Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne all broke the old track record, which is now set at Busch’s 138.766 mph.

In Sunday’s race, however, Truex’s Toyota felt down on power and began to lose track position almost immediately after the start. For the first ten laps, Truex gradually fell back through the field, eventually falling to 43rd along with Humphrey-Smith Racing’s #91 Plinker Tactical / Value Place Chevrolet, driven this week by Jason Leffler.

At that point, Truex pulled behind the wall for repairs at almost the same time as Leffler. When the Michael Waltrip Racing crew discovered the engine problem was terminal, Truex’s race was over. Although the ESPN broadcast indicated that Leffler had finished last, NASCAR’s unofficial results after the race credited Truex with the 43rd spot.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

Jim Bray, 1974
SOURCE: Historical Stock Car Racing Forum

*This was the first last-place finish for the #56 in a Sprint Cup Series points race since 1974 when Canadian driver Jim Bray’s 1972 Chevrolet sponsored by Bray Realty fell out with suspension trouble two laps into the Purolator 500 at Pocono. The race was Bray’s thirteenth of fifteen Sprint Cup starts and his third and final last-place finish.
*Truex is the first outside-polesitter to finish last in a Cup Series points race since 2007, when Denny Hamlin’s FedEx Kinko’s Chevrolet finished 61 laps down in the 2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Truex is only the 32nd outside-polesitter to finish last in a Cup Series race.
*Truex’s is the first Toyota to finish last in a Cup race at Phoenix since 2011, when Joe Nemechek’s #87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota fell out with electrical problems 22 laps into the Subway Fresh Fit 500. It’s also the first time a Toyota finished last in the fall race.


THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #56-Martin Truex, Jr. / 10 laps / engine
42) #91-Jason Leffler / 10 laps / brakes
41) #19-Mike Bliss / 15 laps / crash
40) #44-David Reutimann / 28 laps / vibration
39) #87-Joe Nemechek / 30 laps / brakes

SORENSON v. McDOWELL - TWO DRIVERS, ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
Meanwhile, the 2012 LASTCAR Sprint Cup Championship will go to Homestead. Last week, Reed Sorenson was originally listed as driver of the #91, but Jason Leffler took over driving duties and came home 42nd, denying Sorenson a lock on the most bottom-five finishes in 2012. Michael McDowell, tied with Sorenson for the LASTCAR lead, qualified for the race, but was also unable to tie Sorenson in bottom-five finishes. McDowell came home 38th, missing 39th to Joe Nemechek by only six laps.

Because of this, Sorenson still leads McDowell in bottom-five finishes and still holds the tiebreaker by just one Bottom Five: 14-13. Therefore, the three very unusual clinch scenarios for Homestead are the following:

(1) McDowell or Sorenson can claim the championship with a 43rd next Sunday as that would render the tiebreaker irrelevant.

(2) Sorenson can also claim the title if he finishes in the Bottom Five, but McDowell does not. This would secure Sorenson the tiebreaker with a score of 15-13. Sorenson would not have to finish last at Homestead for this to happen.

(3) McDowell can also claim the title if he finishes in the Bottom Five, but Sorenson does not. This would tie both drivers with fourteen bottom-fives and McDowell would lead the tiebreaker in bottom-ten finishes, which he currently leads 24-15.

(4) However, if neither driver finishes in the bottom five at Homestead (that is, if McDowell does not qualify or finishes 38th or better), Sorenson will claim the title - regardless of if he starts the race or not.

(5) Sorenson can claim the title if neither he nor McDowell qualifies for the race because the Bottom Five tiebreaker of 14-13 would still control.

Therefore, as of this writing, the 2012 LASTCAR Cup Series Championship could be determined by circumstance, depending on (1) whether or not either driver will qualify, and, (2) if they qualify, whether one or both of them will finish last or in the Bottom Five.

UPDATE: Reed Sorenson has been confirmed as driver of the #79 Go Green Racing Ford, so both he and McDowell will have a chance to qualify for Sunday's race, weather permitting.

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell, Reed Sorenson (5)
2nd) Josh Wise (4)
3rd) Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (3)
4th) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
5th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Martin Truex, Jr., Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (5)
2nd) #26-Front Row Motorsports, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (4)
3rd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports (3)
4th) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (2)
5th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #56-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (16)
2nd) Toyota (11)
3rd) Chevrolet (8)

N’WIDE: Raines Finishes Last For TriStar As Teammate Jeff Green Finishes 23rd

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Tony Raines picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Great Clips 200 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his unsponsored #91 TriStar Motorsports Toyota fell out with a vibration after he completed 5 of the race’s 204 laps.

It was Raines’ second last-place finish of 2012, his first since Dover, twenty races ago.

Raines qualified 31st for Saturday’s race at an average speed of 128.041 mph, ranking him ninth among the fifteen "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to make the race. This secured the third start of the season for TriStar’s #91 team. The team debuted at Iowa in August with 2012 LASTCAR Nationwide Series Champion Jeff Green driving it to his tenth of twelve last-place finishes this season.

On Satuday, Raines’ car was the first behind the wall. Three laps later, Chase Miller parked his #46, and all three of his teammates at The Motorsports Group followed suit. This resulted in TMG’s #40 scoring its first DNF since Bristol in August, finishing 37th with Erik Darnell.

Meanwhile, Jeff Green not only finished under power for the first time since last month at Charlotte, but also made his first full-race run in the #10, the car number he parked in eleven of his last-place finishes this season. Green came home 23rd, three laps down.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for both Raines and the #91 in a Nationwide Series race at Phoenix.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #91-Tony Raines / 5 laps / vibration
42) #46-Chase Miller / 8 laps / brakes
41) #15-Carl Long / 12 laps / brakes
40) #42-Josh Wise / 15 laps / electrical
39) #00-Blake Koch / 17 laps / brakes

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Chase Miller (3)
3rd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski, Tony Raines (2)
4th) Tim Andrews, T.J. Bell, Ryan Blaney, Angela Cope, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (3)
3rd) #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon, #91-TriStar Motorsports (2)
4th) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #50-Mark Beaver, #70-ML Motorsports, #00-Jason Sciavicco, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (17)
2nd) Chevrolet (14)
3rd) Ford (1)

TRUCKS: Koch Last At Phoenix, But Setzer Secures First LASTCAR Truck Title

SOURCE: Getty Images

Blake Koch picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his #0 Koma Unwind Relaxation Drink Ford fell out with suspension problems after he completed 2 of the race’s 153 laps.

The finish was Koch’s second of 2012, his first since Kentucky, five races ago.

Koch qualified 29th in the 36-truck field at an average speed of 129.273 mph, ranking him ninth among the thirteen go-or-go-homers who attempted to qualify. Koch also bumped team owner Jennifer Jo Cobb from the field as Jo Cobb’s #10 turned in the slowest speed in qualifying.

Koch’s truck was the first to fall out in the race itself, followed two laps later by Chris Jones, who was driving the #38 RSS Racing Chevrolet which racked up a series-leading four last-place finishes in 2012.

Finishing 32nd was Dennis Setzer, who racked up his twelfth bottom-five finish of 2012 and his first-ever LASTCAR Truck Series Championship. All the other two-time last-place finishers this season who were in a position to tie Setzer at Homestead cannot win the tiebreaker as all of them have ten or fewer starts, and therefore less than twelve bottom-fives.

The #38 Truck Series team has also locked-up the LASTCAR Owner’s Title as they lead the runner-up #0 team in bottom-fives at a total of 13-9.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first Truck Series last-place finish for the #0 at Phoenix since 2008, when Butch Miller’s ASI Limited Chevrolet was involved in a multi-truck crash after five laps of the Lucas Oil 150.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #0-Blake Koch / 2 laps / suspension
35) #38-Chris Jones / 4 laps / ignition
34) #84-Chris Fontaine / 6 laps / brakes
33) #07-Ross Chastain / 7 laps / ignition
32) #93-Dennis Setzer / 8 laps / brakes

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield, Brandon Knupp, Blake Koch (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Chris Fontaine, Chris Jones, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-RSS Racing (4)
2nd) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb (3)
3rd) #27-Hillman Racing (2)
4th) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #25-Hillman Racing, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #84-Chris Fontaine, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Ford (4)
3rd) RAM (3)
4th) Toyota (2)
　

CUP: Reed Sorenson Goes 2-For-2, Setting Up LASTCAR Showdown With McDowell, Wise

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Reed Sorenson picked up the 10th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #91 Plinker Tactical / MCM Elegante Toyota fell out with engine problems after he completed 6 of the race’s 335 laps.

The finish was Sorenson’s fifth of the 2012 season, his second in a row, and his fourth in the last nine races. With just two races to go, Sorenson is now tied with defending LASTCAR Cup Series Champion Michael McDowell for the series lead.

Sorenson qualified 39th for Sunday’s race at an average speed of 185.714 mph, ranking him seventh among the eleven "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to qualify. He moved to the 43rd spot soon after the green flag, taking it from last-place starter Joe Nemechek. He never relinquished it and was the first car to go behind the wall, beating J.J. Yeley by four laps. It was Yeley’s third 42nd-place finish in the last four races.

The LASTCAR championship now comes down to three drivers: Sorenson, McDowell, and runner-up Josh Wise, who trails the lead duo by one finish. In the tiebreaker, which is determined by bottom-five finishes, Sorenson has the advantage over McDowell, 14-13. Wise has 14 bottom-fives as well, but needs to finish last this Sunday at Phoenix to move into contention at Homestead. All other drivers were eliminated from LASTCAR contention this week - Scott Riggs and Scott Speed would have needed to sweep both 43rds at Phoenix and Homestead, but neither are entered in this week’s race.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for both Sorenson and the #91 in a Cup Series race at Texas.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #91-Reed Sorenson / 6 laps / electrical
42) #37-J.J. Yeley / 10 laps / overheating
41) #19-Mike Bliss / 32 laps / brakes
40) #87-Joe Nemechek / 33 laps / vibration
39) #36-Dave Blaney / 37 laps / brakes

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell, Reed Sorenson (5)
2nd) Josh Wise (4)
3rd) Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (3)
4th) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
5th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (5)
2nd) #26-Front Row Motorsports, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (4)
3rd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports (3)
4th) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (2)
5th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (16)
2nd) Toyota (10)
3rd) Chevrolet (8)

N’WIDE: Bell Scores His First Last-Place Finish of 2012 Nationwide Season

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

T.J. Bell picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #50 Gulf Coast Loss Prevention Chevrolet fell out with an engine problem after he completed 1 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish was Bell’s first of the 2012 season, his first since last fall at Chicagoland, thirty-eight races ago. That race was also the most recent Nationwide Series last-place finish for the #50.

Bell qualified in the 43rd for the race an average speed of 172.761 mph, edging The Motorsports Group’s Chase Miller in the #46 for the final starting spot. The race would be the #50 team’s twenty-fourth start in thirty-one races this season and their first since the team’s three-race stint with David Starr ended at Kentucky. Bell’s best finish of the season was 24th, which came both at Dover and the season-opening race at Daytona.

In the race itself, Bell fell out after the first lap, edging two more The Motorsports Group cars, driven by Josh Wise and J.J. Yeley, by five and six laps, for the 43rd spot.

In Saturday’s race, Mike Bliss drove for his third different TriStar Motorsports team in 2012, this time taking a turn in the #10 that racked up 14 of the season’s first 31 last-place finishes. Carrying his sponsorship from Bandit Chippers, Bliss scored an 18th-place finish, the best result for the #10 this year.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #50 in a Nationwide Series race at Texas.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #50-T.J. Bell / 1 lap / engine
42) #42-Josh Wise / 6 laps / electrical
41) #47-J.J. Yeley / 7 laps / brakes
40) #86-Kevin Lepage / 20 laps / transmission
39) #75-Timmy Hill / 22 laps / vibration

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Chase Miller (3)
3rd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski (2)
4th) Tim Andrews, T.J. Bell, Ryan Blaney, Angela Cope, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Tony Raines, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (3)
3rd) #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon (2)
4th) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #50-Mark Beaver, #70-ML Motorsports, #91-TriStar Motorsports, #00-Jason Sciavicco, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (16)
2nd) Chevrolet (14)
3rd) Ford (1)

TRUCKS: Jones Edges Setzer at Texas, LASTCAR Truck Series Championship Goes To Phoenix

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Chris Jones picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s WinStar World Casino 350 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #38 RSS Racing Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after he completed 3 of the race’s 147 laps.

The finish was Jones’ first of the 2012 season, his first since last year at Michigan, thirty-one races ago. He also extended the #38 team’s lead in the 2012 LASTCAR Owner’s Championship to two finishes with two races to go. The team’s most recent last-place finish came with current LASTCAR leader Dennis Setzer at Iowa, five races ago.

Jones qualified 28th for the race at an average speed of 173.105 mph, ranking him eighth among the thirteen "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to qualify. The race was Jones’ thirteenth start of the 2012 season, a year in which he has driven both Ken Smith’s #07 as well as three different teams for RSS Racing.

Jones’ was the first truck to fall out of the race, edging teammate and current 2012 LASTCAR Truck Series leader Dennis Setzer by three laps. As a result, the LASTCAR Truck Series championship will remain unsettled heading to Phoenix, where the eleven one-time last-placers in 2012 will face possible elimination.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the second-consecutive last-place finish for the #38 in this race. Last year, Mike Garvey fell out after five laps with clutch problems, his sixth last-place finish of his second-consecutive LASTCAR Truck Series championship.
*Jones was the first Truck Series driver to finish last at Texas due to a vibration since 2003, when Wayne Edwards’ #25 Lane Automotive Chevrolet fell out after the opening lap of the O’Reilly 400k, following Lance Hooper’s Fasscore Motorsports Ford to the garage area.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #38-Chris Jones / 3 laps / vibration
35) #93-Dennis Setzer / 6 laps / vibration
34) #74-Scott Riggs / 8 laps / rear gear
33) #25-B.J. McLeod / 9 laps / brakes
32) #27-Stephen Leicht / 15 laps / brakes

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield, Brandon Knupp (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Chris Fontaine, Chris Jones, Blake Koch, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-RSS Racing (4)
2nd) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #27-Hillman Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #25-Hillman Racing, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #84-Chris Fontaine, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (12)
2nd) Ford, RAM (3)
3rd) Toyota (2)
　

CUP: Sorenson Scores Rare Last-Place Sweep For Two Different Teams; Moves Into Tie For Second in 2012 LASTCAR Cup Standings

SOURCE: Rob Dostie

Reed Sorenson picked up the 9th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #91 Plinker Tactical Chevrolet fell out with overheating problems after he completed 19 of the race’s 500 laps.

The finish was Sorenson’s fourth of 2012 and his first since Dover, four races ago. He now stands tied for second with Josh Wise in the 2012 LASTCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship with just three races left for both to catch defending LASTCAR Champion Michael McDowell, who still holds a one-finish lead over both Wise and Sorenson.

The Martinsville race also mathematically eliminated every driver from LASTCAR competition except those eight drivers with two or more finishes, who can either take the lead or at least force a tiebreaker - McDowell, Sorenson, Wise, Scott Riggs, Scott Speed, Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, and J.J. Yeley. As of this writing, all eight drivers still have Cup Series rides, although Speed only runs part-time.

Sorenson qualified 39th for Sunday’s race at an average speed of 95.574 mph, ranking him fifth among the ten "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to qualify. Missing the race were Mike Bliss in Humphrey-Smith’s #19 and J.J. Yeley in the MaxQ #37, both two-time last-placers in 2012. Then-leaders Michael McDowell and Josh Wise were the fastest of this group, scoring the 21st and 31st spots, respectively. Three-time last-placer Scott Riggs, returning to the #23 for the first time since a DNQ at Charlotte, timed in 36th for his 200th Cup Series start. Scott Speed rolled off 43rd in the #95.

During the opening 45-lap green-flag run, Sorenson was the first car to go behind the wall followed three laps later by Riggs. Nemechek and David Stremme fell out within the next fifteen laps, with Stremme bringing out the first caution after a crash on Lap 46. McDowell also edged Wise for the final slot in the Bottom Five by 24 laps with Speed falling out 31 laps after Wise.

Also falling from LASTCAR contention this week was Robinson-Blakeney Racing, also known as America-Israel Racing. The team, which scored a pair of last-place runs at Las Vegas and New Hampshire, campaigned its #49 Toyotas for the first part of this season. The team went up for auction earlier this week.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Sorenson is the first driver to sweep both last-place finishes at Martinsville since 1994, when Jeff Burton, that season’s Rookie of the Year, pulled off the feat while driving the Stavola Brothers’ #8 Raybestos Ford.
*Sorenson not only swept both last-place finishes at Martinsville in 2012, but did so for two different teams. His run in the spring came while driving Turn One Racing’s #74. The last driver to do this at Martinsville was Morgan Shepherd in 1983. That year, Shepherd trailed the field in the spring race driving Emanuel Zervakis’ #01 Buick, then finished last in the fall in J.D. Stacy’s ACM Equipment Sales #2 Buick. The last driver to ever do sweep a track with two different teams was David Green at Charlotte in 1998. Early crashes took out both Green’s #96 Caterpillar Chevrolet owned by Buz McCall in the Coca-Cola 600 and his #41 Kodiak Chevrolet owned by Larry Hedrick in the UAW-GM Quality 500.
*This was the first time the #91 finished last in a Cup Series race at Martinsville.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #91-Reed Sorenson / 19 laps / overheating
42) #23-Scott Riggs / 22 laps / overheating
41) #87-Joe Nemechek / 35 laps / brakes
40) #30-David Stremme / 46 laps / crash
39) #98-Michael McDowell / 61 laps / brakes

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell (5)
2nd) Reed Sorenson, Josh Wise (4)
3rd) Scott Riggs, Scott Speed (3)
4th) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
5th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (5)
2nd) #26-Front Row Motorsports (4)
3rd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (3)
4th) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (2)
5th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (16)
2nd) Toyota (9)
3rd) Chevrolet (8)

TRUCKS: Fontaine Finishes Last For The First Time In More Than Three Years

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Chris Fontaine picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s Kroger 200 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #84 Stingray Chevrolet Glenden Enterprises Chevrolet fell out with clutch problems after he completed 5 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish was Fontaine’s first of the 2012 season and his first in Truck Series competition in three years, dating back to the 2009 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. There, he and Dwayne Gaulding teammate Donnie Neuenberger finished in the final two spots, Fontaine’s #22 Red Rocks Café Dodge beating Neunberger’s Stock Car Steel #21 by two laps.

Fontaine was making his in the fourteenth start of this, his eighth season of Truck Series competition, running his own #84 he has campaigned in most of his 45 career starts to date. At Daytona in February, Fontaine scored a career-best 7th-place finish driving a Toyota he has only campaigned in the restrictor plate races. Martinsville would see him return to Chevrolet, and he qualified 34th in the 36-truck field, relying on owner points after a lap of 91.918 mph.

In the race itself, Fontaine was the first truck behind the wall, edging the Eddie Sharp Racing entry of Cale Gale, felled by transmission trouble, by two laps.

Among the five drivers who did not qualify for Saturday’s race was 2012 LASTCAR Truck Series leader Dennis Setzer and his #38. With Martinville being the first of the final four races of the season, this gave championship runner-up Clay Greenfield a chance to capitalize as fellow second-place drivers Johnny Chapman and Brandon Knupp were not entered in the race. However, Greenfield came home 25th, an Setzer retains his one-finish lead with now only three races to go.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #84 in Truck Series competition since 1998, when Randy Renfrow’s #84 Porter-Cable Power Tools Ford lost the engine 28 laps into the season-ending Sam’s Town 250 at Las Vegas. The only other time the number finished last in Truck Series competition was earlier in the 1998 season, when Wayne Anderson, the previous driver of the Porter-Cable Ford, crashed eight laps into the Stevens Bell / Genuine Car Parts 200 at New Jersey’s old Flemington Speedway.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #84-Chris Fontaine / 5 laps / clutch
35) #33-Cale Gale / 7 laps / transmission
34) #35-Matt Merrell / 35 laps / transmission
33) #9-Ron Hornaday, Jr. / 136 laps / oil pressure
32) #27-Ryan Truex / 158 laps / transmission

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield, Brandon Knupp (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Chris Fontaine, Blake Koch, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-RSS Racing (3)
2nd) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #27-Hillman Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #25-Hillman Racing, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #84-Chris Fontaine, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (11)
2nd) Ford, RAM (3)
3rd) Toyota (2)

CUP: McDowell Takes 2012 LASTCAR Cup Lead, Moves To Fifth In Series Standings

SOURCE: motorsport.com

Michael McDowell picked up the 19th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway when his #98 K-Love / Curb Records Ford fell out with a vibration after he completed 6 of the race’s 267 laps.

The finish was McDowell’s fifth of the 2012 season since Chicagoland, five races ago. He now has sole possession of the 2012 LASTCAR Sprint Cup Championship, breaking a tie with Josh Wise, who did not qualify for Sunday’s race. McDowell is now tied with G.C. Spencer for the fifth-most last-place finishes in Sprint Cup history and is tied with three other drivers for ninth-most all-time.

McDowell qualified 23rd at an average speed of 189.261 mph, making him the fastest of the eleven "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to make the field. In the race itself, Humphrey-Smith Motorsports teammates Mike Bliss and Reed Sorenson exchanged 43rd until McDowell fell out during the opening green-flag run. J.J. Yeley finished 42nd, missing his second-straight last-place finish in this race by four laps.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time both McDowell and the #98 had ever finished last in a Cup Series race at Kansas.
*It was also the first time a Cup Series last-place finisher at Kansas fell out because of a vibration.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #98-Michael McDowell / 7 laps / vibration
42) #37-J.J. Yeley / 11 laps / vibration
41) #91-Reed Sorenson / 18 laps / overheating
40) #87-Joe Nemechek / 22 laps / rear gear
39) #36-Dave Blaney / 25 laps / brakes

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell (5)
2nd) Josh Wise (4)
3rd) Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed (3)
4th) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
5th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (5)
2nd) #26-Front Row Motorsports (4)
3rd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports (3)
4th) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (2)
5th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (16)
2nd) Toyota (9)
3rd) Chevrolet (7)

N’WIDE: Miller Edges Green For Kansas Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: NASCAR Media

Chase Miller picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at the Kansas Speedway when his unsponsored #46 The Motorsports Group Chevrolet fell out with ignition problems after he completed 4 of the race’s 206 laps.

The finish was Miller’s third of the 2012 season and his first since Bristol, seven races ago. He now holds sole possession of second in the 2012 LASTCAR Nationwide Series standings.

Miller qualified 20th for the race at an average speed of 177.003 mph. Miller’s The Motorsports Group teammates J.J. Yeley (#47) and Erik Darnell (#40) qualified 28th and 40th, respectively, while Josh Wise was unable to get the #42 into the field.

Miller fell out on the same lap as 2012 LASTCAR Nationwide Series Champion Jeff Green, who returned to TriStar’s #10 while Hal Martin raced the team’s #44. Green ended up 42nd.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time an ignition problem was the listed cause for a Kansas Nationwide Series last-placer since 2007, when Kertus Davis’ #01 RaceGirl Chevrolet fell out after 17 laps of the Yellow Transportation 300.
*This was Miller’s and the #46's first last-place finish in a Nationwide Series race at Kansas.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #46-Chase Miller / 4 laps / ignition
42) #10-Jeff Green / 4 laps / vibration
41) #74-Mike Harmon / 8 laps / rear gear
40) #47-J.J. Yeley / 9 laps / vibration
39) #23-Robert Richardson / 14 laps / clutch

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Chase Miller (3)
3rd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski (2)
4th) Tim Andrews, Ryan Blaney, Angela Cope, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Tony Raines, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (3)
3rd) #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon (2)
4th) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #70-ML Motorsports, #91-TriStar Motorsports, #00-Jason Sciavicco, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (16)
2nd) Chevrolet (13)
3rd) Ford (1)

CUP: Dave Blaney’s First Last-Place Finish Of 2012 Settles Two Tiebreakers

SOURCE: Brock Beard

Dave Blaney picked up the 20th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Saturday’s Bank of America 500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet fell out of the race with transmission problems after he completed 25 of the race’s 334 laps.

The finish was Blaney’s first of the 2012 season and his first in a Cup Series race since Atlanta last September, 43 races ago. Blaney is now in sole possession of the fourth-most last-place finishes in Cup Series history, breaking a tie with owner-driver G.C. Spencer. Blaney also now has thirty finishes across NASCAR’s top three divisions, breaking a tie for fifth all-time with Jeff Fuller.

One year after turning in several sterling performances for Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR), Blaney has endured a largely thankless 2012. With TBR running a second car this season to keep Danica Patrick’s part-time #10 inside the Top 35 in Owner Points, Blaney was once again stripped of his Owner Points and forced to start from scratch. Despite this, Blaney extended the #36 team’s streak of making four consecutive Daytona 500s by virtue of a high finish in the Gatorade Duels. This year, Blaney finished 15th after leading when the race nearly ended early due to Juan Pablo Montoya’s freak crash with a jet dryer in turn three.

Since then, Blaney has finished no better than 22nd, and for many of those races has parked early to help the team collect funds. The team has run much of the second half of the season without primary sponsorship except for the restrictor-plate races where returning sponsor Golden Corral returned with its now-famous Top 10 Kids Eat Free campaign. Last month at Dover, Blaney also traded rides with J.J. Yeley, whose MaxQ Motorsports #37 team shares a technical alliance with TBR. Last Sunday, Blaney’s Golden Corral Chevrolet was in the lead draft in the final corner at Talladega, but became one of the eight drivers who were unable to reach the finish line because of the tremendous pileup that ensued.

At Charlotte, Blaney again raced a flat white Chevrolet into the field, securing the 42nd starting spot at an average speed of 186.823 mph. The #36 has yet to miss a race so far in 2012, thanks in no small part to Blaney’s efforts that have lifted the team back into 35th in Owner Points.

In the race itself, early incidents shuffled to 43rd both Matt Kenseth, involved in a Lap 12 spin, and David Ragan, damaged in an altercation on the ensuing restart. However, it was Blaney who was the first to pull behind the wall, followed five laps later by Yeley in the TBR-partnered #37. Reed Sorenson in the #91 Humphrey-Smith Motorsports-owned entry obtained sponsorship from Aquaria USA, but was forced to change engines before the race. The #91 then pulled out early as well, coming home 41st.

With five races remaining, the battle for the 2012 LASTCAR Cup Series Championship remained a dead heat. Josh Wise was among the four drivers who did not qualify for the race, while Michael McDowell obtained full funding from K-LOVE for the second straight race and came home 31st.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #36 in a Cup Series race since 2010, when J.J. Yeley’s Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet fell out with ignition problems after 73 laps of this same event, the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte. That spring, in the Coca-Cola 600, was Dave Blaney’s most recent last-place finish in a Cup Series race at Charlotte, which came after his #66 PRISM Motorsports Toyota lost the transmission after 25 laps.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #36-Dave Blaney / 25 laps / transmission
42) #37-J.J. Yeley / 30 laps / brakes
41) #91-Reed Sorenson / 32 laps / vibration
40) #95-Scott Speed / 50 laps / vibration
39) #19-Mike Bliss / 53 laps / rear gear

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell, Josh Wise (4)
2nd) Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed (3)
3rd) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
4th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #26-Front Row Motorsports, #98-Phil Parsons Racing (4)
2nd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports (3)
3rd) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (2)
4th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (15)
2nd) Toyota (9)
3rd) Chevrolet (7)

N’WIDE: Angela Cope’s Green-Flag Wreck Results In First Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Angela Cope picked up the 1st last-place finish of her NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Friday night’s Dollar General 300 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when her #00 Highland Wealth Advisors / Highway 55 Toyota was involved in a single-car accident coming to the green flag, ending her race without completing any of the race’s 200 laps. The finish came in Cope’s seventh series start.

One of the twin nieces of 1990 Daytona 500 Champion and three-time LASTCAR Cup Series Champion Derrike Cope, Angela Cope was making her third Nationwide Series start of 2012 and her first since a 28th-place finish at Michigan in June. It was also the seventh start of 2012 for owner Jason Sciavicco’s #00 team, which accompanied the team’s #24 that has been driven for much of this year by Benny Gordon.

Cope timed her car in 35th at an average speed of 174.216 mph, ranking her tenth among the sixteen "go-or-go-homers" who attempted to qualify. At the start of the race, the tail end of the field fanned out three wide and Cope rear-ended one of the cars, rupturing her radiator. As she slowed to the apron, the caution flew, and she pulled her #00 behind the wall and out of the race.

This ended Charles Lewandoski’s streak of two consective last-place finishes in the TriStar Motorsports #10. Lewandoski fell out after the restart following Cope’s wreck and came home 42nd. Josh Wise was the lowest-finishing Chevrolet from The Motorsports Group, coming home 41st after he fell out two laps after Lewandoski.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first last-place finish for the #00 in Nationwide Series competition since 1991, when Richard Lasater’s C.L. Loven Oldsmobile lost the engine after four laps of the Spring 200 at Volusia County Speedway.
*This is the first last-place finish for the #00 in a Nationwide Series race at Charlotte since 1988, when Joe Millikan’s Thomas Brothers Country Hams Oldsmobile crashed after 3 laps of the All Pro 300 at Charlotte. The finish was also Millikan’s first in Nationwide Series competition.
*Cope is the first Nationwide Series driver to finish last without completing a lap since Stephen Leicht’s #47 The Motorsports Group Chevrolet had engine trouble at at Indianapolis, ten races ago.

LASTCAR STATISTICAL CORRECTION
In the production of this article, I discovered a mistake in my rankings. I did not credit Derrike Cope with his first career Nationwide Series last-place finish, which took place in the 1995 Gatorade 200 at Darlington. Originally, I had credited last place in that race to Buckshot Jones, who finished next-to-last, but Cope was listed as not having started the race. Because of this, Jones never finished last in Nationwide Series competition and Cope is now tied with Joe Nemechek for the second-most last-place finishes in NASCAR history at 36 apiece. All of the rankings have been corrected to reflect this change, but the past articles have not. I apologize for any confusion.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #00-Angela Cope / 0 laps / crash
42) #10-Charles Lewandoski / 12 laps / vibration
41) #42-Josh Wise / 14 laps / clutch
40) #75-Scott Riggs / 14 laps / suspension
39) #74-David Green / 16 laps / rear gear

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski, Chase Miller (2)
3rd) Tim Andrews, Ryan Blaney, Angela Cope, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Tony Raines, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group, #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon (2)
3rd) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #70-ML Motorsports, #91-TriStar Motorsports, #00-Jason Sciavicco, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (16)
2nd) Chevrolet (12)
3rd) Ford (1)

CUP: Wise Ties McDowell For 2012 LASTCAR Cup Series Lead

SOURCE: TheHotLap.com

Josh Wise picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway when his #26 MDS Transport Ford fell out with overheating problems after he completed 5 of the race’s 189 laps.

The finish was Wise’s fourth of the 2012 season, his first since the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, sixteen races ago. He is now tied with Michael McDowell for the 2012 LASTCAR Cup Series Championship lead, and, with six races to go, he is tied with McDowell with 14 bottom-five finishes apiece. If the season ended at this race, the title would be decided by bottom-ten finishes, which Wise narrowly leads 25-23.

Wise qualified 33rd for Sunday’s race at an average speed of 188.649 mph, ranking him third among the "go-or-go-homers" behind Trevor Bayne and David Stremme. The race began with two NEMCO Motorsports cars trailing the field, driven by Joe Nemechek and Timmy Hill, the latter making his first Cup start since Las Vegas.

Five laps into the race, Wise’s car was the first behind the wall, followed by the two NEMCO Motorsports cars. Timmy Hill’s 42nd-place finish occurred three laps short of giving the #97 its fourth last-place finish in the last five Talladega Cup Series races.

A few underfunded teams enjoyed strong runs on Sunday. Cole Whitt, making his third start for Joe Falk in the #33, was running 11th in the opening laps when he was swept up in a wreck with Carl Edwards and Joey Logano. David Stremme and the #30 Inception Motorsports team flirted with the Top 10 in the middle stages of the race. Michael McDowell finished his first race under power since Bristol in August, coming home 31st. And Casey Mears’ #13 GEICO Ford led 10 laps and was pushing Michael Waltrip to the lead in the final corner when both were swept up in the last wreck.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #26 in a Cup Series race at Talladega since 2001, when Jimmy Spencer’s K-Mart Ford lost the engine 18 laps into the EA Sports 500.
*This was the first time a Talladega Cup Series last-place finisher fell out with overheating problems since 2006, when Derrike Cope’s #74 Sundance Vacations Dodge fell out 9 laps into the UAW-Ford 500.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #26-Josh Wise / 5 laps / overheating
42) #97-Timmy Hill / 8 laps / electrical
41) #87-Joe Nemechek / 12 laps / vibration
40) #33-Cole Whitt / 16 laps / crash
39) #51-Kurt Busch / 98 laps / parked

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell, Josh Wise (4)
2nd) Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed (3)
3rd) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
4th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #26-Front Row Motorsports, #98-Phil Parsons Racing (4)
2nd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports (3)
3rd) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (2)
4th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (15)
2nd) Toyota (9)
3rd) Chevrolet (6)

TRUCKS: Knupp’s Last-Place Finish The First For The #25 Since 2006

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Brandon Knupp picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at the Talladega Superspeedway when his unsponsored #25 Hillman Racing Chevrolet fell out with overheating problems after he completed 2 of the race’s 94 laps.

The finish was Knupp’s second of the 2012 season, and his first since Texas, eleven races ago. With four races to go, Knupp now joins a three-way tie for second in the 2012 LASTCAR Truck Series Championship, all of them just one finish behind leader Dennis Setzer.

Knupp qualified 28th in the 36-truck field at an average speed of 172.274 mph, giving the second Hillman Racing Chevrolet its fourth start of the season. He exited the race during the opening green-flag run, besting 35th-place Mike Harmon by 31 laps.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #25 in the Truck Series since 2006, when Damon Lusk’s Woodard Racing Dodge crashed after 63 laps of the Kroger 200 at Martinsville. The finish was the first of Lusk’s career.
*This was Chevrolet’s third-straight last-place finish in a Truck Series race at Talladega.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #25-Brandon Knupp / 2 laps / overheating
35) #74-Mike Harmon / 33 laps / fuel pump
34) #08-Ross Chastain / 45 laps / crash
33) #11-Todd Bodine / 46 laps / crash
32) #07-Johnny Chapman / 47 laps / crash

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield, Brandon Knupp (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Blake Koch, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-RSS Racing (3)
2nd) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #27-Hillman Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #25-Hillman Racing, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (10)
2nd) Ford, RAM (3)
3rd) Toyota (2)

CUP: Reed Sorenson Tightens 2012 LASTCAR Cup Championship With Seven Races To Go

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin'

Reed Sorenson picked up the 8th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s AAA 400 at the Dover International Speedway when his #91 Plinker Tactical Toyota fell out with brake problems after completing 18 of the race’s 400 laps.

The finish was Sorenson’s third of the season, his first since Richmond three races ago. He now stands tied for 2nd in the 2012 LASTCAR Cup Series rankings, one finish behind leader Michael McDowell along with Scott Riggs, Scott Speed, and Josh Wise.

Sorenson was one of many "go-or-go-home" drivers who were impressive in Happy Hour, the #91 turning in the 15th fastest time overall. Four others ran faster still, including defending NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (12th), McDowell (11th), Speed (8th), and David Stremme (5th). However, in qualifying, Stremme narrowly missed the field, bumped out by the #37 Larry Gunselman-owned Chevrolet driven Sunday by Dave Blaney.

Sorenson qualified a respectable 29th at an average speed of 156.223 mph, whereas teammate Mike Bliss in the #19 was among those sent home.

Sorenson fell to the back of the field before the start and remained there during the opening green-flag run, eventually retiring after 18 laps. Scott Riggs, the next-closest competitor, exited eight laps later to take the 42nd spot, while Michael McDowell missed edging Joe Nemechek for a Bottom Five spot by three laps.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #91 in a Cup Series race at Dover since 1999, when Dick Trickle’s Larry’s Homes Chevrolet crashed after six laps of the MBNA Platinum 400. Trickle’s car was owned by Joe Falk, the current owner of the #33 that missed Sunday’s race with driver Cole Whitt.
*This was Sorenson’s first last-place finish in a Cup Series race at Dover.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #91-Reed Sorenson / 18 laps / brakes
42) #23-Scott Riggs / 26 laps / brakes
41) #37-Dave Blaney / 29 laps / overheating
40) #95-Scott Speed / 32 laps / suspension
39) #87-Joe Nemechek / 48 laps / electrical

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell (4)
2nd) Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (3)
3rd) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley (2)
4th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (4)
2nd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports, #26-Front Row Motorsports (3)
3rd) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (2)
4th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (14)
2nd) Toyota (9)
3rd) Chevrolet (6)

N’WIDE: Lewandoski 2-For-2 In His First Races For TriStar Motorsports

SOURCE: NASCAR Media

Charles Lewandoski picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s OneMain Financial 200 at the Dover International Speeway when his unsponsored #10 TriStar Motorsports Toyota fell out with a vibration after he completed 3 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish was Lewandoski’s second in a row in as many starts driving TriStar’s #10, driven for most of this year by all-time LASTCAR leader Jeff Green. This week, Green was given a ride in the team’s G-Oil-sponsored #44, which he drove to an impressive 15th-place finish.

Lewandoski qualified 22nd at an average speed of 150.313 mph, ranking him fifth among the sixteen "go-or-go-homers" who entered the race. This allowed him to easily beat the three drivers who did not qualify, including 2007 LASTCAR Nationwide Series Champion Morgan Shepherd and two-time 2012 last-placer Mike Harmon.

Lewandoski beat Rick Ware Racing’s Kelly Bires for last place by one lap, followed by T.J. Bell for The Motorsports Group. Behind Bell was defending LASTCAR Cup Champion Michael McDowell, who was making his first start for owner Jason Sciavicco in the #00 Toyota.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #10 in a Nationwide Series race at Dover.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #10-Charles Lewandoski / 3 laps / vibration
42) #15-Kelly Bires / 4 laps / brakes
41) #47-T.J. Bell / 6 laps / vibration
40) #00-Michael McDowell / 6 laps / rear end
39) #42-Josh Wise / 6 laps / electrical

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Charles Lewandoski, Chase Miller (2)
3rd) Tim Andrews, Ryan Blaney, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Danica Patrick, Tony Raines, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (14)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group, #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon (2)
3rd) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #70-ML Motorsports, #91-TriStar Motorsports, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (15)
2nd) Chevrolet (12)
3rd) Ford (1)

TRUCKS: Greenfield Last In Lind Team’s Truck Series Debut

SOURCE: Daylife

Clay Greenfield picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s Smith’s 350 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway when his #00 Obregon Construction Ford fell out with overheating problems after he completed 3 of the race’s 146 laps.

Both of Greenfield’s finishes have come this season, with the first taking place at Charlotte, twelve races ago.

Greenfield was locked into his seventh start of the 2012 season as only 34 trucks showed up for 36 spots. His previous six starts came while driving for his own team, Clay Greenfield Motorsports, for which he last raced to a 34th-place finish at Bristol. Las Vegas would seem him debut a new team, the #00 fielded by Rick Lind.

Greenfield qualified 31st at an average speed of 165.578 mph, then exited the race during the caution for Todd Bodine’s opening-lap spin in turn four. This allowed him to edge RSS Racing’s Chris Jones, who pulled out the #38 one lap later. Dennis Setzer, the current LASTCAR Truck Series leader, fell out after 7 laps in the RSS #93 and finished 31st.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #00 in a Truck Series race since 2007, when Ken Butler’s Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota lost the engine after 167 laps of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250 at Mansfield. It is only the sixth time the number has finished last in any Truck Series race; the other four were picked up by Ryan McGlynn in 1999 and 2000.
*Greenfield’s was the first Ford to finish last in a Truck Series race at Las Vegas since 2003, when Rick Crawford’s #14 Circle Bar Motel & RV Park Ford lost the engine after 3 laps of the Las Vegas 350.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
34) #00-Clay Greenfield / 3 laps / overheating
33) #38-Chris Jones / 4 laps / vibration
32) #25-B.J. McLeod / 5 laps / overheating
31) #93-Dennis Setzer / 7 laps / vibration
30) #07-Johnny Chapman / 11 laps / rear gear

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Dennis Setzer (3)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Clay Greenfield (2)
3rd) T.J. Bell, Jeb Burton, Rick Crawford, Grant Enfinger, Blake Koch, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brandon Knupp, Jason Leffler, Brennan Newberry, Scott Riggs (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-RSS Racing (3)
2nd) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #27-Hillman Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Wauters Motorsports, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #14-Bob Newberry, #18-Kyle Busch Motorsports, #60-Turn One Racing, #68-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #86-Clay Greenfield Motorsports, #74-Mike Harmon, #00-Rick Lind, #07-Ken Smith (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (9)
2nd) Ford, RAM (3)
3rd) Toyota (2)
　

CUP: Kelly Bires Caps Weekend Of First-Time Last-Place Finishers

SOURCE: Rob Dostie

Kelly Bires scored the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway when his #79 BBI / Bestway Ford fell out with brake problems after completing 20 of the race’s 300 laps. The finish came in Bires’ second series start.

Following his Sprint Cup debut at Loudon in July, where he came home 42nd, he narrowly missed the field at Bristol before setting sights on the September race. This time, Bires made the show with a lap of 130.367 mph, locking up the 38th starting spot. Bires then exited the race during the opening green-flag run, edging by one lap Humphrey-Smith’s Reed Sorenson in the #91.

Among the drivers who missed the race were Jason Leffler, driving the #49 that finished last at Loudon in July, and all-time LASTCAR leader Jeff Green in a one-off for Humphrey-Smith Motorsports. Also missing the race were Scott Riggs and Josh Wise, currently tied for 2nd in the LASTCAR Championship chase. Wise was originally fast enough to make it in, but his time was disallowed due to a technical infraction for his rear springs. This put David Stremme and the #30 Inception Motorsports team into the show.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Bires is the first Cup driver to score his first Cup Series last-place finish at Loudon since Wayne Anderson, whose #75 Rinaldi Air Conditioning Dodge lost the engine after 16 laps of the 2005 Sylvania 300.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
(With Photos Taken By LASTCAR Reader Rob Dostie)

43) #79-Kelly Bires / 20 laps / brakes

42) #91-Reed Sorenson / 21 laps / brakes

41) #37-J.J. Yeley / 29 laps / brakes

40) #36-Tony Raines / 68 laps / rear gear

39) #87-Joe Nemechek / 78 laps / brakes

LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Michael McDowell (4)
2nd) Scott Riggs, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (3)
3rd) Mike Bliss, Joe Nemechek, Reed Sorenson, J.J. Yeley (2)
4th) Trevor Bayne, Kelly Bires, Landon Cassill, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brian Vickers (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #98-Phil Parsons Racing (4)
2nd) #19-Humphrey-Smith Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports, #26-Front Row Motorsports (3)
3rd) #49-Robinson-Blakeney Racing, #79-Go Green Racing, #87-NEMCO Motorsports, #95-Leavine Family Racing (2)
4th) #21-Wood Brothers Racing, #33-Richard Childress Racing, #34-Front Row Motorsports, #55-Michael Waltrip Racing, #74-Turn One Racing, #83-BK Racing, #91-Humphrey-Smith Racing (1)

LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (14)
2nd) Toyota (8)
3rd) Chevrolet (6)

CECIL GORDON (1941-2012)
Last Wednesday, former NASCAR Sprint Cup owner-driver and 1970 and 1981 LASTCAR Cup Champion Cecil "Flash" Gordon passed away at the age of 71. In 449 Cup Series starts from 1968 to 1985, the Horse Shoe, North Carolina native never won a race, but he racked up 29 top-five finishes and 111 top-tens. His career-best finish was a runner-up to David Pearson at Dover on May 18, 1975.

As the first Gordon to run the #24 in the Cup Series on a regular basis, Gordon gave Morgan Shepherd one of his first Cup rides at Bristol in 1981, where Shepherd led 104 laps and finished 19th. In the latter part of his driving career, Gordon was one of the last drivers to race a Chrysler in NASCAR, and he scored the twelfth and final last-place finish of his career in his last Cup start at Richmond in 1985.

Cecil Gordon and his #24 Chevrolet,1975
SOURCE: Historical Stock Car Racing Forum
 

N’WIDE: Lewandoski Last at Kentucky in Jeff Green’s #10

SOURCE: NASCAR Media

Charles Lewandoski scored the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Kentucky 300 at the Kentucky Speedway when his unsponsored #10 TriStar Motorspots Toyota fell out with a vibration after completing 4 of the race’s 200 laps. The finish came in Lewandoski’s 24th series start.

Lewandoski was filling in for LASTCAR record-breaker Jeff Green, who was in New Hampshire attempting to get Humphrey-Smith’s #19 Ford into Sunday’s Sprint Cup race. While Green was unable to make Sunday’s field, Lewandoski timed in 28th Saturday at an average speed of 169.337 mph, ranking him third behind only Scott Lagasse, Jr. and Chase Miller among the thirteen "go-or-go-homers" who qualified.

Four laps into the race, Lewandoski was behind the wall, securing a 13th last-place finish for the #10 in 2012. Not far behind were three Chevrolets from The Motorsports Group, plus Rick Ware’s #75 piloted by Matt Carter.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #10 in a Nationwide Series race at Kentucky.
*Lewandoski is the fifth first-time Nationwide Series last-placer in the last nine races.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #10-Charles Lewandoski / 4 laps / vibration
42) #42-Matt Frahm / 6 laps / brakes
41) #47-Matt DiBenedetto / 10 laps / vibration
40) #75-Matt Carter / 13 laps / transmission
39) #46-Chase Miller / 13 laps / vibration

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (12)
2nd) Mike Harmon, Kevin Lepage, Chase Miller (2)
3rd) Tim Andrews, Ryan Blaney, Joey Gase, Stephen Leicht, Charles Lewandoski, Danica Patrick, Tony Raines, Scott Speed, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (13)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group, #47-The Motorsports Group, #52-Means Racing, #74-Mike Harmon (2)
3rd) #7-JR Motorsports, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing, #42-The Motorsports Group, #70-ML Motorsports, #91-TriStar Motorsports, #08-Randy Hill Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (14)
2nd) Chevrolet (12)
3rd) Ford (1)