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)