TRUCKS: Mike “hrmn8ter” Harmon Trails Truck Field at Chicago

SOURCE: Rubbins-Racin

Mike Harmon picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s Fast Five 225 at the Chicagoland Speedway when his #74 @hrmn8ter Ford fell out with transmission problems after 3 of the race’s 150 laps.

This year, the 53-year-old Birmingport, Alabama competitor became an owner-driver, first fielding his #74 in the Nationwide Series at Fontana, where he finished last with a vibration. Last month at Michigan saw Harmon expand his operation into the Truck Series, his black Fords carrying the web address to his Twitter account. Following a 32nd-place run in the Michigan race, Harmon’s next truck race would be Friday’s race at Chicago.

Harmon qualified 33rd for the race at a speed of 163.117 mph. His speed was good enough to beat four other “go-or-go-homers,” including Wayne Edwards and Charlie Vest, who both failed to qualify. Three laps into the opening run, Harmon went behind the wall, followed on the next lap by Chris Jones and David Stremme. Stremme was making his first Truck Series start since 2008, debuting Rob Winfield’s #27 Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Harmon had not finished last in the Truck Series since 2010, when his Chris Lafferty-owned #89 Marriott / Shula’s 347 Grill Ford fell out with transmission trouble after 9 of the race’s 130 laps. That run was also Ford’s most recent last-place finish; Harmon’s is the first for Ford in 2011.
*This was Ford's 850th last-place finish across NASCAR's top three divisions.
*This last time the #74 finished last in a Truck Series race was in 2008, when Larry Gunselman’s #74 DCI / RMR Dodge left the race with electrical problems after 2 of the race’s 172 laps. Gunselman’s truck was owned by all-time LASTCAR leader Derrike Cope.
*Harmon is the first driver to finish last in both a Truck Series race (Chicago) and a Nationwide race (Fontana) this season. The only other driver to finish last in two divisions this season is Jeff Green, who has one finish in Cup (Loudon) and eight in Nationwide.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #74-Mike Harmon / 3 laps / transmission
35) #87-Chris Jones / 4 laps / wheel
34) #27-David Stremme / 4 laps / engine
33) #93-Dennis Setzer / 5 laps / brakes
32) #65-Brent Raymer / 7 laps / electrical

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Mike Garvey (4)
2nd) Norm Benning, Chris Lafferty (2)
3rd) James Buescher, Chris Jones, Mike Harmon, Travis Kvapil, Johanna Long, Brent Raymer, Scott Riggs, Greg Seevers, Dennis Setzer, Brad Sweet (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #38-Shane Sieg (4)
2nd) #57-Norm Benning Racing (2)
3rd) #5-Randy Moss, #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #20-Panhandle Motorsports, #31-Turner Motorsports, #32-Turner Motorsports, #65-Joey Sonntag, #74-Mike Harmon, #75-Norm Benning Racing, #87-Rick Jones, #89-Chris Lafferty, #93-Shane Sieg, #07-SS Green Light Racing (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (14)
2nd) Toyota (3)
3rd) Ford (1)