LASTCAR CATCH-UP: SpeedWeeks at Daytona
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Perhaps appropriately, this website will be the final one to cover the action from the week of racing at Daytona. In the interest of providing all the statistics as quickly as possible, the articles for all six of the week’s main events are included in this article.
CUP: Ragan Edges Johnson For First-Ever Cup Last-Place Finish After Grinding Daytona 500 Wreck
David Ragan picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Monday night’s 54th Annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #34 Scorpion Truck Bed Liners Ford was involved in a six-car pileup on Lap 2 of the 202-lap race. The finish came in Ragan’s 183rd series start.
Ragan’s late involvement in the wreck - which occurred when he slammed into the disabled Chevrolet of five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson - narrowly prevented Johnson from scoring his first-ever 43rd-place finish in a NASCAR Sprint Cup points-scoring race. Johnson was scored 42nd. Kurt Busch, his #51 Chevrolet also involved in the wreck, held 43rd for much of the race before he returned to the track in the middle stages, handing the final spot to Ragan. Busch wound up 39th.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Ragan completed the fewest laps of any Daytona 500 finisher since 2002, when Tony Stewart’s #20 Home Depot Pontiac lost the engine after two laps. Harry Gant was the most recent driver to finish last in the 500 with only one lap complete, which occurred in 1978 when the engine blew on his #66 C.C.C. Buick. 1968 was the last time a Daytona 500 last-placer failed to complete a single lap, which was when Dub Simpson’s #06 1967 Dodge lost oil pressure.
*This was the #34's first last-place finish since 2008, when Brian Simo’s No Fear Ford fell out with transmission problems after 20 laps of the 2008 Toyota / Save Mart 350 at the Infineon Raceway.
*This is the #34's first-ever last-place finish in a Sprint Cup points race at Daytona.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #34-David Ragan / 1 lap / crash
42) #48-Jimmie Johnson / 1 lap / crash
41) #7-Robby Gordon / 25 laps / engine
40) #24-Jeff Gordon / 81 laps / engine / led 1 lap
39) #51-Kurt Busch / 113 laps / running
N’WIDE: Defending LASTCAR Champion Jeff Green Exits Early At Daytona Opener
Jeff Green picked up the 27th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #10 Tri-Star Motorsports Toyota fell out with a vibration after completing 3 of the race’s 120 laps.
The finish ties Green with the late J.D. McDuffie for the third-most last-place finishes in NASCAR history (32 total finishes each). It also extended Green’s lead in the all-time Nationwide standings to three over second-place Jeff Fuller.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the #10's first last-place finish in a Nationwide Series race since 1999, when Phil Parsons’ Alltel Chevrolet lost its engine after 139 laps of the Outback Steakhouse 200 at Phoenix. This race is better known as the scene of Jeff Gordon’s first Nationwide Series victory since his move to Cup in 1992.
*This was also Green’s second-consecutive last-place finish at Daytona, joining his 43rd-place run here last July.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #10-Jeff Green / 3 laps / vibration
42) #97-Johnny Sauter / 14 laps / electrical
41) #81-Jason Bowles / 28 laps / engine
40) #28-J.J. Yeley / 43 laps / engine
39) #44-Mike Bliss / 59 laps / crash
TRUCKS: Jason Leffler Has A Short Night In Kyle Busch’s Truck
Jason Leffler picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #18 Dollar General Toyota was involved in a four-truck accident on Lap 18 of the 109-lap race. The finish came in Leffler’s 47th series start.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the #18's first last-place finish in a Truck Series race since 1996, when David Green’s Pennzoil Chevrolet fell out with mechanical woes 7 laps into the Cummins 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #18-Jason Leffler / 17 laps / crash
35) #98-Dakoda Armstrong / 33 laps / crash
34) #60-J.R. Fitpatrick / 61 laps / crash
33) #8-Mike Skinner / 61 laps / crash
32) #33-Cale Gale / 61 laps / crash
CUP: Cassill Plays It Conservative In First Gatorade Duel
Landon Cassill finished last in Thursday’s First Gatorade Duel at the Daytona International Speedway when his #83 Burger King Toyota fell out with a vibration after completing 3 of the race’s 60 laps.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Cassill’s first-ever last-place finish in the Gatorade Duels, coming in his first-ever attempt at making the 500 field. Cassill, locked in on Owner Points, finished a respectable 22nd in the 500.
*The #83 finished last in the Duels on two other occasions. The first time was in 1966 during Race 2, when Rene Charland’s 1964 Ford lost the engine after three laps. The second and most recent came in Race 1 in 1972, when Lem Blankenship’s 1972 Dodge lost its rear end without completing a lap.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
25) #83-Landon Cassill / 3 laps / vibration
24) #27-Paul Menard / 8 laps / crash
23) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya / 8 laps / crash
22) #38-David Gilliland / 8 laps / crash
21) #32-Terry Labonte / 12 laps / vibration
CUP: Yeley Loses Power Early In Second Gatorade Duel
J.J. Yeley finished last in Thursday’s Second Gatorade Duel at the Daytona International Speedway when his #49 America Israel Racing Toyota fell out with an engine failure after completing 4 of the race’s 60 laps.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Yeley’s first-ever last-place finish in the Gatorade Duels. It was also the first time the #49 had finished last in either of the qualifying races.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
24) #49-J.J. Yeley / 4 laps / engine
23) #93-David Reutimann / 6 laps / vibration
22) #26-Tony Raines / 9 laps / vibration
21) #09-Kenny Wallace / 57 laps / running
20) #97-Bill Elliott / 58 laps / running
CUP: Waltrip Wadded-Up In Eight-Car Budweiser Shootout Accident
Michael Waltrip finished last in Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway when his #55 Aaron’s Toyota was involved in an eight-car accident on Lap 9 of the 82-lap race.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Waltrip’s first-ever last-place finish in the Budweiser Shootout. Brother Darrell finished last in the 1986 running, when he was still under power at the end of the 20-lap race.
*The #55 had never before finished last in the Shootout.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
25) #55-Michael Waltrip / 8 laps / crash
24) #34-David Ragan / 8 laps / crash
23) #27-Paul Menard / 8 laps / crash
22) #29-Kevin Harvick / 54 laps / crash / led 4 laps
21) #17-Matt Kenseth / 54 laps / crash
CUP: Ragan Edges Johnson For First-Ever Cup Last-Place Finish After Grinding Daytona 500 Wreck
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| SOURCE: motorsport.com |
David Ragan picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Monday night’s 54th Annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #34 Scorpion Truck Bed Liners Ford was involved in a six-car pileup on Lap 2 of the 202-lap race. The finish came in Ragan’s 183rd series start.
Ragan’s late involvement in the wreck - which occurred when he slammed into the disabled Chevrolet of five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson - narrowly prevented Johnson from scoring his first-ever 43rd-place finish in a NASCAR Sprint Cup points-scoring race. Johnson was scored 42nd. Kurt Busch, his #51 Chevrolet also involved in the wreck, held 43rd for much of the race before he returned to the track in the middle stages, handing the final spot to Ragan. Busch wound up 39th.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Ragan completed the fewest laps of any Daytona 500 finisher since 2002, when Tony Stewart’s #20 Home Depot Pontiac lost the engine after two laps. Harry Gant was the most recent driver to finish last in the 500 with only one lap complete, which occurred in 1978 when the engine blew on his #66 C.C.C. Buick. 1968 was the last time a Daytona 500 last-placer failed to complete a single lap, which was when Dub Simpson’s #06 1967 Dodge lost oil pressure.
*This was the #34's first last-place finish since 2008, when Brian Simo’s No Fear Ford fell out with transmission problems after 20 laps of the 2008 Toyota / Save Mart 350 at the Infineon Raceway.
*This is the #34's first-ever last-place finish in a Sprint Cup points race at Daytona.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #34-David Ragan / 1 lap / crash
42) #48-Jimmie Johnson / 1 lap / crash
41) #7-Robby Gordon / 25 laps / engine
40) #24-Jeff Gordon / 81 laps / engine / led 1 lap
39) #51-Kurt Busch / 113 laps / running
N’WIDE: Defending LASTCAR Champion Jeff Green Exits Early At Daytona Opener
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| SOURCE: Rubbins'-Racin' |
Jeff Green picked up the 27th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #10 Tri-Star Motorsports Toyota fell out with a vibration after completing 3 of the race’s 120 laps.
The finish ties Green with the late J.D. McDuffie for the third-most last-place finishes in NASCAR history (32 total finishes each). It also extended Green’s lead in the all-time Nationwide standings to three over second-place Jeff Fuller.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the #10's first last-place finish in a Nationwide Series race since 1999, when Phil Parsons’ Alltel Chevrolet lost its engine after 139 laps of the Outback Steakhouse 200 at Phoenix. This race is better known as the scene of Jeff Gordon’s first Nationwide Series victory since his move to Cup in 1992.
*This was also Green’s second-consecutive last-place finish at Daytona, joining his 43rd-place run here last July.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #10-Jeff Green / 3 laps / vibration
42) #97-Johnny Sauter / 14 laps / electrical
41) #81-Jason Bowles / 28 laps / engine
40) #28-J.J. Yeley / 43 laps / engine
39) #44-Mike Bliss / 59 laps / crash
TRUCKS: Jason Leffler Has A Short Night In Kyle Busch’s Truck
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| SOURCE: Kyle Busch Motorsports |
Jason Leffler picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #18 Dollar General Toyota was involved in a four-truck accident on Lap 18 of the 109-lap race. The finish came in Leffler’s 47th series start.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the #18's first last-place finish in a Truck Series race since 1996, when David Green’s Pennzoil Chevrolet fell out with mechanical woes 7 laps into the Cummins 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #18-Jason Leffler / 17 laps / crash
35) #98-Dakoda Armstrong / 33 laps / crash
34) #60-J.R. Fitpatrick / 61 laps / crash
33) #8-Mike Skinner / 61 laps / crash
32) #33-Cale Gale / 61 laps / crash
CUP: Cassill Plays It Conservative In First Gatorade Duel
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| SOURCE: NASCAR Media |
Landon Cassill finished last in Thursday’s First Gatorade Duel at the Daytona International Speedway when his #83 Burger King Toyota fell out with a vibration after completing 3 of the race’s 60 laps.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Cassill’s first-ever last-place finish in the Gatorade Duels, coming in his first-ever attempt at making the 500 field. Cassill, locked in on Owner Points, finished a respectable 22nd in the 500.
*The #83 finished last in the Duels on two other occasions. The first time was in 1966 during Race 2, when Rene Charland’s 1964 Ford lost the engine after three laps. The second and most recent came in Race 1 in 1972, when Lem Blankenship’s 1972 Dodge lost its rear end without completing a lap.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
25) #83-Landon Cassill / 3 laps / vibration
24) #27-Paul Menard / 8 laps / crash
23) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya / 8 laps / crash
22) #38-David Gilliland / 8 laps / crash
21) #32-Terry Labonte / 12 laps / vibration
CUP: Yeley Loses Power Early In Second Gatorade Duel
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| SOURCE: NASCAR Media |
J.J. Yeley finished last in Thursday’s Second Gatorade Duel at the Daytona International Speedway when his #49 America Israel Racing Toyota fell out with an engine failure after completing 4 of the race’s 60 laps.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Yeley’s first-ever last-place finish in the Gatorade Duels. It was also the first time the #49 had finished last in either of the qualifying races.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
24) #49-J.J. Yeley / 4 laps / engine
23) #93-David Reutimann / 6 laps / vibration
22) #26-Tony Raines / 9 laps / vibration
21) #09-Kenny Wallace / 57 laps / running
20) #97-Bill Elliott / 58 laps / running
CUP: Waltrip Wadded-Up In Eight-Car Budweiser Shootout Accident
 |
| SOURCE: Rubbins' Racin' |
Michael Waltrip finished last in Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway when his #55 Aaron’s Toyota was involved in an eight-car accident on Lap 9 of the 82-lap race.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was Waltrip’s first-ever last-place finish in the Budweiser Shootout. Brother Darrell finished last in the 1986 running, when he was still under power at the end of the 20-lap race.
*The #55 had never before finished last in the Shootout.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
25) #55-Michael Waltrip / 8 laps / crash
24) #34-David Ragan / 8 laps / crash
23) #27-Paul Menard / 8 laps / crash
22) #29-Kevin Harvick / 54 laps / crash / led 4 laps
21) #17-Matt Kenseth / 54 laps / crash
