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)