TRUCKS: Chris Jones Joins Battle For 2013 LASTCAR Truck Championship

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums

Chris Jones picked up the 7th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Wednesday’s UNOH 200 at the Bristol Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #93 RSS Racing Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after he completed 20 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish was Jones’ second of 2013 and his first since Charlotte, eight races ago.  He is not only tied for the lead in the 2013 LASTCAR Driver’s Championship with Johnny Chapman and Chris Lafferty, but also holds sole possession of fifth in the all-time LASTCAR Truck Series rankings.

Jones qualified in the 36th and final spot for Wednesday’s race at an average speed of 121.236 mph.  It would be Jones’ tenth start of the 2013 season, all but one having been in RSS’ #93, and just one week after his season-best 27th at Michigan.

Missing the Bristol race were the star-crossed Mike Harmon and Jennifer Jo Cobb, who along with Joey Coulter and Brennan Newberry failed to complete a qualifying lap.  Both drivers withdrew after separate incidents in practice: Cobb lost an engine while Harmon made contact with the outside wall.

On Lap 4 of the race, last place went to Nate Monteith, who was making his first Truck Series start since the same Bristol race in 2009.  Monteith’s #45 Evander Holyfield / Highway 126 Self Storage Toyota lost control off Turn 4, but avoided serious damage.  However, by the time he pulled out of the race with handling woes, Jones had already parked the #93, giving Jones the last spot in the field.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were Clay Greenfield, making just his fourth start of 2013 and his first since Kentucky, five races ago, Eldora standout Norm Benning in his #57 Chevrolet, and Jones’ teammate Ryan Sieg, whose #39 suffered an oil leak in the final laps of the race.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first last-place finish for both Jones and the #93 in a Truck Series race at Bristol.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #93-Chris Jones / 20 laps / brakes
35) #45-Nate Monteith / 24 laps / handling
34) #68-Clay Greenfield / 45 laps / ignition
33) #57-Norm Benning / 55 laps / brakes
32) #39-Ryan Sieg / 166 laps / oil leak

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Johnny Chapman, Chris Jones, Chris Lafferty (2)
2nd) Jeff Babcock, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Ehrgott, Mike Harmon, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Scott Riggs, Scott Saunders (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb (3)
2nd) #38-RSS Racing, #84-Chris Fontaine, #93-RSS Racing (2)
3rd) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #29-Brad Keselowski, #81-Bobby Dotter, #92-Ricky Benton (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (6)
2nd) Ford (4)
3rd) RAM (2)
4th) Toyota (1)