TRUCKS: Lap One Crash Gives Ryan Blaney First Truck Series Last-Place Finish

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums

Ryan Blaney picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s Michigan National Guard 200 at the Michigan International Speedway when his #29 Cooper Standard Performance Products Ford was involved in a two-truck crash on the opening lap of the 100-lap race.  The finish came in Blaney’s 21st series start.

Blaney, the son of NASCAR and World of Outlaws veteran Dave Blaney, joined the Truck Series last fall driving for that year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski.  He turned in a strong 6th-place finish in his debut at Bristol.  Just two races later, he edged Ty Dillon for the win in the American Ethanol 200, making him the youngest winner in series history.

2013 is Blaney’s first full season on the tour, and the 19-year-old has continued to improve.  He came into the Michigan race 3rd in points, 62 markers behind the leader Matt Crafton, and fresh off his second series win two weeks ago at Pocono.  In this year’s first eleven races, Blaney had finished worse than 8th just four times, although two of those came in the two events leading into Pocono.

At Michigan, Blaney qualified 19th at an average speed of 180.555 mph.  With just 32 trucks attempting to qualify for 36 spots, everyone who showed up made the race.  At the start of the race, Blaney was running the bottom off Turn 2 when Darrell Wallace, Jr. crossed his nose, causing Blaney to lose control.  The #29 spun head-on into the inside wall, causing enough damage to end his day.  Blaney was uninjured, but slipped from third to eighth in the series point standings, now 85 behind leader Matt Crafton.

Todd Peck made his eighth Truck Series start of the season at Michigan and came home 31st, parking a second truck fielded by Norm Benning, who finished 22nd.  Danny Efland pulled out one lap after Peck in the Mark Beaver-owned #50, ending his third start of the year and his first since Dover.  Scott Riggs climbed aboard the two-time last-place finishing #38 RSS Racing entry and pulled behind the wall after seven laps, followed two circuits later by Jake Crum in the #81 that trailed the field at Pocono with Ricky Ehrgott.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #29 in a Truck Series race since 2004, when Deborah Renshaw’s #29 K-Automotive Ford - owned by Brad Keselowski’s father Bob - was involved in a crash after she completed 38 laps of the O’Reilly 200 at Bristol.
*Blaney is the first Truck Series driver to finish last without completing a lap since Blake Koch last September at Kentucky, who lost the transmission on his #0 Driven2Honor.org Ford.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
32) #29-Ryan Blaney / 0 laps / crash
31) #75-Todd Peck / 3 laps / overheating
30) #50-Danny Efland / 4 laps / electrical
29) #38-Scott Riggs / 7 laps / engine
28) #81-Jake Crum / 9 laps / axle

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

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

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (5)
2nd) Ford (4)
3rd) RAM (2)
4th) Toyota (1)