TRUCKS: Chris Lafferty Trails Shortest Truck Series Field In Seventeen Years

SOURCE: motorsport.com

Chris Lafferty picked up the 8th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s Smith’s 350 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway when his #0 Koma Unwind Relaxation Drink Chevrolet fell out with transmission trouble after he completed 2 of the race’s 146 laps.

The finish was Lafferty’s fifth of 2013, his first since Iowa, two races ago, and his third in the last four races.  With five races to go, he now holds a two-finish lead over Chris Jones in the 2013 LASTCAR Truck Series Driver’s Championship.

Just twenty-nine trucks showed up to compete in Saturday’s race, making it the shortest Truck Series field since July 27, 1996, when twenty-eight trucks started the Western Auto 200 at the I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri.  Forty trucks competed in the Las Vegas event when it was the season finale in 1998.

Due to the short field, everyone who attempted to qualify made the show.  Lafferty timed in 27th at an average speed of 157.650 mph.  Two laps into the race, Lafferty was behind the wall.  He was followed two laps later by Caleb Roark, making his first start of 2013 in the #07 Front Row Tailgating / Silver Sevens Toyota.  Chris Jones, Lafferty’s closest competition for the LASTCAR title, fell out three laps after Roark in his #93 RSS Racing Chevrolet.  Rounding out the Bottom Five were Norm Benning in his #57 and Mike Harmon in Chris Fontaine’s #84.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #0 has finished last in a Truck Series race at Las Vegas since 2008, when Chris Jones’ ASI Limited Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after two laps of the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350.
*Lafferty had never before finished last in a Truck Series race at this track.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
29) #0-Chris Lafferty / 2 laps / transmission
28) #07-Caleb Roark / 4 laps / clutch
27) #93-Chris Jones / 7 laps / overheating
26) #57-Norm Benning / 43 laps / handling
25) #84-Mike Harmon / 77 laps / handling

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chris Lafferty (5)
2nd) Chris Jones (3)
3rd) Johnny Chapman (2)
4th) 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 (6)
2nd) #93-RSS Racing (3)
3rd) #38-RSS Racing, #84-Chris Fontaine (2)
4th) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #29-Brad Keselowski, #81-Bobby Dotter, #92-Ricky Benton (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (10)
2nd) Ford (4)
3rd) RAM (2)
4th) Toyota (1)