TRUCKS: Ryan Ellis Scores Third-Straight Last-Place Finish For Cobb’s #0 At Kentucky

SOURCE: Twitter @ryanellisracing

Ryan Ellis picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Thursday’s UNOH 225 at the Kentucky Speedway when his #0 Grimes Irrigation & Construction Chevrolet fell out with engine problems after he completed 3 of the race’s 150 laps.

The finish was Ellis’ second of the 2014 season and his first since Texas, two races ago.  He is the first driver to finish last more than once in the series this season.

Ellis did not participate in the weekend’s opening practice, then ended up 30th out of 31 trucks in Happy Hour.  Ellis turned in a lap well ahead of Adam Edwards in Norm Benning’s second truck, renumbered from 75 to 71 since Caleb Holman was making his first start for Charlie Henderson since Martinsville.  With just 32 trucks showing up for 36 spots, Ellis secured the 32nd and final starting spot without completing a lap in qualifying.

At the start of Thursday’s race, Ellis pulled behind the wall after three laps just as the first caution of the night came out for debris.  Charles Lewandoski, making his fifth start of the season in Randy Young’s #42 Chevrolet, pulled out of the race on the following lap, followed by Adam Edwards eight laps after that.  In 29th was J.J. Yeley, making his first Truck start of the year in Bobby Dotter’s #07 Thunder Exhaust Chevrolet.  Rounding out the Bottom Five was Chase Pistone, who lost the engine on Bob Newberry’s #9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the third-consecutive Kentucky last-place finish for Jennifer Jo Cobb’s #0 team.  The previous two took place with Blake Koch in 2012 and defending LASTCAR Truck Series Champion Chris Lafferty in 2013.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
32) #0-Ryan Ellis / 3 laps / engine
31) #42-Charles Lewandoski / 4 laps / vibration
30) #71-Adam Edwards / 12 laps / rear gear
29) #07-J.J. Yeley / 24 laps / suspension
28) #9-Chase Pistone / 78 laps / engine

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ryan Ellis (2)
2nd) Alex Guenette, Justin Jennings, Blake Koch, Charles Lewandoski, Scott Stenzel, Jason White (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb, #36-Mike Mittler (2)
2nd) #42-Randy Young, #63-Mike Mittler, #74-Mario Gosselin, #93-RSS Racing (1)

LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (7)
2nd) RAM (1)