N’WIDE: Jeff Green Trails First Atlanta Field Since 2010

SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums

Jeff Green picked up the 58th last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s Great Clips 300 to benefit Feed the Children at the Atlanta Motor Speedway when his #10 Heroes Behind the Camo / SupportMilitary.org Toyota fell out with a vibration after he completed 3 of the race’s 195 laps.

The finish was Green’s fifth of the season and his second in a row.  With nine races to go, he trails teammate Blake Koch by two finishes, and is very much in contention for his fourth-consecutive LASTCAR Nationwide Series title.

While 41 cars were on the weekend’s preliminary entry list, the #13 Headrush / OCR Gaz Bar Dodge to be run by Carl Long was withdrawn, allowing Long to run the #46 The Motorsports Group Chevrolet in place of Matt DiBenedetto, who took a turn in the team’s primary #40.  Guaranteed a starting spot in the field, Green did not participate in the opening practice, ran 33rd-fastest in Happy Hour, then climbed to 30th in qualifying with an average speed of 173.039 mph.

In the race itself, Green edged Long for last place by a single lap, both leaving the race in the opening green-flag run.  Finishing 38th, fifteen laps behind the pair, was John Jackson, back in the #72 James Carter Attorney / CrashClaimsR.Us Chevrolet after the team’s withdrawal last week at Bristol.  Series veteran Carlos Contreras came home 37th for Rick Ware in the #23 RaceTrac Chevrolet, which was sent to the back before the start for unapproved adjustments.  Rounding out the Bottom Five in 36th was Kevin Swindell in his fourth start of the year driving JGL Racing’s #93 Dodge.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is Green’s first Nationwide Series last-place finish at Atlanta since September 4, 2010, when his #36 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet lost the transmission after 1 lap of the Great Clips 300.
*This is the first last-place finish for the #10 in a Nationwide Series race at Atlanta.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #10-Jeff Green / 3 laps / vibration
39) #46-Carl Long / 4 laps / overheating
38) #72-John Jackson / 19 laps / vibration
37) #23-Carlos Contreras / 35 laps / engine
36) #93-Kevin Swindell / 43 laps / fuel pump

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Blake Koch (7)
2nd) Jeff Green (5)
3rd) Matt DiBenedetto, Kevin Lepage (2)
4th) Tanner Berryhill, Ryan Ellis, Matt Frahm, Roger Reuse, Robert Richardson, Jr., Tim Schendel, Jimmy Weller, Josh Wise (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (9)
2nd) #46-The Motorsports Group (5)
3rd) #91-TriStar Motorsports (3)
4th) #17-Vision Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports, #55-VIVA Motorsports / SS Green Light Racing, #74-Mike Harmon Racing, #77-Mike Harmon Racing, #87-Rick Ware Racing, #93-JGL Racing (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (12)
2nd) Chevrolet (8)
3rd) Dodge (4)