TRUCKS: Caleb Roark Ties Benning For 2015 LASTCAR Truck Series Lead

SOURCE: Fox Sports 1 / THELP2008

Caleb Roark picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen at the Iowa Speedway when his #0 Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet fell out with a vibration after he completed 5 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish was Roark’s second of the 2015 season and his first since Kansas, five races ago.  Roark is now tied with Norm Benning as the only repeat last-placers in the 2015 Truck Series season.  The finish occurred in Roark’s 17th series start.

Friday’s race was Roark’s first since the last-place run at Kansas, his #0 Chevrolet driven twice during that span by Texas last-placer Adam Edwards.  The defending LASTCAR Truck Series champion was not originally on the entry list for the Iowa event.  There were only 29 competitors at first publication, but by Monday the list grew to a full 32 with the additions of Jordan Anderson in Mike Harmon’s #74 Chevrolet and MAKE Motorsports teammates Ryan Ellis (#1) and Travis Kvapil (#50).  However, after the withdrawal of Ted Minor in Joseph Cefella’s #12 FindIt.net Chevrolet, team owner Jennifer Jo Cobb added Roark’s #0 to keep the field at 32.

Roark was the slowest truck in Friday’s lone practice session, turning in just two laps that were 4.5 seconds slower than those of eventual race winner Erik Jones.  He slotted into the 32nd spot in qualifying with a lap of 120.560 mph and did not relinquish the spot.  Moments before the first caution flew for Spencer Gallagher and Cole Custer’s wreck in Turn 2, Roark pulled behind the wall.  Roark edged 31st-place finisher Justin Jennings by 10 laps, Jennings extending his bottom-five streak to five straight races.

30th went to Mike Affarano, who has now made four Truck Series starts in 2015 including the last three in a row.  Affarano’s distinctive pink #03, still without sponsorship, exited after 22 laps with a vibration.  Rounding out the Bottom Five were Ryan Ellis in MAKE Motorsports’ #1 Altex / Shane duncan Band “Life’s Snooze Bar” Chevrolet and the #45 Trijicon / Cope’s Distribution Chevrolet of Tommy Regan, both retired in the first quarter of the event.

All 13 drivers who finished 19th or worse on Friday were driving Chevrolets.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the third last-place finish in the last four Truck Series races at Iowa for the #0 owned by Jennifer Jo Cobb.  In 2013, Chris Lafferty swept both last-place finishes in Cobb’s #0, which was then a Ford.  Roark himself had never before finished last in a Truck race at the track.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
32) #0-Caleb Roark / 5 laps / vibration
31) #36-Justin Jennings / 15 laps / electrical
30) #03-Mike Affarano / 22 laps / vibration
29) #1-Ryan Ellis / 24 laps / suspension
28) #45-Tommy Regan / 33 laps / electrical

2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Norm Benning, Caleb Roark (2)
2nd) Adam Edwards, Joey Gattina, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Travis Kvapil, Justin Marks (1)

2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing (4)
2nd) Norm Benning Racing (3)
3rd) MAKE Motorsports, Win-Tron Racing (1)

2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (8)
2nd) Toyota (1)