TRUCKS: Joey Gattina Saves Benning’s Truck In Series Debut

SOURCE: @arcafan06

Joey Gattina picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Saturday’s Drivin’ For Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park when his #57 Truckworx Kenworth Chevrolet fell out with engine problems that kept him from completing any of the race’s 160 laps.  The finish occurred in Gattina’s series debut.

Like Adam Edwards, who trailed the field last week at Texas, Gattina is a driving instructor, having worked at the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure at the Talladega Superspeedway in his native Alabama.  Last year, Gattina made his second ARCA Racing Series start at the Talladega track, finishing 31st for longtime owner-driver Wayne Peterson in the #06 Robby Wells For President / Griffin Services Chevrolet.  Gattina finished a career-best 21st in his only other series start at Mobile earlier that year, again with Peterson.

Gattina’s ride for Saturday was a second bright red Chevrolet owned by owner-driver and current 2015 LASTCAR Truck Series leader Norm Benning.  Benning, who again ran his #6 Boedeker Construction Chevrolet on Saturday, entered his second #57 truck for the first time in 2015 as one of three post-entries.  These three trucks finally made a full field of 32 after the preliminary entry list contained just 26 trucks.  As at Texas, the other two post-entries were Mike Affarano’s #03 Affarano Motorsports Chevrolet and Texas last-placer Adam Edwards in Jennifer Jo Cobb’s #0 Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet.  Gattina’s truck was the final addition, added on the day of the race.

Gattina was the slowest driver in Saturday’s only practice session, running a single lap of 94.897 mph.  He secured the 32nd and final starting spot when qualifying was washed out, forcing the field to be set by those practice speeds.

In the first 13 laps of Saturday’s race, all three post-entries were the first to pull behind the wall.  After Gattina did not complete the opening lap, Edwards and Affarano both retired in 6 and 7-lap intervals.  The next truck to fall out was the #36 Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool Chevrolet of Justin Jennings, his fourth-straight Bottom Five.  Rounding out the group was Mason Mingus, who brought out the first caution of the night after his unsponsored #15 Billy Boat Motorsports Chevrolet tangled with Justin Bottom’s #54 ROK Mobile Toyota on Lap 53.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is he first last-place finish for the #57 in a Truck Series race since last September, when Ted Minor also failed to complete the opening lap in Benning’s second truck due to clutch issues in the UNOH 175 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  The finish was also the first of Minor’s career.  The number had never before finished last in a Truck race at Gateway.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
32) #57-Joey Gattina / 0 laps / engine
31) #0-Adam Edwards / 6 laps / brakes
30) #03-Mike Affarano / 13 laps / brakes
29) #36-Justin Jennings / 26 laps / brakes
28) #15-Mason Mingus / 51 laps / crash

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

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

2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (7)
2nd) Toyota (1)