SOURCE: NASCAR Media

Norm Benning picked up the 8th last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Thursday’s UNOH 225 at the Kentucky Speedway when his unsponsored #6 Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet fell out with engine issues after he completed 2 of the race’s 145 laps.

The finish was Benning’s 3rd of the season and his first since Charlotte, five races ago.  Benning now re-akes the 2015 LASTCAR Truck Series lead from Caleb Roark, who had tied Benning last month at Iowa.

Benning was originally to be one of 34 entrants for the Kentucky race, but the list was pared down twice to 31, marking the second short field of 2015.  The first change came Wednesday with the withdrawal of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ fourth entry, a #52 Toyota to be driven by Christopher Bell.  The #52 was withdrawn as Bell was tabbed as the departing Justin Boston’s replacement in KBM’s #54.  The next two withdrawals came Thursday as both Mike Affarano in the #03 and the second #36 Chevrolet fielded by Mike Mittler - the latter without a listed driver - were removed.

Kentucky’s persistent rains canceled both practice and qualifying for the third-tier series, and Benning secured the 24th starting spot based on his 26th-place ranking in Owner Points.  During the 22-lap green flag run before the first competition caution of the night, Benning became the first retiree after 2 laps with engine trouble.  Ryan Ellis followed fourteen laps later with electrical issues on MAKE Motorsports’ #50 Shane Duncan Band “Life’s Snooze Bar” Chevrolet.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were B.J. McLeod, his fifth-straight bottom-five finish in as many starts in 2015 driving the #45 Tilted Kilt Chevrolet, Jordan Anderson in owner-driver Mike Harmon’s #74 Battery Saver Racing Chevrolet, and Caleb Holman, whose crash on Lap 126 left him with his first DNF of the season in the #75 Food Country USA Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first last-place finish for both Benning and the #6 in a Truck Series race at Kentucky.
*Benning’s last-place finish ends a three-year streak by Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing’s #0, which trailed the previous three races here with Blake Koch (2012), Chris Lafferty (2013), and Ryan Ellis (2014).  Jo Cobb’s #0 was not entered in Thursday’s race while Cobb herself came home 23rd in the #10.
*Chevrolet has now finished last in 9 straight Truck Series races and in 14 of the last 15.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
31) #6-Norm Benning / 2 laps / engine
30) #50-Ryan Ellis / 16 laps / electrical
29) #45-B.J. McLeod / 32 laps / electrical
28) #74-Jordan Anderson / 98 laps / suspension
27) #75-Caleb Holman / 124 laps / crash

2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Norm Benning (3)
2nd) Caleb Roark (2)
3rd) Adam Edwards, Joey Gattina, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Travis Kvapil, Justin Marks (1)

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

2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (9)
2nd) Toyota (1)