XFINITY: Jeff Green Finishes Last While JGL Racing’s J.J. Yeley Starts First
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| SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums |
The finish was Green’s 8th of the season and his first since Chicagoland, two races ago. At this current rate, Green is set to eclipse his 2013 record of 13 last-place finishes in a single season. Through 16 races that year, Green had finished last 7 times.
Following his DNQ at Daytona, Green returned to pilot the #19 in his native Kentucky as one of 39 drivers on the preliminary entry list. Just as at Chicagoland two races ago, the field grew to 40 by race weekend when Jimmy Means brought back Joey Gase’s renumbered backup car #79, this week driven by Truck Series competitor Ryan Ellis. Ellis ran just one lap in Thursday’s lone practice, the slowest of the field, and Green was 30th. Both started in those positions when rain washed out qualifying.
When the green flag flew on Friday night, it first crossed the hood of J.J. Yeley, whose unsponsored JGL Racing #28 Toyota surprised with the fastest speed in the practice session at 174.967 mph. Among the drivers Yeley outpaced in practice were last week’s Daytona winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (16th), defending series champion Chase Elliott (14th), and dominant “Buschwhackers” Kyle Busch (6th) and Brad Keselowski (4th). Yeley never led a lap on Friday and came home 18th, and though it came about because of weather, Yeley’s starting spot was owner Gregg Mixon’s first-ever front row start in NASCAR. In 200 previous combined starts, the Mixon team’s only other start better than 14th was Yeley’s 9th-place run in qualifying at Daytona in February.
Just 3 laps into the race, as caution fell for John Wes Townley’s stuck car in the infield grass, Green followed Ellis to the garage area, where both retired for the night. The next two cars left after 10 laps as Morgan Shepherd’s #89 Racing With Jesus Chevrolet followed Josh Reaume’s #40 Braille Battery / Grafoid Dodge. Motorsports Business Management team owner Derek White, driving Reaume’s team car the #13, brought out the fourth caution of the night when his Toyota hit the wall in Turn 4.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marks Green’s fourth last-place finish in the past five XFINITY Series races at Kentucky.
*The #19 had never before finished last in an XFINITY Series race at Kentucky.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #19-Jeff Green / 3 laps / vibration
39) #79-Ryan Ellis / 3 laps / vibration
38) #89-Morgan Shepherd / 10 laps / carburetor
37) #40-Josh Reaume / 10 laps / suspension
36) #13-Derek White / 75 laps / crash
2015 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (8)
2nd) Dexter Bean (2)
3rd) C.J. Faison, Mike Harmon, Charles Lewandoski, Carl Long, Morgan Shepherd, Derek White (1)
2015 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) TriStar Motorsports (9)
2nd) King Autosport, Motorsports Business Management (2)
3rd) JGL Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, Shepherd Racing Ventures (1)
2015 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (11)
2nd) Chevrolet (3)
3rd) Dodge (2)
