TRUCKS: Justin Jennings Exits Early During Wild Loudon Start
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| SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums |
The finish, which came in Jennings’ 44th series start, was his second of the season and his first since Michigan, four races ago. Combined with co-driver Tyler Tanner, MB Motorsports’ #36 Chevrolet has finished last in four of the previous five races, tying the team with Norm Benning Racing for the second-most in 2015.
Jennings once again climbed in Mike Mittler’s #36 as this time the team’s primary #63 was to be driven by Akinori Ogata, the 41-year-old driver from Kanagawa, Japan looking to make his first Truck Series start since a 29th-place run at Phoenix last fall. Jennings was 28th-fastest of 32 drivers in Friday’s opening practice session, 26th in Happy Hour, and sped into the 27th and final spot based on speed with a lap of 123.182 mph. Ogata’s ENEOS Chevrolet was fastest of those ranked by Owner Points. He started 28th and finished 18th.
Missing the show were current LASTCAR Truck Series co-leader Norm Benning in his #6, his first DNQ since Charlotte in 2013, and Josh Reaume in the #44 Obregon Construction RAM that previously ran last month at Mosport.
Saturday’s race was marred by a chaotic start where several drivers again found early trouble. 32nd-place starter Timmy Hill in Premium Motorsports’ #94 Testoril Chevrolet spun on the very first lap. On Lap 3, Brandon Brown took 32nd from Hill as the crew made repairs on his #86 Coastal Carolina University / #TealNation Chevrolet. Brown was still classified as last when Jennings pulled off the track on Lap 8 followed by Caleb Roark in Jennifer Jo Cobb’s #0 Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet, MB Motorsports teammate Tyler Tanner this time in MAKE Motorsports’ #50 Landworks Solutions Chevrolet, and the #08 Trump For President Chevrolet of Korbin Forrister, the latter a truck damaged severely in practice.
On Lap 37, Tyler Reddick brought out the second caution of the day when he spun his #19 BBR / Stoney Creek Records Ford in oil laid down by Jordan Anderson’s unsponsored #74 Mike Harmon Racing Chevrolet. After the ensuing caution and red flag for cleaning up the track, Brown returned to the track 41 laps down, and on Lap 47, he dropped Jennings to the 32nd and last position. Both Brown and Anderson - the latter 28 laps down when he came back from repairs for the oil leak - managed to climb out of the Bottom Five, dropping Roark, Tanner, and Forrister into the spots above Jennings. Roark now leads the 2015 LASTCAR Truck Series tiebreaker over the DNQ’d Benning based on Bottom Fives, 6-4.
Rounding out the group was Spencer Gallagher, whose #23 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet finished one lap behind Brown after a trip to the garage for a busted rear gear. Austin Dillon, driving as Gallagher’s teammate for GMS Racing in the #33 Rheem Chevrolet, swept both practices and the pole en route to a win in what was the series’ 500th race.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first last-place finish for both Jennings and the #36 in a Truck Series race at New Hampshire.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
32) #36-Justin Jennings / 7 laps / electrical
31) #0-Caleb Roark / 12 laps / electrical
30) #50-Tyler Tanner / 19 laps / brakes
29) #08-Korbin Forrister / 22 laps / brakes
28) #23-Spencer Gallagher / 131 laps / running
2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Norm Benning, Caleb Roark (3)
2nd) Justin Jennings, Tyler Tanner (2)
3rd) Adam Edwards, Joey Gattina, Stew Hayward, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Travis Kvapil, Justin Marks, Robert Mitten (1)
2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing (5)
2nd) MB Motorsports, Norm Benning Racing (4)
3rd) MAKE Motorsports, Mike Harmon Racing, NDS Motorsports, Win-Tron Racing (1)
2015 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (14)
2nd) RAM (2)
3rd) Toyota (1)
