TRUCKS: Andy Seuss finally makes Truck debut, but crashes early at Charlotte
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| SOURCE: Rubbin's Racin' Forums |
Seuss, the two-time and defending champion of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, has 21 series wins in just 108 starts. He’s also made three starts on the big tracks in ARCA with a best finish of 19th last year at Chicagoland.
Seuss’ break into NASCAR’s top three divisions was more than three years in the making. Longtime team owner Jim Rosenblum first tabbed the modified start to make his debut at Rockingham in 2013, but was the slowest of four trucks who missed the race. He then missed last fall’s race at Talladega by less than two-tenths of a second. Charlotte would be Seuss’ first attempt since, and the Rosenblum team’s first attempt since last summer at Pocono, where Ryan Ellis came home 20th.
With rain threatening and Rosenblum without any attempts for 2016, an arrangement was once again struck to acquire the locked-in spot of MAKE Motorsports’ #1 Chevrolet. Seuss would take the place of David Levine, who was originally scheduled to make his first attempt since last fall at Homestead. Joining Levine among the withdrawals were Mike Bliss, replaced by Brandon Jones in Carlos Contreras’ #71 for a second week in a row, and Norm Benning, who is still looking for his first start of 2016.
36 teams remained in hopes that qualifying would still happen, but when it was washed out, they were all sent home: Austin Theriault in Brad Keselowski’s #2 Klixel8 Ford, 19-year-old Jesse Little, also looking to return for the first time since Homestead; Caleb Holman, who finished 9th at Atlanta earlier this year; and Austin Hill, whose Bryan Hill-owned team made the same deal with MAKE Motorsports’ #1 last week. Andy Seuss, slowest in practice at 169.859 mph, secured the 32nd starting spot with MAKE’s 28th-place ranking in Owner Points.
Seuss was joined at the back of the field with Tommy Joe Martins, who missed the driver’s meeting. Seuss retook the spot on the first lap, then moved up on Lap 2, dropping Timmy Hill to last in Premium Motorsports’ #49 Testoril Chevrolet. Next by Lap 18 was Travis Kvapil, who ran MAKE Motorsports’ remaining #50 GasBuddy Chevrolet. On Lap 23, Kvapil was still in last, three circuits down, when Andy Seuss found trouble. Seuss, also running laps down, was running in front of Brandon Brown’s #86 Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation Chevrolet when the two made contact in Turn 1. Seuss spun to the inside and hit the inside wall nose-first.
Kvapil ended up 30th, 28 laps down. 31st went to Hill, out with suspension issues. Garrett Smithley took the 29th position, his #07 Hero Box / Instalco Chevrolet 23 laps behind race winner Matt Crafton. Rounding out the Bottom Five in 28th was Jennifer Jo Cobb in her #10 Driven2Honor.org / Grimes Irrigation & Construction Chevrolet.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first last-place finish for the #1 in the Truck Series since March 28, 2015, when Travis Kvapil’s Bubba Burger / Kioti Tractors Chevrolet, also fielded by MAKE Motorsports, broke a rear gear after 83 laps of the Kroger 250 at Martinsville. It’s also the first time the number has finished last in a Truck race at Charlotte.
*This was the first last-place finish for Jim Rosenblum’s Truck Series team sine August 20, 2014, when Bryan Dauzat also trailed in his series debut driving the #28 O.B. Builders Door & Trim / FDNY Racing Chevrolet before suspension issues after 4 laps of the UNOH 200 Presented by ZLOOP at Bristol. Dauzat fielded Seuss’ first ARCA ride at Talladega in 2015.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
32) #1-Andy Seuss / 20 laps / crash
31) #49-Timmy Hill / 82 laps / suspension
30) #50-Travis Kvapil / 106 laps / running
29) #07-Garrett Smithley / 111 laps / running
28) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb / 128 laps / running
2016 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Tommy Joe Martins (2)
2nd) William Byron, Johnny Sauter, Austin Wayne Self, Andy Seuss (1)
2016 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Tommy Joe Martins (2)
2nd) AWS Racing, GMS Racing, Jim Rosenblum Motorsports / FDNY Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports (1)
2016 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (4)
2nd) Toyota (2)
