XFINITY: Jeff Green scores fourth New Hampshire last-place finish
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| PHOTO: @hrm8ter |
The finish, which came in Green’s 498th series start, was his ninth of the season and his second in a row. In the XFINITY Series last-place rankings, it’s the 37th for car #93, the 54th due to brake trouble, and the 508th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it’s the 87th for the #93, the 153rd for brake trouble, and the 1,613th for Chevrolet.
Once again driving RSS Racing’s third Chevrolet, Green began the weekend 25th in the opening practice despite running the second-fewest circuits of anyone – two – and seven other drivers not making it out at all. Curiously, Green was also the only driver to not turn a lap in Happy Hour. In qualifying, he settled in at 31st on the grid with a lap of 124.053mph (30.703 seconds). With exactly 40 drivers for as many spots, no cars missed the show, though at the Richard Childress Racing stable, Austin Dillon stepped in for his brother Ty before the opening practice. Another surprising driver change came at JP Motorsports, which tabbed Truck Series part-timer Bayley Currey to step in for Brandon Hightower in the #55 Prevagen Toyota. Currey finished 29th in his first XFINITY Series start.
Starting 40th in Saturday’s race Angela Ruch, one of Derrike Cope’s nieces, who was making her first XFINITY Series start since last fall at Texas. Then, as on Saturday, Ruch carried logos for her “Give A Child A Voice” campaign, this time on B.J. McLeod’s #8 Chevrolet. Joining her in the back were Ryan Reed for unapproved adjustments on the #16 Drive Down A1C / Lilly Diabetes Ford, and B.J. McLeod himself and polesitter Brad Keselowski, who both missed the driver’s meeting.
During the race’s first stage, Green turned 22 laps, his most on a non-restrictor-plate track since Iowa, where driveshaft issues stopped him past the halfway point. Nevertheless, he remained in the 40th and final spot at the finish, ten laps behind 39th-place Morgan Shepherd in the #89 Visone RV Chevrolet. The next two spots fell to Motorsports Business Management teammates Timmy Hill in the #13 OCR Gaz Bar Toyota and Carl Long in the #66 TLC Resorts Chevrolet.
The Bottom Five wasn’t locked-up until past the halfway point, following brake troubles for Green’s RSS teammate J.J. Yeley in the #38 Chevrolet. One of the cars who dropped him there was Canadian driver Donald Theetge, making his series debut for Mario Gosselin’s DGM Racing. Driving the #90 Mercedes-Benz St-Nicolas / Circuit Acura Chevrolet, Theetge was 19 laps down by Lap 58, but climbed from 38th to finish 33rd, under power, 28 laps behind.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*While this was Green’s fourth last-place finish in an XFINITY Series race at New Hampshire, it’s the first for the #93.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #93-Jeff Green / 22 laps / brakes
39) #89-Morgan Shepherd / 32 laps / brakes
38) #13-Timmy Hill / 57 laps / vibration
37) #66-Carl Long / 62 laps / brakes
36) #38-J.J. Yeley / 113 laps / brakes
2018 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) RSS Racing (10)
2nd) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Fury Race Cars LLC, Jeremy Clements Racing, JGL Racing, JP Motorsports, Mike Harmon Racing, Roush-Fenway Racing, SS-Green Light Racing (1)
2018 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (14)
2nd) Ford (3)
3rd) Toyota (1)
2018 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
