by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Colby Howard picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s Toyota 200 at the Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway when his #1 Coastal Sports Cards Toyota was involved in a crash after 46 of 160 laps.

The finish, which came in Howard’s 54th series start, was the second of his Truck Series career, the first of the season, and the first in a Truck race since July 8, 2023 at Mid-Ohio, 21 races ago. In the Truck Series last-place rankings, it was the 16th for the #1, the 57th for Toyota, and the 193rd from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it as the 76th for the #1, the 411th for Toyota, and the 1,377th from a crash.

Howard’s most recent last-place finish came while driving for CR7 Motorsports, the current home of Grant Enfinger and sponsor Champion Power Equipment after last season’s closure of GMS Racing. For his fifth season in the Truck Series, the 22-year-old now finds himself sharing the “all-star” entry at TRICON Garage, the #1. Through the season’s first 11 races, the truck has been driven by eight different drivers, including Howard, who finished 17th in Atlanta, then a season-best 7th last month in Darlington. The team’s best run of the year came with Brenden “Butterbean” Queen at North Wilkesboro, a very popular 4th-place finish.

Coastal Sports Cards, Howard’s sponsor from Darlington, would again back the #1 in Gateway. Among the just 32 entrants who arrived, Howard ranked 18th in practice, then qualified 23rd with a lap of 134.525mph (33.451 seconds).

Securing the 32nd and final starting spot was Bret Holmes, whose #32 Skuttle Tight Chevrolet was the only truck to not turn a lap in qualifying. He’d be joined at the tail end of the field by Tanner Gray, whose #15 Dead On Tools Toyota qualified 5th, only to be penalized for unapproved adjustments. Following a near three-hour rain delay, the field took the green flag.

By the end of Lap 1, Gray had climbed to 29th and Holmes to 31st, dropping Keith McGee to last in the #22 More Core Diamond Drilling Ford. That time by, McGee as already more than two-tenths of a second behind Holmes. On Lap 4, when Holmes dropped Thad Moffitt to 31st in the #46 Induction Innovations Chevrolet, McGee was just over three-tenths behind. From there, Moffitt and McGee lost touch with the pack. On Lap 5, the pair were already 1.3 seconds behind 30th-place Spencer Boyd in the #76 ARS Construction & Record Rack Chevrolet. The gap was nearly two full seconds by Lap 10, when the first caution fell. Luke Fenhaus, making his NASCAR national series debut in ThorSport’s #66 Soda Sense Ford, was running 25th when he broke loose during a three-wide battle in Turn 1. Fenhaus took the spot on Lap 11. He made at least one stop under the ensuing caution and fell off the lead lap on Lap 12.

On the ensuing restart, Fenhaus remained the only truck off the lead lap, holding the spot until the end of Stage 1 on Lap 37, when he finally got his lap back. This dropped Thad Moffitt to last on Lap 39. On Lap 40, it went to Matt Crafton, who was having electrical issues on the #88 Ideal Floor / Menards Ford. Shortly after the Lap 42 restart, Keith McGee’s #22 took over last on Lap 43, when he showed 4.02 seconds back of the lead and 0.174 behind Boyd.

Meanwhile, Colby Howard made a four-tire pit stop under the caution for Fenhaus’ spin, which allowed him to stay out under the yellow that ended Stage 1. He found himself in the Top 5 for the Lap 42 restart, only to suffer right-front damage. Howard attempted to ride it out, but on Lap 47, the right-front tire blew heading into Turn 3, putting him hard into the outside wall. According to the team, it was contact from Nick Sanchez’ #2 Gainbridge Chevrolet that caused the initial damage as he “drove through” the #1. Howard managed to come down pit road with heavy rear and right-side damage, but it was clearly too much to be repaired under the constraints of the “Crash Clock.” The team called for a tow truck, which brought the #1 behind the wall, done for the day. Howard took over last under the caution.

Taking the 31st spot was Mason Massey, whose #02 Brunt Chevrolet lost an engine in the final stage, spoiling a solid performance. Massey was passed in the closing stages by the #17 Place of Hope Toyota of Taylor Gray, who finished eight laps down after the team needed to bleed the left-front brakes during an extended pit stop earlier in the event. One lap ahead of him came Bayley Currey in Al Niece’s #41 DQS Chevrolet while Moffitt’s #46 rounded out the Bottom Five, two laps ahead of Currey.

Fenhaus and de Lara enjoy strong NASCAR national series debuts

Luke Fenhaus, who ran in last place after his early spin, recovered tremendously to finish in 10th, one spot behind fellow series debutant Andrew Perez de Lara, last year’s runner-up in the ARCA standings, in Spire Motorsports’ #7 Wholly Guacamole / Herdez Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #1 in a Truck Series race since March 19, 2022, when Hailie Deegan had a tire issue after 24 laps at Atlanta. The number hadn’t finished last in a Truck Series race at Gateway since April 29, 2006, when Robert Richardson, Jr.’s #1 WinYourMortgage.com Chevrolet crashed after 47 laps.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

32) #1-Colby Howard / 46 laps / crash

31) #02-Mason Massey / 126 laps / engine

30) #17-Taylor Gray / 152 laps / running

29) #41-Bayley Currey / 153 laps / running

28) #46-Thad Moffitt / 155 laps / running

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) TRICON Garage, Young’s Motorsports (2)

2nd) Faction 46, Front Row Motorsports, Hill Motorsports, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, Spire Motorsports, Terry Carroll Motorsports, ThorSport Racing, Trey Hutchens Racing (1)

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (6)

2nd) Toyota (4)

3rd) Ford (2)

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP