TRUCKS: Damage from early crash hands Ryan Roulette first Truck Series last-place finish for the No. 67
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Peter Stratta, @peterstratta
Ryan Roulette picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #67 VFW – Veterans of Foreign Wars Chevrolet fell out with handling issues after he completed 20 of 200 laps.
The finish came in Roulette’s series debut. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the first for the #67, the 20th from handling woes, and the 456th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 26th for the #67, the 129th from handling, and the 1,980th for Chevrolet.
Roulette, a 39-year-old U.S. Air Force pilot from North Dakota, has spent the better part of the last two decades competing in just about every racing series. He’s raced both sprint cars and midgets on dirt, pavement late models, and even sped around the Nurburgring in a sports car. His latest efforts in stock car racing brought him to ARCA. He made his ARCA West debut in 2021, finishing 28th at Phoenix, then the next year took 22nd at the track in his first start in the ARCA Menards Series. He joined Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team in 2023, scoring a season-best 8th at Salem, then just this year took an impressive 9th in just his second ARCA 200 at Daytona, this time driving for Michael Maples.
For Martinsville, Roulette would drive the second Freedom Racing Enterprises entry, the #67, which debuted last week at Homestead in the hands of Michel Disdier. He was one of four drivers making their Truck Series debut in Friday’s race, joined by third-generation NASCAR modified series racer Luke Baldwin in the #66 Mohawk Ford, plus Reaume Brothers Racing teammates Cody Dennison – a fellow ARCA regular - in the #2 TIMCAST Ford and Alan “A.J.” Waller – a cancer survivor - in the #22 Waller Bros. Cattle & Land / Southern Seamless Gutters & Repair Ford. All would start the race as just 35 teams arrived to contest the 36 available starting spots. As with many of his ARCA starts, Roulette was sponsored by the Veterans for Foreign Wars (VFW), trading Disdier’s colorful “Mr. Brainwash” paint scheme from last Friday for a military green scheme adorned with a camouflage pattern on the nose.
Roulette spun in practice and ran 34th of the 35 entries, besting Norm Benning’s best lap of 21.917 seconds (86.399mph) in the #6 MDIA Inc. Chevrolet with a lap of 21.055 seconds (89.936mph). Both secured starting spots in the field, Roulette again the second-slowest, this time his speed of 21.158 seconds (89.498mph) just one-thousandth of a second ahead of last-place starter Patrick Staropoli’s #84 Syfovre Toyota at 21.159 seconds (89.494mph). No drivers incurred pre-race penalties, so Staropoli – making his first Truck Series start since November 18, 2016 – crossed the stripe in the 35th and final position.
Patrick Staropoli rolls off in 35th. (PHOTO: Cameron Tracey, @conrail_1)
By the end of Lap 1, Staropoli had climbed to 33rd, keeping Roulette in 34th ahead of the now 35th-place Dennison, showing 8.303 seconds back of the lead. The Reaume Brothers Racing team, which came into this race with three consecutive last-place finishes by Dennison’s #2, urged Dennison to attack the entry of the corners, but also roll through the center as his right-front brakes already glowed cherry-red. For as much as Dennison struggled, he remained within about three-tenths of Roulette’s rear bumper through Lap 10.
By Lap 13, then-leader Corey Heim had caught and passed Dennison, putting the #2 the first truck one lap down. He then caught Roulette, who was close behind Benning off Turn 4. Off the corner, Heim got in the back of Roulette, spinning him into the inside wall. Roulette immediately fell to last behind Dennison and limped down pit road under the ensuing caution. The crew made multiple stops to try and clear the bodywork from the right-rear. And as Dennison earned the “Lucky Dog,” Roulette was now the first truck one lap down. Roulette got his lap back on Lap 25, when Layne Riggs spun his #34 Infinity Communications Ford off the nose of Connor Mosack’s #81 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Chevrolet.
Roulette trailing the field after suffering right-side damage in his tangle with Heim. (PHOTO: Cameron Tracey, @conrail_1)
On the Lap 33 restart, Roulette was back on the lead lap, 7.467 seconds back of the lead, but the gap quickly grew to 9.201 on Lap 34, then 12.569 on Lap 36 and 18.651 on Lap 40. Once again, Heim was catching Roulette, and this time the spotter told him to point to the inside to let him by. This was done on Lap 43, just moments before Benning slowed down the backstretch and crept down pit road, saying he’s lost brake pressure. The team looked under the hood, discovering all the fluid had leaked out from a blown bleeder. The #6 went behind the wall, smoke coming off the right-rear wheel. Just five circuits later, on Lap 48, Waller’s #22 also slowly made his way down pit road for an extended stop. Waller had fallen ill from the heat inside the cockpit, forcing him behind the wall on Lap 52. Team owner Josh Reaume changed into his driver’s uniform and made his way to the infield, where Waller was soon checked and released from the infield care center.
Norm Benning goes behind the wall with brake issues as, nearby, an exhausted Alan Waller has stopped the #22 in his stall. (PHOTO: Cameron Tracey, @conrail_1)
On Lap 68, Reaume returned to the track in 34th, showing 20 laps down to the leader. He did so by pulling onto the track at the Turn 3 exit, much to NASCAR’s frustration as they instructed drivers to use pit road to merge into traffic. Meanwhile, Benning’s crew continued to work on the brakes, the team having difficulty finding the brown bottles in the team’s war wagon to refill the fluid. The crew then went from wheel to wheel, Benning relaying messages by radio as he pumped the pedal. On the track, Roulette continued to lose ground by pitting for repairs under green, dropping him 12 laps down on Lap 86. He then pulled behind the wall on Lap 89, this time using the Turn 1 entrance. By Lap 93, Benning radioed he had half his brake pedal, that they felt “spongy.” He hesitated to risk damaging his truck, but prepared to return, knowing he had to use pit road to return to the track. He did so on Lap 95, showing 53 laps down in last place.
Josh Reaume returns to the track in Waller’s No. 22 (PHOTO: Cameron Tracey, @conrail_1)
On Lap 99, Roulette was now the only driver in the garage. “Are we gonna try and get it fixed or are we done?” someone on the team’s channel asked. “We’re done,” came the answer. “Sorry guys – that sucks.” On Lap 100, Reaume in the #22 caught and passed Roulette, dropping the #67 to the 34th spot just before the caution fell to end Stage 2 on Lap 102. On Lap 118, Benning commented, “There’s no damn attrition in this race, huh?” as the now 33rd-place Reaume was still running 25 laps down. Benning was told by his team another truck may soon fall out for failing to reach minimum speed. This may have been Frankie Muniz in the primary Reaume truck, the #33 Valley Dynamo Ford, which was trailing smoke around Lap 127. Three laps later, on Lap 130, Benning dropped Roulette to last place, and NASCAR declared Roulette out on Lap 131. Spencer Boyd, Roulette’s teammate, finished 17th in the #76 Amthor International Chevrolet.
Roulette pulls behind the wall, ultimately done for the night. (PHOTO: Cameron Tracey, @conrail_1)
Muniz dropped out after 133 laps, leaving him 33rd ahead of Benning, who pulled behind the wall around Lap 146 for his persistent brake issue. Josh Reaume managed to reach 31st by the checkered flag, passing 32nd-place finisher Corey Day, whose turn in Spire Motorsports’ #7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet ended with suspension issues stemming from a spin into the outside wall.
Roulette’s No. 67 in the garage, per NASCAR’s timing and scoring, on Lap 106. (SCREENSHOT: NASCAR.com)
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #67 in Truck Series history. The number hadn’t finished last in a XFINITY Series race since August 20, 2005, when Johnny Benson, Jr. crashed his #67 Panasonic Dodge after 35 laps at Michigan. In Cup, it’s been even longer – May 29, 1988, when Dale Jarrett incurred his first last-place finish driving for Buddy Arrington when his #67 Raven Boats Chevrolet lost the engine 27 laps into the Coca-Cola 600.
*Roulette is the first Truck Series driver to finish last due to handling issues since September 30, 2023, when Bryan Dauzat’s run in the #28 FDNY Racing Chevrolet ended after 5 laps around Talladega.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
35) #67-Ryan Roulette / 73 laps / handling
34) #6-Norm Benning / 89 laps / brakes
33) #33-Frankie Muniz / 133 laps / rear end
32) #7-Corey Day / 158 laps / suspension
31) #22-Alan Waller / 174 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (3)
2nd) Freedom Racing Enterprises, Henderson Motorsports (1)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (3)
2nd) Chevrolet (2)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
