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

Jerry Bohlman picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s Clean Harbors 250 at the Richmond Raceway when his #20 Bowl4Life Chevrolet was flagged off the track for running below minimum speed after 17 of 250 laps.

The finish came in Bohlman’s series debut. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 5th by reason of “too slow,” the 15th for the #20, and the 449th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 9th by “too slow,” the 63rd for the #20, and the 1,953rd for Chevrolet.

Bohlman is a Florida businessman who operates Bohlman Marine Construction, which constructs and repairs boat docks and lifts. He’s also been involved in racing for over 35 years, following in the footsteps of his father Gary to compete in late models and the Snowball Derby at Five Flags. Last year, Bohlman made his first Truck Series attempt at the Bristol Dirt Race. Driving for G2G Racing with sponsorship from EcoPile, one of his business’ partners, Bohlman failed to complete a lap of Heat Race #3 when the pressure plate on his clutch failed, sending him home early. He then failed to make his second attempt at Richmond, but again missed the show, sent home with owner-driver Trey Hutchens.

Saturday’s race at Richmond marked Bohlman’s first attempt since this same race last year, when he failed to qualify for a second time, joining Trey Hutchens on the DNQ list. Hutchens was again entered in his #14 Quality Roof Seamers Chevrolet, but with G2G Racing now closed, Bohlman now campaigned Young’s Motorsports’ #20, which made its fifth and most recent start of the year in Nashville. While Bohlman’s Marine Construction remained on the hood of the green-and-white Chevrolet, bowling awareness organization Bowl4Life was on the quarter-panels.

In both practice and qualifying, Bohlman spun in Turn 4, but both times avoided contact with the walls. Slowest in practice with a best lap of 24.856 seconds (108.626mph), more than three-tenths off the next-slowest truck, Bohlman turned in the slowest lap in qualifying with a 107.729mph. While nearly 3mph off Trey Hutchens’ lap of 110.393mph, Bohlman secured his Truck Series debut due to the #20 team’s higher rank in Owner Points, sending Hutchens home. The #20 would roll off 36th and last on the grid, and wouldn’t be joined by any other drivers for pre-race penalties.

Throughout the pace laps, the team had radio issues, and through hand signals were only able to determine that while they couldn’t hear Bohlman, he could hear them. Right up to the green flag, the spotter continued to talk Bohlman through the proper line around the track. When the green flag dropped, Bohlman crossed the stripe 4.769 seconds back of the lead, already more than seven-tenths of a second behind Keith McGee, the 35th-place runner, in the #22 Nugget Trap Ford. By the start of Lap 2, he was already 2.258 behind McGee and 7.844 back of the lead, and the spotter already warned him to pick up his speed to avoid a minimum speed penalty. By Lap 5, Bohlman had fallen 6.041 seconds back of McGee and 15.426 behind the lead. The intervals grew to 6.736 and 17.328 on Lap 6, then 7.371 and 19.109 on Lap 7, and 8.122 and 22.923 on Lap 9. By then, the spotter was telling him to run the high lane, both to try and pick up speed and stay clear of the leaders. By Lap 11, he was already the first truck one lap down.

NASCAR didn’t relay a minimum speed warning until Lap 12, just as the team’s spotter said, “You’ve gotta pick up the pace or you’ll be parked.” The message then came through: “Post the 20 for minimum speed violation, this is your one chance to fix it.” NASCAR relayed this a second time on Lap 13, and by Lap 16 he was on pit road. It wasn’t a long stop, and he was soon on track, four laps down. Moments later on Lap 18, Bohlman was again black-flagged by NASCAR: “Post the 20 for a minimum speed violation, they'll need to take it to the garage.” This was again relayed on Lap 19 as the spotter told the driver, who he still couldn’t hear on the team radio. As Bohlman pulled behind the wall on Lap 22, NASCAR radioed, “20 to the garage. He'll be out - minimum (speed).” “We’re done,” said the team on Lap 31. “Copy that, spotter.” NASCAR’s official in the garage confirmed Bohlman out by reason of “minimum speed” on Lap 89. This became “too slow” in the official results.

Finishing 35th – and declared out by NASCAR on the same lap as Bohlman – was Matt Mills, whose #42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet cut a right-front tire and slammed hard into the Turn 4 wall, ending his night. Another stack-up in the same corner filled the Bottom Five after Ty Dillon’s #25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet got into the rear of Dean Thompson’s #5 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota, sending Thompson spinning into traffic. Thompson made it a few more laps before the engine overheated, leaving him 32nd. Finishing behind him were 34th-place Keith McGee, whose #22 was swept up in the wreck, resulting in heavy damage to the nose of his Ford. Thad Moffitt took 33rd after he rear-ended McGee in the pileup, stopping his #46 Safety-Kleen Chevrolet after he crossed the starting line.

Connor Hall takes 10th in series debut

Making his NASCAR national series debut, Connor Hall finished a strong 10th place in the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing #91 Chevrolet sponsored by A-All Mini Storage. For the #91 team, it’s the first top-ten finish since Zane Smith’s runner-up at Kansas, and the first Top Ten the team’s scored all year with a driver other than Smith.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*Bohlman is the first Truck Series driver to finish last by reason of running below minimum speed since May 14, 2022, when Jesse Iwuji’s #43 Equity Prime Mortgage Chevrolet was parked after 24 laps around Kansas.

*This was the first time a last-place finisher at Richmond was parked for not maintaining minimum speed in a NASCAR national series race.

*The #20 had never finished last in a Truck Series race at Richmond.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #20-Jerry Bohlman / 17 laps / too slow

35) #42-Matt Mills / 55 laps / crash

34) #22-Keith McGee / 147 laps / crash

33) #46-Thad Moffitt / 148 laps / crash

32) #5-Dean Thompson / 155 laps / crash

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Young’s Motorsports (4)

2nd) TRICON Garage (2)

3rd) Bret Holmes Racing, Faction 46, Freedom Racing Enterprises, 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 (10)

2nd) Toyota (4)

3rd) Ford (2)

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP