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

Blake Lothian picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s Long John Silver’s 200 at the Martinsville Speedway when his #20 GGT Energy Solutions, Inc. Chevrolet fell out with overheating issues after 17 of 200 laps.

The finish came in Lothian’s third series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 14th for the #20, the 25th from overheating trouble, and the 442nd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 61st for the #20, the 182nd from overheating, and the 1,934th for Chevrolet.

Lothian’s website shows the Massachusetts driver first time in a go-kart at age five, driving a Danica Patrick-themed go-kart at what appears to be a NASCAR-themed amusement park. Eyeing a professional career, he joined Camp Motorsports in Clover, Virginia to hone his skills, and in 2017, claimed the league championship for the F1 Junior League. He continued to have success in a kart he both saved for and built, then in 2019 joined NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity development program. He ran Legends in 2020, then late models in 2021, during which time he won both a pole and a race at Hickory.

In 2022, Lothian then earned his ARCA license, the same year he made his first two starts in the Truck Series. Coming into Friday, these were his only starts in the series – both of which for Reaume Brothers Racing in 2022. Carrying sponsorship from The Texas Lawbook, Lothian finished 28th in his series debut at Martinsville, then at IRP was stopped by a busted driveshaft near the halfway point, leaving him 35th.

Lothian wasn’t on the preliminary entry list for Friday’s race, which showed just 33 trucks for 36 available starting spots. He then became the 34th by midweek, when it was revealed he’d be running Young’s Motorsports’ part-time #20 entry, which made its season debut in the previous race at COTA with Vicente Salas. There, Salas fell out with transmission issues, finishing 34th, one lap after teammate Mason Massey’s brake issues left his #02 RandCo Chevrolet in last place. GGT Energy Solutions, Inc. of Fishers, Indiana signed as Lothian’s sponsor.

Unfortunately, the #20 team continued to have issues right from the start. Lothian was did not turn a lap in practice, citing issues with the radio. He then clocked the slowest completed lap in qualifying with a speed of 90.768mph (20.862 seconds), but still ranked 32nd on the starting grid as two others didn’t turn a lap in that session. Thad Moffitt lined up 33rd after his #46 Induction Innovations Chevrolet broke a brake caliper in practice. Securing the 34th and final spot was Justin S. Carroll, whose #90 Carroll’s Automotive / Duratain Toyota failed inspection and also didn’t practice, nor did he make the show on speed. Both Carroll and Moffitt were saved from DNQs by the short entry list, and neither incurred tail-end penalties prior to the start.

During the pace laps on Friday, Lothian’s bad luck continued. The start was called off on the sixth time by due to suspected fluid on the track, and the #20 was called to pit road to check for a leak. This was done quickly. When the team determined the truck was only leaking water, they sent him back onto the track to take the green.

At the end of Lap 1, the spot fell to Stephen Mallozzi, who returned to the site of his series debut a year earlier in Reaume Brothers Racing’s #22 Ozark Rods Ford. At the line, Mallozzi, was 6.404 seconds back of the lead and 0.645 behind Moffitt. By Lap 5, as the crew instructed him to arc his entry into the corners, Mallozzi cut the deficit to 0.167 over new 33rd-place runner Lothian, who Mallozzi soon passed on Lap 7, opening a gap of 0.610 in the process. “Drivin’ away from the guy out back,” said Mallozzi’s spotter. From there, Lothian steadily lost more ground to Mallozzi. The gap was 1.313 seconds on Lap 9, 1.400 on Lap 10, 2.090 on Lap 12, and 2.224 on Lap 13. Lothians crew asked for a reading on the water temperature as he entered the frontstretch. The driver radioed back “90,” which the crew interpreted as “190,” and the driver said he was “lacking center roll.” By Lap 15, he was now 2.314 seconds back of Mallozzi, and was first to be lapped the next time by. A moment later, Lothian tabbed the radio and shouted, “I’m blowing up – power.” The crew called him to pit road, where they found the radiator hose had come loose. This issue may also have accounted for his water leak prior to the start. By Lap 23, Lothian’s crew pushed the truck behind the wall at Turn 4 near the Sunoco sign. Radio traffic on the primary channel then ceased. It wasn’t until Lap 175 – with 25 laps to go in the race – that NASCAR confirmed Lothian was out of the race due to overheating issues.

Taking the 33rd spot was Dean Thompson, whose #5 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota was declared out in the same radio transmission as Lothian. Thompson was enjoying a solid night in the 10th spot until Lap 146. Entering Turn 1, Grant Enfinger’s #9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet broke loose moments after he made wall contact. Enfinger banged doors with Thompson, cutting down the #5’s left-front tire and sending Thompson hard into the outside wall. Thompson was soon checked and released from the infield care center, and his truck promptly took 33rd from Mallozzi on Lap 150.

Justin S. Carroll’s night in the #90 ended soon after on Lap 157 when he spun in an incident with Bret Holmes’ #32 Best Value Carriers Chevrolet, then pulled behind the wall on Lap 160 under the “Damaged Vehicle Policy.” Lawless Alan took 31st after he suffered heavy left-front damage in a Turn 4 incident, then saw his “Crash Clock” expire on Lap 172, parking his #33 AUTOChargIt Mobile Ford. Completing the group was Australian Supercars contender Cameron Waters, whose NASCAR national series debut concluded in spectacular fashion. A stack-up on Lap 177 cause Waters to rear-end teammate Jake Garcia, rupturing Waters’ radiator such that two towering sprays of superheated water to blast high above his #66 Tradie Ford.

Honeycutt and Massey earn solid finishes

After a mid-race spin down the backstretch, then at least one other incident that led to NASCAR calling both he and his crew chief to the NASCAR hauler after the race, Kaden Honeycutt came home a solid 9th in Al Niece’s #45 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet. Returning to the site of his series debut, this is already Honeycutt’s sixth top-ten finish in just 23 series starts over three seasons. Also impressive was COTA last-place finisher Mason Massey, Lothian’s teammate, who came home 11th in the #02 Brunt Chevrolet. This now ties Massey’s series-best 11th-place run at Texas last year – the track where the series now heads next Saturday.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #20 in a Truck Series race at Martinsville, and the second in a row for Young’s Motorsports.

*This was the first time a Truck Series driver finished last due to overheating issues since November 8, 2019, when Joe Nemechek’s #87 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet fell out after 11 laps at Phoenix.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

34) #20-Blake Lothian / 17 laps / overheating

33) #5-Dean Thompson / 145 laps / crash

32) #90-Justin S. Carroll / 158 laps / crash

31) #33-Lawless Alan / 166 laps / dvp

30) #66-Cameron Waters / 176 laps / crash

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Young’s Motorsports (2)

2nd) Faction 46, Front Row Motorsports, Hill Motorsports, Terry Carroll Motorsports (1)

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (3)

2nd) Toyota (2)

3rd) Ford (1)

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP