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

Marco Andretti picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s Kubota Tractor 200 at the Kansas Speedway when his #04 Group 1001 / CarQuest Chevrolet fell out with brake trouble after 43 of 134 laps.

The finish came in Andretti’s seventh series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 4th for the #04, the 32nd from brake trouble, and the 450th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 21st for the #04, the 171st from brake issues, and the 1,959th for Chevrolet.

Just ten days ago, the newest generation of the famous Andretti family arrived with the birth of Miura Micah Andretti, daughter of wife Billie and husband Marco. Marco Andretti was able to spend a bit more time with the family last week when he and the Roper Racing team failed to qualify for the race at Bristol. This was the latest in a series of challenges on this season, where sponsorship from Group 1001 has allowed him to compete in both ARCA and the Truck Series, plus a 25th-place finish in his latest bid for an elusive Indianapolis 500 victory. On the ARCA side, his best finish stands as a 5th at Mid-Ohio. But driving for Cory Roper’s team in Trucks, he’d yet to finish better than 25th, and at COTA made the highlight reel when the entire rear wheel assembly ripped itself free, stranding him at the furthest point from the garage.

At Kansas, his next Truck Series entry after Bristol, Andretti ranked 27th of the 34 drivers in opening practice, and was assured a starting spot due to the short field. He improved his rank in qualifying to 25th with a lap of 31.440 seconds (171.756mph).

Securing the 34th and final starting spot was the #10 Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet of Jennifer Jo Cobb, who - with the support of Andy Hillenburg’s ARCA team Fast Track Racing that competed just before Friday’s race - returned to her home track. Cobb, who ran the slowest lap in practice, did not complete a lap in qualifying along with Playoff contender Corey Heim. Just three laps into practice, Heim bounced off the wall after a flat tire on his #11 Safelite Toyota, but the crew was able to complete repairs, incurring him a tail-end penalty.

When the green flag dropped, and Heim began his march from last to 3rd by the end of Stage 1, the 34th spot fell to Frankie Muniz, who pitted in the early laps due to a flat tire on his #22 Levrack Ford. It’s unclear which lap Muniz pitted as his transponder was malfunctioning at the start, and it wasn’t until the Stage 1 caution on Lap 32 that he was able to get it fixed. NASCAR’s scoring did show Muniz 10.128 seconds back of the lead on Lap 2, 4.493 behind Cobb, then showed him off the lead lap on Lap 3. That time by, NASCAR nearly stopped scoring Conor Daly, who had not yet responded to a penalty for going below the line at the start in his #44 Polkadot Chevrolet. Daly served his pass-through penalty on Lap 5, when Muniz was credited with his second lap complete, showing two laps down to Daly’s one.

On Lap 12, Cobb went a lap down in 32nd, leaving Andretti the last truck on the lead lap in 31st. By Lap 15, Playoff contender Daniel Dye had twice bounced off the wall in his ill-handling #43 NAPA Nightvision Chevrolet, forcing him to pit road for tires and repairs to the right side. By Lap 16, he’d fallen to 33rd, one lap down, and had to use his fresh tires to fend off then-leader Ty Majeski to keep from going a second lap down. But on Lap 23, Dye made a second stop, dropping him four laps down, and sending him to last place behind Muniz. Dye remained the last-place runner at the end of Stage 1 on Lap 31, saying “Just got too free. . .in dirty air, I put some steering wheel in it and it got away from me.” As Dye expressed concern with his right-rear tire, Muniz came in for repairs to his transponder. With the issue fixed, Muniz dropped behind Dye to retake last on Lap 35, then made another stop the next time by. Back on track, Muniz was told by NASCAR to pull up behind the #46 El Bandido Tankee Tequila Chevrolet of Justin Mondeik, which pulled him ahead of three trucks, but kept him in last place.

On the Lap 38 restart, Muniz said he had “a real bad vibration” in the left-front tire. The team wasn’t concerned, saying it was likely in his head after the earlier issue, but told him to respond if it became worse. Andretti then made a pit stop on Lap 42, where he incurred a penalty for equipment over the wall too soon. He’d already fallen three laps behind, dropping him to 33rd. As Andretti served the penalty, he wanted the crew to check his wheels, and the crew discussed the possibility of a wheel bearing issue. Since he couldn’t pit during his pass-through, he was told to come back in the next time by. It was now Lap 45, and four laps down, Andretti now fell to last place. He came back in, allowing the crew to jack up the truck and check the wheels, but didn’t see a problem. They sent him back out, saying “if it’s still there, we’ll park it.” But on Lap 48, when Andretti mentioned a vibration, the team called him to the garage. He pulled behind the wall on Lap 49 and was instructed to park behind the hauler, where the crew’s toolbox was located. Andretti said he was likely done for the night, but told the crew if they could find the issue and fix it, he’d go back out. But on Lap 62, when Andretti had fallen 18 laps down, the message “Spencer, he’s done,” came over the team radio. By Lap 82, the truck was in the process of being loaded on the hauler, but NASCAR didn’t declare him out. When the checkered flag fell, he was still listed as “off” on timing and scoring.

On Lap 76, a bizarre accident eliminated the next two drivers when, while racing on either side of Taylor Gray in the #17 Place of Hope Toyota, Matt Mills on the inside in his #42 J.F. Electric Chevrolet suddenly cut to the right entering Turn 3, clipping the outside truck of Corey Day in the #91 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. The contact sent Day nearly head-on into the outside wall ad collected Mills in the chain reaction, leaving both on the apron of Turn 3. Both drivers climbed out uninjured, but their nights were done. Climbing past them was Cobb, who on Lap 66 returned to the track after Hillenburg’s crew worked on her truck in the garage. Cobb had lost power earlier in the race, but remained just six laps down to the leader. She went behind the wall a second time on Lap 94 before returning again on Lap 98, 11 laps down, then dropped off the pace a third time on Lap 103, ending her night in the garage. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Lawless Alan, who cut a right-front tire on his #33 AUTOChargit Ford in the final laps, but didn’t draw the caution flag.

Dawson Sutton impresses with Top Five in only third start

While Corey Heim scored a dramatic come-from-behind victory after Ty Majeski ran out of fuel at the white flag, finishing a strong 5th was Dawson Sutton, who just this week was swapped into Rackley-W.A.R.’s #25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet in place of full-timer Ty Dillon. Sutton, who also qualified 5th, earned the team’s best finish of the season in only his third series start, during which his finishes have improved each time: Friday followed a 28th in North Wilkesboro and 18th in Nashville, both in Rackley’s part-time #26 entry. Dillon is reportedly still working with the team in another capacity.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marks the second-straight last-place finish for the #04 Roper Racing entry in the fall race at Kansas, following Spencer Davis’ exit after 1 lap due to damage suffered in practice on September 8, 2023.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

34) #04-Marco Andretti / 43 laps / brakes

33) #42-Matt Mills / 75 laps / crash

32) #91-Corey Day / 75 laps / crash

31) #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb / 89 laps / electrical

30) #33-Lawless Alan / 128 laps / running

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Young’s Motorsports (4)

2nd) ThorSport Racing, TRICON Garage (2)

3rd) Bret Holmes Racing, Faction 46, Floridian Motorsports, Freedom Racing Enterprises, Front Row Motorsports, Hill Motorsports, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, Roper Racing, Spire Motorsports, Terry Carroll Motorsports, Trey Hutchens Racing (1)

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (11)

2nd) Ford, Toyota (4)

2024 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP