BUSCH: Early header failure gives Gatlin Downey first career last-place finish in league career at Rockingham; becomes second ever driver to fail to complete a lap in busch series history

Gatlin Downey picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Wrangler Jeans Busch Grand National Series career in Thursday's Coca-Cola 200 at the North Carolina Motor Speedway when his #04 unsponsored Pontiac fell out with header problems without completing any of the 50 laps.

The finish came in his 3rd career series start. Entering Season 2 of the Busch Series, Downey was one of many drivers just looking to score that first career win, having yet to visit victory lane despite several close finishes. Downey didn't participate in Season 1 of the busch series, so he made his series debut at Daytona, finishing 35th after being taken out in the "big one" on lap 6 and finished 14th in the previous round at Richmond Fairgrounds.

On race day, Downey would roll off the field in 29th while starting last was the #24 Budweiser Ford of Connor Hurley, who, like Downey, was making his third career series start. Hurley would trail the field as the field took the green flag, but Downey quickly pulled his car to the apron as smoke began to come out the rear of the car as Downey would coast his way to the pits as his crew would briefly look under the hood before pushing the car behind the wall, the car officially listed as "out" by Lap 2, his car never able to cross the start/finish lap to complete a lap.

The Bottom Five were filled by drivers who were involved in the "big one" that struck on Lap 15 as 41st went to the #90 unsponsored Pontiac of Matt Bowyer, 40th went to the #87 Jarvis Racing Chevrolet of Joe Jefferson, 39th went to the #01 Zervakis Racing Pontiac of Tony Newman and 38th went to the #11 J.W. Hunt Produce Pontiac of Al Lagasee.


SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #04 has finished last in a Busch race as well as at Rockingham.
*This is Downey's first ever last-place finish in the SCRL.
*This marks just the third time in series history that "header" has been listed as the last-place finish; the previous two were in Season 1 when Keith Stevens trailed the field at the fall event at Bristol and in the season finale at Martinsville.

*This marks just the second time in busch series history a driver has failed to complete a lap; the only other time it happened was when AJ Jones suffered camshaft problems in the Sunkist 200 at the Hickory Speedway; 20 races ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #04-Gatlin Downey / 0 laps / header
41) #90-Matt Bowyer / 16 laps / crash
40) #87-Joe Jefferson / 16 laps / crash
39) #01-Tony Newman / 17 laps / crash
38) #11-Al Lagasee / 17 laps / crash