The finish came in his 12th start. In the SCRL NASCAR Legends Series, it's the 1st for car #97 and the 19th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 1st for the #97 and the 217th from a crash.
Rush signed up to compete for the first time ever in the Legends Series and while he had never completed a lap in the series, Rush was no stranger to the SCRL. Having completed in multiple series over the past few years, Rush has struggled to make a name for himself, having picked up only one career win, that coming in the Season 1 SCRL CatDog Pro Series East division at New Jersey Motorsports Park. With his lone win coming on a road course Rush was excited to see the Riverside event start off the season, but the team struggled to a 25th place finish. A 6th at Ontario would be the best finish of the season as the team would struggle for the next eight races with a best finish of 16th at Bristol before scoring the second best finish of the season, a 8th at Martinsville in the last round.
On race day, Rush rolled off starting in 20th while starting last was the #28 Piper Trash Can Liners Dodge of Jack Lagasee, a spot that Lagasee would hold for only two turns when he knocked the #6 unsponsored Dodge of Adam McDowell into the final spot when McDowell's car suffered a flat tire. McDowell would make it to pit road and the team was putting tires on the car when chaos broke out on the backstretch. The #59 Pepsi Ford of Carter Joey made a four wide move in Turn 2 but ran out of room as he made contact with Richmond last-place finisher the #98 Jim Robbins Co. Ford of Chris Kyle and sent him into the #3 Moss-Thornton Dodge of Cam Nixey, causing what would be the race's biggest wreck of the day.
Rush would be spun out coming out of Turn 2 by the #12 Coca-Cola Dodge of Samet Ozkan and sending him right across the track, blocking the field and causing the wreck. Rush would have minor damage and started rolling again before he ran into the drivers door of the #32 Bestline Products Plymouth of Derrick Edison with such force that the entire front end of Rush's vehicle flew off the car and over the outside fence, and into the small field behind the track. As Rush's car rested on the backstretch, just feet ahead was the #17 Purolator Ford of AJ Jones, who had been the first car to hit Rush as he spun nearly five times and hit in the drivers door, the car coming to rest just ahead of Rush. While both cars were towed back to the garage and scored with only completing two laps, Rush was given the final spot by virtue where his car had stopped on track.
The remaining Bottom Five wouldn't be decided until the 13th lap when yet another "Big One" struck when leaders the #13 unsponsored Chevrolet of Leroy Jones and Atlanta last-place finisher the #25 unsponsored Plymouth of TJ Dent got together causing a fifteen car pileup, when the dust was settled, the backstretch was a junkyard as eight of the fifteen would be done for the day; 40th was the #16 unsponsored Chevrolet of Dale Jones, 39th was the #29 unsponsored Chevrolet of Marko Tellez and 38th was the #4 Mills Plumbing Dodge of Mitchell Collins.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first SCRL NASCAR Legends Series last-place finish for the #97 as well at Michigan.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #97-Ryan Rush / 2 laps / crash
41) #17-AJ Jones / 2 laps / crash
40) #16-Dale Jones / 13 laps / crash
39) #29-Marko Tellez / 13 laps / crash
38) #4-Mitchell Collins / 13 laps / crash
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