LEGENDS: Early battle for last at Atlanta ends after mid-race wreck gives TJ Dent the first last-place finish of his career

TJ Dent picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL NASCAR Legends Series career in the Season 4 Atlanta 500 at the Atlanta International Speedway when his #25 unsponsored Plymouth was involved in a multi-car crash after 13 of the 32 laps.

The finish came in his 5th start. In the SCRL NASCAR Legends Series, it's the 3rd for car #25 and the 15th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 10th for the #25 and the 213th from a crash.

Dent is one of many drivers who is still looking to make a name for himself in the SCRL, despite having one career win, coming at Charlotte in the SCRL Classic Truck Series, Dent hasn't won a race since and has struggled to return back to victory lane. Joining his brother Ty to compete in the fourth ever SCRL NASCAR Legends, TJ finished 15th in his series debut at Riverside, 19th at Ontario before finishing impressive 2nd at Richmond while in the last round at Rockingham, TJ backed up his performance with a 8th place finish.

On race day, Dent rolled off starting in 26th while starting last was Season 3 Champion the #27 unsponsored Ford of Cole Nixey. Nixey would trail the field for the first lap before he knocked the #75 Kentucky Fried Chicken Special Plymouth of Dilan Ebrahimian into the final spot on the second lap. On Lap 3 the #70 unsponsored Ford of Brock Beard fell back to last but his stay in last also lasted only one lap as on Lap 4 the #31 unsponsored Dodge of Carter Friesen fell back into the last spot. On Lap 5 the #09 unsponsored Chevrolet of Paul Hogan took the final spot for the first time in his career, but on Lap 6 it was the #11 Don Wagner Ford Sales Ford of Muhammad Zain Abdullah that took last but the very next lap it was the #75 of Dilan Ebrahimian who took last for the second time in the race.

Ebrahimian would remain in last for one lap as he knocked Abdullah back to the final spot on Lap 8 and would be the first driver to trail for two straight laps, before finally knocking the #43 Plymouth By Petty Plymouth of Oreius Centaur into the final spot on Lap 10, before Oreius would pass Ebrahimian back to the final spot on Lap 11. On Lap 12 the #21 60 Minute Cleaners Mercury Cyclone of Bryan McKayson fell back to last, a spot he would hold for one lap as well as the #68 Auto Specialists / Auto Lad Ford of Trevor Collins into last, a spot he would hold when the battle for last quickly ended. As drivers battled for position, the first of two cautions would fly at Dent was spun out in Turn 2, coming back down the track in front of the #40 7-Up Plymouth of Brian Fox, the #28 Piper Trash Can Liners Dodge of Jack Lagasee and the #5 unsponsored Dodge of Logan Bueckert, destroying all four cars as Dent's car came to a rest on the apron of Turn 2 while Fox, Lagasee and Bueckert all limped around to complete another lap before pulling behind the wall, as the three drivers finished 42nd through 39th. 

Rounding out the Bottom Five in 38th was the #17 Purolator Ford of AJ Jones, who was caught up in the second caution on Lap 21.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first SCRL NASCAR Legends Series last-place finish for the #25 at Atlanta.
*This was the first time the #25 has trailed a field since the Season 2 Talladega 500 at the Alabama International Motor Speedway when RaTed-Rk0_0RTON completed all 19 laps under power; 40 races ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #25-TJ Dent / 13 laps / crash
41) #40-Brian Fox / 14 laps / crash
40) #28-Jack Lagasee / 14 laps / crash
39) #5-Logan Bueckert / 14 laps / crash
38) #17-AJ Jones / 21 laps / crash