The finish, which came in his 88th start, was his first on the circuit since the Season 3 Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway when he fell out with camshaft issues after he completed 1 of 19 laps; 18 races ago. In the SCRL NASCAR Legends Series, it's the 4th for car #43 and the 18th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 9th for the #43 and the 216th from a crash.
Oreius was entering his fourth and final series as a active driver, having competed in all three of the previous seasons, the 4th season would be his last as the driver announced his retirement from racing, with his last coming in the very series he made his debut; the NASCAR Legends Series. Entering his final season, Oreius has picked up 17 career wins, 10 of which came in this very series. In his first race of the season, Oreius finished 26th at Riverside, before picking up career win #18 at Ontario in the very next round. A 31st at Richmond, a 32nd at Rockingham and a 25th at his hometown track in Atlanta forced Petty Enterprises to skip the short track event at Bristol and focus their resources at the 2.660 mile superspeedway, where he finished 25. In the last round at North Wilkesboro, a track where Oreius has four career wins, he started from the pole and led 11 laps before finishing second to Cole Nixey, who scored his first ever Legends Series event.
On race day, Oreius rolled off starting in 23rd while starting last was the #75 Kentucky Fried Chicken Special Plymouth of Dilan Ebrahimian a spot that Ebrahimian would hold for the first lap before he would knock the #97 Long-Lewis Ford of Ryan Rush into the final spot on Lap 2. Rush would keep last for two laps when he knocked the #13 unsponsored Chevrolet of Leroy Jones into the last spot. Jones would be in last for only a lap when he passed Atlanta last-place finisher the #25 unsponsored Plymouth of TJ Dent into the final spot. Dent would remain in last for a lap as well when he passed Jones back, a spot Jones would hold when the first caution would come out that ended the battle for last.
While battling for 8th, the #17 Purolator Ford of AJ Jones made contact with the #04 unsponsored Dodge of Chakat Whitelion, spinning Whitelion out right in front of Bristol last-place finisher the #09 unsponsored Chevrolet of Paul Hogan, as due to the tight turns, there wasn't anywhere drivers could go as ten cars would stack up in Turns 3 and 4, with Oreius hitting Hogan head on while Oreius was then hit from behind by both the #59 Pepsi Ford of Carter Joey and then by the #4 Mills Plumbing Dodge of Mitchell Collins. Oreius wouldn't drive back to pit road or the garage like several others drivers were, as his car sat in Turn 3 before it would be towed back, as the car was listed as "out" by the 10th circuit.
The remaining Bottom Five was filled by the 9th Lap by drivers also involved in the same crash, but all would be scored completing 8 laps; 41st was the #09 of Paul Hogan, 40th was the #99 Dow Chemicals Dodge of Joshua Rush, 39th was the #12 Coca-Cola Dodge of Samet Ozkan and finishing 38th was the #11 Don Wagner Ford Sales Ford of Muhammad Zain Abdullah.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first SCRL NASCAR Legends Series last-place finish for the #43 at Darlington.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #43-Oreius Centaur / 7 laps / crash
41) #09-Paul Hogan / 8 laps / crash
40) #99-Joshua Rush / 8 laps / crash
39) #12-Samet Ozkan / 8 laps / crash
38) #11-Muhammad Zain Abdullah / 8 laps / crash
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