The finish came in his 1st start. In the SCRL Lucas Oil ARCA Racing Series, it's the 3rd for car #22 and the 11th where the car was still running. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 15th for the #22 and the 235th where the car was still running.
Entering Season 3 of the SCRL Lucas Oil ARCA Racing Series, Collins had already proven himself in the SCRL by scoring two career wins, and was looking to gain more experience by competing in his first ever season in the ARCA Series by signing to drive for Cunningham Motorsports. Season 2 Champion Sebastian Torres would be one of the 40 drivers who signed up to compete in a effort to become the first driver to win a championship in back-to-back seasons. Also for the first time in the ARCA Series history, the division would be awarding two championships at the end of the season; one for the overall champion of the series and the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge.
Both Practice and Happy Hour would be rained out so all forty drivers would have have no experience with their cars until it came time to qualifying, despite the series cutting down the starting fields from 42 to 40 cars, no one would be sent home with Collins qualifying 29th with a lap of 192.629 mph (46.722 seconds)
Starting last and also making her ARCA debut was the unsponsored #67 Kimmel Racing Ford of Oriana Dent. When the green flag was waved, Oriana would remain in the final spot for the event's first two laps before she would knock the unsponsored #43 David Levine Racing Dodge of Pria McShane into the final spot on Lap 3. McShane would trail for two laps before knocking the #09 Casite.com / ETS Ford of Pritti Shah into the final spot on Lap 5. Around this same time, Collins had drafted himself up into the 11th spot but entering Turn 1 the driver began to slow down as he quickly pulled the car to the apron as the rest of the field drove by, the driver reporting of a tire going down.
Collins would be forced to coast back around the 2.500 mile track, finally making it to pit road, being put one lap down shortly after as the crew put four new fresh tires on the car and sent Collins back out on the track. Collins would lose another lap between then and the finish, and with no cautions coming out, Collins was trapped two laps down and easily trailing the field when the checkered flag waved, ending his streak of never finishing last in his SCRL career.
The remaining Bottom Five would finish on the same lap as the race leaders: 39th was the #92 Fight For Life Chevrolet of Greg Masin, 38th was the #4 Cessna Chevrolet of Randy Ward, 37th was the #68 Gary Yeomans Ford / Clarksville Schwinn Ford of Becky Dent and 36th was the #11 Hudson Perf/ Drivelines / Warrick Tubing Dodge of Tony Newman.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #22 had finished last in the SCRL ARCA Series at Daytona.
*This marked the first time the #22 has trailed a ARCA Series race since the Season 1 Pennsylvana ARCA 125 at the Pocono Raceway when Cam Nixey was involved in a multi-car crash after 7 of the 20 laps; 26 races ago.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #22-Mitchell Collins / 18 laps / running
39) #92-Greg Masin / 20 laps / running
38) #4-Randy Ward / 20 laps / running led 9 laps
37) #68-Becky Dent / 20 laps / running
36) #11-Tony Newman / 20 laps / running
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