Sunday, December 1, 2019

ARCA Midgets: Late spin at Toledo makes Dave Benjamin the first driver to trail a ARCA Midget Series event

Dave Benjamin picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL ARCA Midget Series career in the Season 1 Toledo 100 at the Toledo Speedway when his #76 car completed all 20 laps under power.

The finish came in his 1st start. In the SCRL ARCA Midget Series, it's the 1st for car #76 and the 1st where the car was still running. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 2nd for the #76 and the 231st where the car was still running. 

After a very successful return to the Formula division, it was time to return to the United States where for the first time in two years the SCRL would be returning to the ARCA division. Unlike the first time where just the main ARCA series and the ARCA Trucks was ran, this time the division had been expanded to allow for more drivers a chance to race, with the SCRL now sanctioning the SCRL Lucas Oil ARCA Racing Series, the SCRL ARCA Truck Series, the SCRL ARCA Sportsman Series, the SCRL Late Model Series and the SCRL Midget Series. When the dust settled for signups, all available spots had been filled and it was time to get back to racing.

The SCRL ARCA Midget Series was seen as a feeder series, were debuting drivers could get some practice on tracks the main ARCA Series would visit in a attempt at one day competing in a higher level as well as for a championship. One of those 14 rookies was Dave Benjamin, who had never competed in a SCRL sanctioned race and was looking to impress in his debut.

On race day, Benjamin would roll off starting in the 10th spot while the #15 of Sebastian Dent would start in the last spot. As soon as the green flag waved, the racing would be intense around the half mile track, with Dent trailing for those first three laps, before he knocked the #90 of Christian Vargas into the final spot. Vargas's stay would be short lived as he knocked the #36 of Eugene Underwood into last on the very next lap, a spot Eugene would hold for two laps, knocking the #16 of Daniel Hunter into last on Lap 7. Hunter would also stay in last for two laps, knocking the #12 of Nick Kennedy there on Lap 10, a position Kennedy would hold for three laps before he passed the #04 of Mario Junqueira into last.

The battle for last would quickly come to a end one lap later as entering Turn 3, Benjamin, who had moved up to 14th at the time, was in a three wide battle with the #16 of Daniel Hunter and the #11 of Keri Benjamin, with the three cars making contact, sending Dave for a spin up the track with the rest of the field driving by unaffected. No caution would come out and Dave quickly put his car back in gear and would try his best to rebound but it was too late, as he finished fourteen seconds behind the race leader, Jeremy Hawkins, who won in his SCRL debut.

The remaining Bottom Five were: 19th was the #04 of Mario Junqueira, 18th was the #18 of Nick Kennedy, 17th was the #90 of Christian Vargas and 16th was the #21 of John Hunter.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #76 has finished last in the SCRL ARCA Midget Series as well at Toledo.
*The only other time the #76 has trailed a SCRL field was in Season 2 of the SCRL NASCR Legends Series Alabama 500 at the Alabama International Motor Speedway when KurtPikachu's #76 unsponsored Ford completed all 18 laps under power. It would turn out to be the lone last-place finish of his SCRL career.


THE BOTTOM FIVE
20) #76-Dave Benjamin / 20 laps / running
19) #04-Mario Junqueira / 20 laps / running
18) #12-Nick Kennedy / 20 laps / running
17) #90-Christian Vargas / 20 laps / running
16) #21-John Hunter / 20 laps / running

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