The finish, which came in his 31st start, was his first on the circuit since the Shop n' Save 150 at the Gateway International Raceway when he fell out with camshaft problems without completing any of the 22 laps; 4 races ago. In the SCRL Lucas Oil ARCA Racing Series, it's the 2nd for car #11 and the 3rd for gearbox issues. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 14th for the #11 and the 12th for gearbox issues.
After having trailed for the first time in the ARCA Series, Newman would crash out in the next two rounds at Pocono and Chicagoland he would finish 22nd, before finishing 27th in the last round at Lucas Oil. As the field made it's return to the Kentucky Speedway for the third time in series history, Newman was looking to rebound in his first event at the track, finishing 25th one year ago.
In qualifying, Nathan Ormond scored his first career series pole with a time of 30.218 seconds, while Newman posted a time of 30.691 seconds, 0.473 behind Ormond's pole run, placing Newman 20th on the grid while starting last was the #44 Ansell / Menards Toyota of Riley Spurlytube.
When the command was given for drivers to start their engines and begin their lone pace lap, Newman's car began to slow going down the backstretch, pulling to the inside of the track while at the same time, Spurlytube's car began to slow as well, following the pace car and Newman onto pit road. Newman would make the sharp right turn behind the wall as the green flag waved, while Spurlytube's team put on four fresh tires on their car before sending Spurlytube back out onto the track. Newman's crew would work for most of the race to try and get their driver back out on the track, but it was discovered the gearbox was broken, with the car being listed as "out" on Lap 5.
Spurlytube would battle to try and work his way through the field and regain his lap back, as on Lap 7 the unsponsored #69 Kimmel Racing Ford of Ray Dent Jr. would suffer a flat tire and would lose a lap to the leaders, with Spurlytube passing and knocking him in 39th, a position that Dent would hold for the remaining laps while Spurlytube would fight to finish 38th, the first car one lap down.
The remaining Bottom Five finished on the same lap as the race leaders; 37th was the #16 Strutmasters.com Chevrolet of Tim Randolph and 36th was the #15 Zaxby's Toyota of Anthony Logan
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #11 has finished last in the ARCA Series race at Kentucky.
*This marked the third time a driver has trailed the field in a ARCA Series race due to gearbox problems; the most recent time it happened was the Season 2 Scott Get Geared Up 200 at the Lucas Oil Raceway when Luke Rainey's unsponsored #99 Roulo Brothers Racing Ford fell out with gearbox problems without completing any of the 22 laps; 21 races ago.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #11-Tony Newman / 0 laps / gearbox
39) #69-Ray Dent Jr. / 26 lap / running
38) #44-Riley Spurlytube / 26 laps / running
37) #16-Tim Randolph / 27 laps / running
36) #15-Anthony Logan / 27 laps / running
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