TRUCKS: Blown engine prevents Samet Ozkan from completing a lap at Bristol; takes lead in SCRLASTCAR battle

Samet Ozkan picked up the 3rd last place finish of his SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series career in Wednesday's Loadhandler 200 at the Bristol Motor Speedway when his #3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet fell out with engine issues without completing any of the 52 laps.

The finish, which occurred in his 35th career series start, was his first on the circuit since the Chevy Trucks Challenge at the Walt Disney World Speedway when he was eliminated in a multi-truck accident after 6 of 22 laps, 8 races ago. In the Truck Series, it's the 3rd for the #3 and the 10th for engine issues. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 20th for the #3 and 53rd for gearbox issues.

After crashing out at Walt Disney, Ozkan would finish a disappointing 32nd at Homestead, before scoring the best finish of his season by finishing 13th at Phoenix. Ozkan's Richard Childress Racing team would try to build momentum the next race but would struggle on the truck season's "West Swing" by finishing 22nd at Portland before scoring back-to-back 21st finishes at at Evergreen and I-70 before finishing a disappointing 26th at Watkins Glen. With a best finish of only 13th at Phoenix, the series returned to the Texas Motor Speedway, a race Ozkan would lead 13 of the 36 laps and scored his first win in the truck series

The entry list for the fifth time this season would be 37 trucks. Chris Kyle, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would collect the first career pole of his career, posting a time of 17.210 seconds, while Ozkan would struggle in qualifying, posting a time of 17.498, only 0.288 seconds behind Kyle's pole winning time, but placing him in the 23rd lineup. Posting the slowest time during qualifying was the #26 Auto Trim Design Network Ford of Derrick Edison, who posted a time of 17.742 seconds, 0.532 seconds behind Kyle's pole winning time.

On race day as the field was starting their pace lap, Ozkan's truck began to start smoking immediately as Okzkan would slow up and made contact with Evergreen last-place finisher the #14 Circle Bar Motel & RV Park Ford of Mitchell Collins before pulling down the backstretch pit road, before Ozkan would pull behind the wall as the field took the green flag to begin the race. Ozkan's team looked over the truck and discovered that in fact the engine was blown, with the team giving up the fight, with the truck being listed as "out" by lap 5.

It would be another 17 laps before the 36th spot would be filled, as the #75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet of Joshua Rush, who was racing in 3rd when he made contact with I-70 last-place finisher the #43 Cummins Engines Dodge of Marcus Saatchi, sending both trucks into the wall in Turn 4, as Saatchi would continue on with several right side damage but was able to continue on to a 7th place finish. Rush on the other hand, his truck was completely destroyed, having to limp around the track before pulling behind the wall, done for the day.

The remaining Bottom Five would be knocked out of the race with less then two laps to go when the race's 2nd and 3rd cautions came out: 35th was the #6 RE/MAX International Chevrolet of Dilan Ebrahimian, 34th was Homestead last-place finisher the #25 Team Hendrick Chevrolet of Nathan Ormond and 33rd was the #98 Hastings Premium Filters Ford of Al Lagasee.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #3 has finished last in the Truck Series at Bristol.
*The last time a driver has trailed the field due to engine issues was the Season 3 Carquest Auto Parts 420K at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway when Ozkan once again fell out with engine problems without completing any of the 27 laps; 9 races ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
37) #3-Samet Ozkan / 0 laps / engine
36) #75-Joshua Rush / 17 laps / crash
35) #6-Dilan Ebrahimian / 41 laps / crash
34) #24-Nathan Ormond / 45 laps / crash
33) #98-Al Lagasee / 46 laps / crash