The finish occurred in his 7th career series start. In the Truck Series, it's the 2nd for truck #88 and the 31st from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 15th for the #88 and 264th where the vehicle was eliminated from a crash.
Rodriguez is still a rookie when it comes to completing in the SCRL and was looking to make a decent name for himself in his first ever truck season, having signed to drive for ThorSport Racing in it's main truck, while having three time series winner Jay Jefferson as his teammate, however despite having the truck's main entry, Carlos would be competing on a part time schedule while Jay would drive full season for the championship. With the team deciding to skip the season's first event at Walt Disney, Carlos would make his debut at Homestead finishing 20th in his first career start. In his second career start, Carlos would finish 32nd at Phoenix as the team decided to skip the next three races so they could focus on their next event at the series third race at the twisting road course at Watkins Glen.
The entry list for the third time this season would be bumped up to 37 trucks with Carlos returning as well as Darren Allen, Ryan Pritchard, Chakat Stripepaws, Muhammad Zain Abdullah and Chakat Raindancer. Darren Allen would surprise the world when he would go on to win the first career pole in his #99 Exide Batteries Ford 88.851 seconds, while Carlos would struggle in his first road course attempt, posting a time of 90.528 seconds a full second and a half behind Allen's time, placing him 36th on the grid. Posting the slowest time during qualifying was the #87 BellSouth Mobility Chevrolet of Ben Crouch, who posted a time of 90.890 seconds, a full two seconds behind Allen's pole winning time.
On race day, Crouch would trail for only the first turn before chaos would break out on the straight before the esses as the #16 NAPA Brakes Chevrolet of Chris Kyle made contact with the #26 Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool Ford of Derrick Edison, sending Edison into the #00 Sprayer Auto Parts Chevrolet of Nick Kennedy, sending Edison into the outside guard rail, sending Edison for a spin. While a few drivers would just barely miss Edison's spinning truck but by the time Carlos had reached the same spot, the gap was closed, hitting Edison almost head on, destroying both trucks. Carlos and Edison would both limp back around the two mile road course before pulling behind the wall, both being listed as "out" of the race by the race's third circuit, with Carlos being scored last since he was trailing at the time the wreck happened.
It would take a whole seven other laps before the next spot would be filled, as finishing 35th was the #1 Team ASE Racing Ford of Michael Brown, who would suffer a broken header just before the race would be extended by way of the Green, White, Checkered rule.
The remaining Bottom Five would finish on the same lap as the race leaders; 34th was the #98 Hastings Premium Filters Ford of Al Lagasee and finishing 33rd was the #75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet of Joshua Rush.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #88 has finished last in the Truck Series at Watkins Glen.
*This marked only the second time in the four year truck history the number has finished last; the only other time it happened was in Season 3 in the Western Auto / Parts America 200 at the I-70 Speedway when Carter Friesen fell out with engine problems without completing any of the 20 laps; 26 races ago.
*This is the first time the #88 has finished last in the Truck Series at Watkins Glen.
*This marked only the second time in the four year truck history the number has finished last; the only other time it happened was in Season 3 in the Western Auto / Parts America 200 at the I-70 Speedway when Carter Friesen fell out with engine problems without completing any of the 20 laps; 26 races ago.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
37) #88-Carlos Rodriguez / 1 lap / crash
36) #26-Derrick Edison / 1 lap / crash
35) #1-Michael Brown / 8 laps / header
34) #98-Al Lagasee / 13 laps / running
33) #75-Joshua Rush / 13 laps / running
37) #88-Carlos Rodriguez / 1 lap / crash
36) #26-Derrick Edison / 1 lap / crash
35) #1-Michael Brown / 8 laps / header
34) #98-Al Lagasee / 13 laps / running
33) #75-Joshua Rush / 13 laps / running
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