The finish occurred in his 5th career series start. In the Truck Series, it's the 1st for truck #14 and the 30th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 7th for the #14 and 263rd from a crash.
Mitchell Collins is still a relative rookie when it comes to the SCRL racing world, but has found success in the past by having scored two wins, scoring his first in the SCRL Snap-On Tools Southern Whelen Modified Tour at Caraway before scoring his second and most recent in the SCRL NASCAR Legends Series at the Martinsville Speedway. Collins would sign up to drive for the Circe Bar Racing team, making his debut at Walt Disney World, finishing 8th. Back-to-back finishes of 6th at Homestead and Phoenix would follow before he could finish 17th in the last round at Portland.
The entry list for the series fifth race of the season would be the usual 31 full time trucks. Jay Jefferson would be the driver to beat, winning the pole with a time of 21.297 seconds. Collins would struggle in qualifying, starting a disappointing 28th with a time of 21.662 seconds. Posting the slowest time during qualifying was Homestead last-place finisher the #24 Team Hendrick Chevrolet of Nathan Ormond, who posted a time of 21.684 seconds, 0.387 seconds behind Jefferson's pole winning time.
On race day, Ormond would trail for only the first two turns before the #52 Purolator PureOne Filters Chevrolet of Blaise Zebrataur was spun out on the Backstretch, but no caution would fly as he would trail for the first lap but the next time around it was the #77 Doran Racing Enterprises Chevrolet of Bob Jenkins who would trail for the second lap when he was forced to pit for a flat tire. While he was on pit road, leaders Jay Jefferson and the #7 Purvis Brothers Ford of Chakat Lightingblaze got together coming off Turn 4 and ran into the inside wall as the race's first caution of the day came out. As the field raced back to the start/finish line, Collins would be racing back to the line when he misjudged and ran into the pit road wall, sending him up the track and in front of the #16 NAPA Brakes Chevrolet of Chris Kyle, destroying the left front and side of Kyle's truck. Kyle would limp back around the half mile track before pulling into the garage while Collins's truck would be towed from the spot on the track, with Collins being scored in the final spot, completing two laps, with his truck being listed as "out" by the fourth circuit with Kyle being listed as finishing one lap more then Collins by crossing the start/finish line.
With the damaged he received in his crash with Lightingblaze, Jefferson would circle the track two more laps as his ThorSport Racing team tried to repair the damage but soon the team found out the damage was to severe that they had no choice, with Jefferson pulling behind the lap after four laps completed, finishing in 29th.
The remaining Bottom Five would be knocked out on the race's second caution on Lap 8; 28th was the #26 Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool Ford of Derrick Edison and 27th was Portland last-place finisher the #35 Ortho Lawn & Garden Products Chevrolet of Chakat Flaremane.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #14 has finished last in the Truck Series as well at Evergreen.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
31) #14-Mitchell Collins / 2 laps / crash
30) #16-Chris Kyle / 3 laps / crash
29) #8-Jay Jefferson / 4 laps / crash 2 laps led
28) #26-Derrick Edison / 8 laps / crash
27) #35-Chakat Flaremane / 8 laps / crash
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