TRUCKS: Blown Engine prevents Ryan Pritchard from completing a lap at Sears Point just seconds before three truck wreck in chaotic first lap

Ryan Pritchard picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series career in Thursday's Kragen / Exide 151 at the Sears Point Raceway when his #89 Precision Automotive Ford fell out with engine issues without completing any of the 18 laps.

The finish occurred in his 16th career series start. In the Truck Series, it's the 1st for the #89 and the 14th for engine issues. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 2nd for the #89 and 57th for engine issues.

Entering the fourth ever season of the Truck Series, Pritchard had found victory lane just once in his SCRL career despite having competed for several series, having won at the Star Speedway in Season 1 of the SCRL Icebreakers Whelen Series. Pritchard would sign up to compete in his first ever truck series season, but due to the amount of drivers trying to get in, Pritchard was forced to sign to compete on a part-time schedule, which would be for 18 of the event's 27 races. Pritchard's team would miss the first race of the season at Walt Disney World, with Pritchard's first ever start coming at Homestead, a race he would finish 21st before finishing 28th at Phoenix. After missing the next three races at Portland, Evergreen and I-70, Pritchard would return with a 25th at Watkins Glen, 30th at Texas before he would score in impressive 4th place at Bristol. A 14th at Milwaukee Mile would be followed with his second 4th place finish at Nazareth, 30th Fontana, 16th at Pikes Peak, 16th at IRP and a 22nd at Loudon. After being forced to miss the next four races at Flemington, Nashville, Heartland Park and Louisville, Pritchard would come back with a 5 place finish at Richmond, 27th at Memphis, 17th at Gateway before finishing 5th in the last round at Martinsville.

Rohan Marmot excited to be in his first race.

The entry list, for the first time since the finale at Las Vegas in Season 3, would be bumped up to 38 trucks with the announcement that Rohan Marmot, who would be making his SCRL debut in his hometown and at his home track, would race at the twisting road course of Sears Point. Rohan, a centaur, would sign to drive a third truck for Roush Racing, choosing to drive the #80 Grainger Ford with no past experience in racing with most of the other drivers were worried about and voiced their concern before the weekend begin. Rohan would also be making history by becoming only the second ever centaur in league history to race with the first ever being Oreius Centaur who retired at the end of 2019.

Blaise Zebrataur would collect his first career series pole in qualifying, posting a time of 102.167 seconds, while Pritchard fair well in qualifying, post a time of 103.016 seconds, 0.849 seconds behind Blaise's pole winning time, placing Pritchard in 17th position. During qualifying there were 11 drivers that would not post a time due to inspections taking to long for some drivers, so starting last on race day was Pikes Peak last-place finisher the #77 Doran Racing Enterprises Chevrolet of Bob Jenkins.

On race day as drivers began their lone pace lap around the 1.949 mile road course, Pritchard's truck started to smoke as the field reached Turn 4 as he would pull out to try and not get any old on the track, reporting to his team that something was wrong under the hood. At the same time, Memphis last-place finisher the #50 Grainger Ford Cameron Hathaway, who also started to slow in the esses, reporting that he had a flat left front tire. Both drivers pulling onto pit road as the race began, with Pritchard pulling behind the wall as his team looked over the truck, while Hathaway's team quickly put on four fresh tires and sent their driver back out onto the track as the field reached Turn 4. 

At that same time, the #20 Orleans Hotel & Casino Chevrolet of Chakat Stripepaws would be spun out by two time last-place finisher the #3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet of Samet Ozkan in Turn 4 as Ozkan would be able to continue on with minor damage, while Stripepaws's truck would be destroyed from hitting the tire barrier. As the field raced toward Turn 10, I-70 last-place finisher the #43 Cummins Engines Dodge of Marcus Saatchi would make contact with Homestead last-place finisher the #24 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet of Nathan Ormond, sending both trucks off track and hard into the tire barrer, bringing out the race's first caution. After some brief confusion on who would be scored where, Pritchard's truck would be listed as "out" on the second lap with Stripepaws being scored in 37th, following by Saatchi and Ormond, all being scored having not completed a lap.

Rounding out the Bottom Five in 34th was the #15 Acxiom Ford of Colby Harris, who would suffer a broken camshaft just before the race went back under green.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #89 has finished last in a Truck Series race as well at Sears Point.
*This is the first time a driver has trailed due to Engine issues since the NAPA 250 at the Martinsville Speedway when Dilan Ebrahimian's #6 RE/MAX International Chevrolet fell out with engine issues without completing any of the 25 laps; 1 race ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #89-Ryan Pritchard / 0 laps / engine
37) #20-Chakat Stripepaws / 0 lap / crash
36) #43-Marcus Saatchi / 0 laps / crash
35) #24-Nathan Ormond / 0 laps / crash
34) #15-Colby Harris / 2 laps / camshaft