The finish, which occurred in hir 62nd career series start, was hir first on the circuit since the Season 3 Pennzoil Discount Center 200 at the New Hampshire International Speedway when hir #18 Dana Corporation Dodge was involved in a multi-truck crash after 1 of 26 laps, 34 races ago. In the Truck Series, it's the 1st for the #5 and the 22nd where the truck was still running. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 18th for the #5 and 279th where the vehicle was still running.
Whitelion is a future first class ballot Hall of Famer when shi decides to hang up hir helmet for the final time. Entering hir third full time season in the Truck Series, Whitelion has picked up 32 career wins and has collected 7 championships, while at the same time, shi has trailed the field a record 18 times in hir career, a league record. Whitelion had never scored a single win in hir previous 46 truck starts, but shi had high hopes as shi signed to drive for Mike Skinner in a attempt at hir 8th overall championship. Whitelion would struggle in hir first two races of the season, finishing a disappointing 22nd at Walt Disney World and a 29th at Homestead, before rebounding with a 11th at Phoenix before once again struggling with a 25th at Portland, collecting hir first Top 10 of the season, a 6th at Evergreen, a 14th at I-70, a 21st at Watkins Glen, 10th at Texas before finishing 14th at Bristol. In the very next round at Milwaukee Mile, Whitelion would qualify 2nd and would take the lead with eleven laps to go and scored hir league setting 33rd career win but shi wasn't done yet at shi would win the next round at Nazareth for win #34 before winning a third time at Fontana for hir 35th career win. A disappointing 23rd at Pikes Peak would end hir chance of winning four in a row, followed by a 17th at IRP before finishing a disappointing 24th in the race one year prior shi had scored hir lone last-place finish in the Truck Series.
The entry list for the fifth time this season would be only 31 trucks, the first time since the season's 6th event at the I-70 Speedway that a field had only 31 trucks. Riley Spurlytube would collect his first career pole of his career in qualifying, posting a time of 22.019 seconds, while Whitelion would post a time of 22.342, while only 0.323 seconds behind Spurlytube's pole winning time, it placed hir in the 12th position. Posting the slowest time during qualifying was the #10 Ohio State University Chevrolet of Celious Wolf, who posted a time of 23.049, a time that was a full second behind Spurlytube's pole time.
On race day, as the field made their lone pace lap around the 0.625 mile short track, Whitelion's truck began to slow entering Turn 2 as shi pulled down the track at the same time the #15 Acxiom Ford of Colby Harris was, spinning Harris out while Whitelion pulled into the pits. Despite the fact that Harris had spun out, the race went green anyway as Whitelion's crew looked under the hood and found that the brakes had gone out. As the field raced their way around the track, Whitelion's crew would solve the problem and sent their driver back out onto the track, five laps behind the race leaders. Despite Whitelion having one of the faster trucks after the pit stop, the caution would never fly during the event and shi was unable to gain any spots for the rest of the event.
The remaining Bottom Five would finish on the same lap as the race leader; 30th was the #70 Easy Care / Town & Country Ford of Brock Beard, 29th was two-time last-place finisher the #75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet of Joshua Rush, 28th was the #1 Team ASE Racing Ford of Michael Brown and 27th was the #87 BellSouth Mobility Chevrolet of Ben Crouch.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #5 has finished last in a Truck Series race as well at Flemington.
*This is the first time the #5 has finished last in a Truck Series race as well at Flemington.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
31) #5-Chakat Whitelion / 15 laps / running
30) #70-Brock Beard / 20 laps / running
29) #75-Joshua Rush / 20 laps / running
28) #1-Michael Brown / 20 laps / running
27) #87-Ben Crouch / 20 laps / running
31) #5-Chakat Whitelion / 15 laps / running
30) #70-Brock Beard / 20 laps / running
29) #75-Joshua Rush / 20 laps / running
28) #1-Michael Brown / 20 laps / running
27) #87-Ben Crouch / 20 laps / running
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