Throwback ARCA: Multi-car crash on first lap at Iowa gives John Arndt his second and final last-place finish of his ARCA career

John Arndt picked up the 2nd last place finish of his SCRL Lucas Oil ARCA Racing Series career in the Season 1 Prairie Meadows 200 at the Iowa Speedway when his #66 Phoenix Air Toyota was involved in a multi-car crash after 1 of the 25 laps.

The finish, which came in his 11th career start, was his first on the circuit since the Pocono ARCA 200 at the Pocono Raceway when he fell out with piston problems without completing any of the 9 laps; 4 races ago.

After trailing the field earlier in the season at Pocono, Arndt was looking to rebound in the next few races but would only find more trouble, finishing 38th at Michigan, 18th at Texas before finishing 20th in the last round at the twisting NJMP road course.

On race day, Arndt rolled off starting 36th while starting in the final spot was the #12 The Cove / Dolphins Awareness Dodge of Kelly Lee, a position she would hold for the first two turns before the battle for last quickly ended. Exiting Turn 2 three wide with the #99 Roulo Brothers Racing Ford of Eric Wayne and the #16 Strutmasters.com Chevrolet of Evan Rudd, Arndt and Wayne made contact, sending all three cars going for a light spin as the rest of the field avoided them. As the cars fired back up and drove around to the frontstretch, Arndt was unable to slow down in time as he slammed into the spun out car of Rudd once again, this time with enough force that Arndt's day was done.

Finishing 40th was the #1 ModSpace Ford of Grayson Acevedo, who would be involved in the second crash on the frontstretch and would be placed 40th in the final rundown.

It would be four laps later that two more spots would be filled with 39th going to the aforementioned #12 of Kelly Lee and 38th going to the unsponsored #58 CGH Motorsports Chevrolet of Jesse Turner would be involved in the event's second caution on the backstretch.

Rounding out the Bottom Five in 37th was the #23 Allegiant Air Chevrolet of Cassie Waz, who would also be caught up in another crash just five laps later.

Arndt would never find victory lane in ARCA's highest division, scoring a best finish of 8th at the Milwaukee Mile and would go on to finish 33rd in the final point standings. Arndt would later go on and score 2 SCRL sanctioned wins, at Kyalami in Season 1 of the SCRL Red Bull Formula One Series and in Season 2 of the SCRL Wrangler Jeans Busch Grand National Series at Charlotte.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #66 had finished last at Iowa.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
41) #66-John Arndt / 1 lap / crash
40) #1-Grayson Acevedo / 2 laps / crash
39) #12-Kelly Lee / 6 laps / crash
38) #58-Jesse Turner / 6 laps / crash
37) #23-Cassie Waz / 11 laps / crash

Throwback TRUCKS: Long time veteran Bulldog67 picks up first truck series last place finish after early camshaft problems at Colorado

Bulldog67 picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series career in the Season 1 Total Petroleum 200 at the Colorado National Speedway when his unsponsored #58 Wayne Jacks Racing Chevrolet fell out with camshaft problems after completing 8 of the 25 laps.

The finish came in his 11th career series start. 

At this point in his SCRL career, Bulldog67 had already proven himself, having finished second to Truttle in Season 1 of the then ONL NASCAR Legends Series, before winning the championship himself in Season 2, and was looking to transfer that same success over to the truck series as he signed up to complete on a part-time schedule, running only the big events and bypassing the short tracks. Bulldog67 finished 38th in his debut at Phoenix before finishing 11th at Tucson. Bulldog67 would sit out the next six races before returning at Bristol, where he finished 13th before finishing 34th in the last race at Milwaukee.

On race day, Bulldog67 would start 31st while starting last was the #87 Delco Remy America Chevrolet of Colin Dryburgh. The first five laps around the track would be intense as drivers battled back and forth for position, but on Lap 2 the #94 MAC Tools Ford of Jesse Turner made an unscheduled pit stop, reporting of problems with the engine, with the team looking it over and finding out they were done a cylinder. With orders to go back out and protect the truck as much as possible, Turner was sent back out on the track and told to ride around at half speed. During this time, the first caution would come out, and during that time, Bulldog67, would also find trouble, pulling into the pits and then the truck was listed as "out" just before the race went back green, a broken camshaft the reason the truck was pulled behind the wall.

Finishing 39th was the #74 Mesa Marin Raceway Chevrolet of HIPHOPANOUNMOUS, who would be involved in the event's third caution when him and the #87 of Colin Dryburgh would spin out and hit the pit road wall with the passenger side of their trucks. HIPHOP would be done for the day on that very lap, but Dryburgh was able to limp around for two more laps before pulling in himself, taking 38th.

The remaining Bottom Five would finish four laps down to the race leaders: 37th was the unsponsored #54 McEachern Racing Chevrolet of Jonathan King and 36th was the aforementioned #94 of Jesse Turner.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #58 had finished last in a Truck Series race as well as at Colorado.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #58-Bulldog67 / 8 laps / camshaft
39) #74-HIPHOPANOUNMOUS / 17 laps / crash
38) #87-Colin Dryburgh / 19 laps / crash
37) #54-Jonathan King / 21 laps / running
36) #94-Jesse Turner / 21 laps / running

SNOWBALL DERBY: Engine failure for Christian Vargas makes him first driver to trail the field in the Snowball Derby

Christian Vargas picked up the 1st last place finish of his career in Sunday's SCRL Snowball Derby at the Five Flags Speedway when his unsponsored #100 Chevrolet fell out with engine issues after completing 46 of the 300 laps.

For the first time in the six year history of the SCRL, it was decided by the SCRL officials that it would host the first ever SCRL Snowball Derby at the historic Five Flags Speedway. The Snowball Derby is a 300-lap super late model stock car race that is held annually at the Five Flags Speedway, a half-mile paved oval track in Pensacola, Florida, United States. After the qualifying and the Snowflake 100 was held on Saturday, the 31 car field was set for the Main Event on Sunday.

In Qualifying, Nick Kennedy would write his name in the SCRL history books by winning the pole with a time of 23.060 while Vargas would easily lock himself into the field as well with a time of 23.420, 0.360 seconds off Kennedy's pole winning time, which placed Vargas 8th. After the qualifying race was complete, starting last on the field would be the #112 ARP Chevrolet of Daniel Bouchard, who would lock himself into the field by taking the final transfer spot.

On race day, Bouchard would trail for only the first two turns before he would knock the #34 Sears, Sand and Gravel Toyota of Stephen White, who would trail for the first lap around the half mile track before he would make a move down the backstretch, knocking the #12 Dex Imaging Toyota of Ronald House, who would trail for the next two laps, before he knocked the #36 Larve Industries Toyota of Austin Hiller into last on Lap 4. Hiller would also trail for two laps before he would knock the #9 Aaron's Ford of Brad Michalec who would fall back to last on Lap 6. The next time around it was the #20 Duke's Mayonnaise / Kroger Ford of Derek Greene who would trail for the next four laps until he finally was able to get a run and knocked the Hiller into last on Lap 11.

Hiller would trail for the next four laps before knocking the #10 Beaulac Trucking / Groupe EDS Chevrolet of Clay Myers, who would assume last on Lap 16 and would trail for two laps until Lap 19 when Greene took the final spot back. Greene would remain in last for three laps before knocking Myers back into last on Lap 22. Myers would remain in last himself for the next three laps when he knocked Hiller into last on Lap 26, who would remain in last for three laps before knocking the #35 Dick's Last Resort Chevrolet of Brian Fields into last on Lap 30. Fields would be in last for only two laps before Hiller would retake the final spot on Lap 32, as he would struggle over the next ten laps to gain any spots around the abrasive Pensacola track surface.

On Lap 42, Vargas, who had fallen back to 14th place, was racing down the frontstretch when his car started to smoke as Vargas pulled his car to the top of the track to try and allow the other drivers to move around him, but the #99 TM Ranch / Car Crushers, Inc. Ford of Winnie Calhoun slammed into Vargas's stalled car, as well as the #21 Eastern Shore Toyota of Roger James would also run into Vargas's car, bringing out the race's first caution. Vargas's car would be forced to be towed back to the garage as the team looked over his car to see if the problem could be fixed, but it was decided the problem was terminal, the car being listed as "out" on Lap 50.

The next two spots would by filled up fourteen laps later when the race's second caution would fly for a three car wreck in Turn 1 when the #11 TM Ranch Chevrolet of Chad Myers was hit by the #63 Everidge Motor Sales Chevrolet of Sun Mao Keys, sending Myers up the track and into the #7 Graham Trucking Ford of Jake Thomas, sending both cars up the track and nearly head on into the concrete wall, before sliding the track right in front of the path of the #01 Clarence Steakhouse Chevrolet of David Haas, who slammed right into Thomas's front half of his car. Myers was able to continue on with no problems, while Thomas and Haas would limp back around before pulling behind the wall, their night done after 62 laps.

Finishing 28th was the unsponsored #59 Chevrolet of Tyler Ferris, who had led 6 laps earlier in the day, lost the lead to engine problems and was limping around the track one lap behind the leaders, when on Lap 194, Ferris would suffer more mechanical problems as Ferris would stall in Turn 2 bringing out the race's 5th caution. Ferris's car would be towed back to the garage as the team would look it over and found that this time the damage would be terminal, with the official cause being listed as a broken valve.

Rounding out the Bottom Five was the #63 Everidge Motor Sales Chevrolet of Sun Mao Keys, who would suffer tire problems late in the race and would trail by two full circuits when the checkered flag waved.

Taking the checkered flag on the historic night would be Daniel Bouchard, who worked his way from last to first in 97 laps and would go on to lead 201 of the event's 300 laps and scored a dominating win over Snowflake 100 winner Ryan Pritchard.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #100 has finished last in the Snowball Derby.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
31) #100-Christian Vargas / 46 laps / engine
30) #7-Jake Thomas / 62 lap / crash
29) #01-David Haas / 62 laps / crash
28) #59-Tyler Ferris / 194 laps / valve led 6 laps
27) #63-Sun Mao Keys / 298 laps / running

SNOWFLAKE: Early crash in the Snowflake 100 prevents Casey Russel from transferring into the Snowball Derby

Casey Russel picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Snowflake career in the Snowflake 100 at the Five Flags Speedway when his #05 Joyner Traffic Engineers was involved in a multi-truck crash after 4 of the 30 laps.

For the first time in the six year history of the SCRL, it was decided by the SCRL officials that it would host the first ever SCRL Snowball Derby at the historic Five Flags Speedway. For those not familiar with the event, the Snowball Derby is a 300-lap super late model stock car race that is held annually at the Five Flags Speedway, a half-mile paved oval track in Pensacola, Florida, United States. The event had never come across the SCRL until early 2020 when league driver AJ Jones suggested the offer of running another event, that being the first ever SCRL Chili Bowl event that will be coming in January. The talks would soon move over to holding another event, that being the Snowball Derby, and unlike many other leagues who do a version of the event, the SCRL decided that if they were going to hold it, it would be done right, and so the distance of the race would be the full 300 lap event.

A league record 50 drivers signed up for a chance to compete in the first ever event, with Casey Russel being one of them, looking to write their name in the SCRL history books. The rules of the event stated that in qualifying the first 20 drivers would automatically lock themselves into the main event, while the remaining 30 drivers would battle in a qualifying race, known as the Snowflake 100, with the top 11 transferring to the main event. Casey would struggle in qualifying, posting the slowest time, a 37.312, 14 seconds behind Nick Kennedy's pole winning time, after Casey had actually spun out on the backstretch during her attempt, with her chance of making the field being only to come from the back and make it inside the Top 11 in the 30 lap qualifying event.

When the race started, Casey would quickly make a move as she knocked the #18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota of Dalton Holmes into the final spot after the first lap while the next lap Holmes would knock the #58 Hebert Excavation Chevrolet of Cody Russell Jr. into last on the second circuit. Russell would remain in last for only one circuit as well as the next time around he would knock the #25 Bondy's Scon Chevrolet of Paul Hogan, who would trail for the next two laps when the battle for last and the transfer spot took a hit. While battling for 15th, the #16 CitiFinancial Ford of Christian Elder made contact with the #50 Southern Piping Company Chevrolet of Brandon Miller, sending Miller down the track and into the #46 Z-Line Designs Toyota of Dylan Bryan, sending both cars nearly head on into the concrete wall. Miller would be sent up the track and was almost hit by the unsponsored #0 of Ignazio Alberti, before it was hit by the unsponsored #07 of Chase Miller before Brandon's car would come back down the track right in front of Casey's car. With no time to react, Casey slammed into the back of Brandon's car, severely damaging the front end of Casey's car and the backend of Brandon's car.

Both Casey and Chase would limp around the track before pulling behind the wall, their night done and the chance of racing in the biggest event was over after just four laps before they would be joined just one lap later by Brandon.

The remaining Bottom Five would struggle and would actually lose a lap during the event during the final laps of the event; 27th was the #14 Keystone Light Beer Chevrolet of Harry Loughran and 26th was the Ariat Harrisons Chevrolet of Lee Mitchell.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #05 has finished last in the Snowflake 100.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
30) #05-Casey Russel / 4 laps / crash
29) #07-Chase Miller / 4 laps / crash
28) #50-Brandon Miller / 5 laps / crash
27) #14-Harry Loughran / 29 laps / running
26) #31-Lee Mitchell / 29 laps / running

Throwback BUSCH: Lap 2 crash at Charlotte gives Kyle Mests the 2nd last-place finish of his Busch career

Kyle Mests picked up the 2nd last place finish of his SCRL Wrangler Jeans Busch Grand National Series career in the Season 1 Mello Yello 300 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when his #12 Industrial Boiler Pontiac was involved in a multi-car crash after 2 of the 40 laps.

The finish, which came in his 13th start, was his first on the circuit since the TranSouth 200 at the Darlington Raceway when he completed all 37 laps under power, 8 races ago. 

After trailing for the first time at Darlington, Mests would rebound with a 11th at the first Hickory event, 34th at South Boston, 25th at Caraway, 18th at Richmond, 25th at Langley, 15th at Dover before finishing 5th in the last round at Hickory.

On race day, Mests rolled off starting 32nd while starting last was the #27 Mason Day Paving Chevrolet of Cole Nixey, the first lap was clean but as soon as the field entered Turn 1 to start Lap 2, chaos would break out. At the time the #21 Chattanooga Chew/Carolina Tool Pontiac of Derrick Edison was racing four wide with the #24 Budweiser Light Ford of Jeff Arndt, the #50 The New Fayetteville Speedway Ford of Dylan Theroux and Dover last-place finisher the #88 unsponsored Pontiac of Keith Stevens as the four cars would run out of room, spinning out Theroux and Stevens, starting a fifteen car pileup. Mests would slow down and try to pull on the apron, but didn't react in time as he slammed into the #37 Hayes Jewelers Pontiac of Matt Johnson, destroying the front end of Mests's car before he was hit from behind by the #27 of Cole Nixey. Mests was able to limp back around before pulling into the garage, the only car knocked out of the race due to the crash.

Finishing 41st was the #32 Pet Dairy Pontiac of Max Anderson, who was leading the race on Lap 6 as the field rode around under caution, when his car suffered a blown engine. 40th was the #15 Wrangler Jeans Pontiac of John Arndt, who would pull behind the wall on Lap 22 suffering with suspension problems after smacking the Turn 4 wall. 

Finishing 39th eight laps later first Hickory last-place finisher the #7 unsponsored Pontiac of Truttle would also pull behind the wall, reporting of a sour engine.

Rounding out the Bottom Five in 38th was the #2 unsponsored Pontiac of Luke Rainey, who was involved in the Lap 2 crash, but was able to limp home to finish the race, five circuits behind race winner Todd Kennedy.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #12 had finished last at Charlotte.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #12-Kyle Mests / 2 laps / crash
41) #32-Max Anderson / 6 laps / engine led 3 laps
40) #15-John Arndt / 22 laps / suspension led 1 lap
39) #71-Truttle / 30 laps / gearbox
38) #2-Luke Raney / 35 laps / running