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