SCRLASTCAR: CUP: Late race crash at Hillsborough gives Marcus Saatchi the first last-place finish of his cup career; becomes only the second driver to complete the SCRLASTCAR Triple Crown

Marcus Saatchi picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Grand National Series career in Race 10 at the Occoneechee Speedway when his #100 Ford was involved in a multi-car accident after 6 of the 10 laps.

The finish came in his 10th career series start. In the SCRL Grand National Series, it's the 1st for car #100 and the 7th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 1st for the #100 and 284th from a crash.

Entering the second ever cup season, Saatchi had never completed in the cup series but has found success in other series, having scored seven career wins in his SCRL career and came close to winning the championship for Season 2 of the SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series before being taken out in a crash in the season finale at Las Vegas and losing to Jonathan Raines. Saatchi would sign to drive to full time and would finish 12th in his debut at Daytona Beach and Road Course. A 23rd at Charlotte would be followed by an 11th at Langhorne, 8th at Martinsville, 20th at Canfield, 18th at Vernon, 9th at Dayton, a series best 7th at Monroe before finishing 12th in the second event at Charlotte.

In qualifying, Zachary Fitzwater would score his first career pole with a time of 34.274 seconds. Saatchi would have a decent qualifying lap, posting a time of 34.413, while only 0.139 seconds off Fitzwater's time, it would place Saatchi in 24th. Starting last in the race was Langhorne last-place finisher the #6 Fabulous Hudson Hornet Hudson of Nick Kennedy, who posted a time of 35.162, 0.888 seconds behind Fitzwater's pole winning time.

Dallas Jordan is forced to come to pit road
at the start of the race

On race day as the field began their lone pace lap, the #42 Petty Special Plymouth of Dallas Jordan pulled to the inside of the track, reporting to his crew that something was wrong with the car, as he would follow the pace car down pit road as the rest of the field took the green flag. Jordan's Petty Enterprises team would look over the car and it was discovered that they had problems with the fuel system, and after a brief check over, they sent their driver back out, hoping to repair it under yellow if a caution came out, with Jordan losing a lap before getting back out onto the track and had no car had any other problems, Dallas would trail for the first time in his short career.

While battling for 15th, the #1 Fabulous Hudson Hornet Hudson of Johnston McClellan was battling the #7 Bob Flock Garage Oldsmobile of Patrick White entering Turn 4 as the two cars would lock together and would slide up the track, hitting the concrete wall, sending McClellan for a spin as he faced on coming track while White would drive on with minor right side damage. At this point in the race, Saatchi had only gained two spots and was running in 22nd when McClellan was spun out, and with Saatchi running on the high side, he had nowhere to go and hit the car head on at almost 80 mph, with Saatchi's car sliding down the track and blocking it as the rest of the field came up on the two cars starting a pileup. Saatchi and McClellan would both limp their cars back to the garage and would be scored on the same lap with Saatchi being awarded the final spot while the Monroe last-place finisher the #91 Plymouth of AJ Jones was also involved in the pileup and scored 40th.

Finishing in 39th was the #87 Griffin Motors / Darlington Intl. Raceway Oldsmobile of Doug Hart who would suffer a tire problem while riding around under caution.

Rounding out the Bottom Five in 38th was the aforementioned #42 of Dallas Jordan, while him and his team was able to get the caution they needed, it would in fact in the race, and so he would remain the other drive one lap behind.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were drivers were; 29th was the #89 Ford of Austin Hiller, 28th was the #88 Ford of Brian Fields, 27th was Daytona Beach last-place finisher the #44 Daytona Motors Cadillac of Chase Miller and 26th was the #43 Buick of Christian Russel.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS

*This was the first time the #100 has finished last in a Grand National Series race as well at Hillsborough.

*Saatchi now has three last-place finishes - one in each of SCRL's top three series. Tuesday joined the April 20, 2017 Busch Series race at Caraway and the January 9, 2018 Truck Series race at Mesa Marin. He becomes the 2nd driver to complete the SCRLASTCAR Triple Crown.