Thursday, March 3, 2022

Throwback ARCA TRUCK: Off screen crash at Toledo gives Lowden Clear the second and final last-place finish of his SCRL career



Lowden Clear picked up the 2nd last place finish of his SCRL ARCA Truck Series career in the Season 1 ARCATRUCKRACING.com 50 at the Toledo Speedway when his #72 Big Blue Dodge was involved in a single-car crash after completing 6 of the 20 laps.

The finish, which came in his 10th career series start, was his first on the circuit since the California 200 at the Mesa Marin Raceway when he completed all 30 laps under power, 8 races ago.

After trailing for the first time in his career at Mesa Marin, Clear would instantly find redemption in the very next race by leading all but one lap and scored his first career SCRL win at Dover. A 5th at Bowman Gray proved his win wasn't a fluke as he would continue his Top 10 streak by finishing 8th at Gateway before struggling to finish 23rd at Eldora, three laps behind the race leaders after being caught up in a early wreck. An 11th at Oxford Plains would be followed by a 3rd at Lanier before Clear would once again rebound by scoring the second win of his career in the last round at Winchester.

On race day, Clear would roll off starting 23rd while starting last was the #54 Mansfield Welding Service Chevrolet of Mike Pearson. Even as the SCRL had made its way to YouTube as the lone broadcast platform for SCRL racing, even back in 2017 this league was not as focused on the back of the field as it is today, so the details of the early laps of this event was not taken note of so the battle for last is mostly unknown, but what is known is that by the time the leaders had completed Lap 6, Clear's truck was shown on pit road sitting in his stall with no explanation as to what had happened to Clear as the cameras would focus on the leaders, as for two more laps Clear's truck would sit in his pit stall before being pushed behind the wall on Lap 8. There is no video or photo footage of what happened to Clear, but what is known is that by Lap 9, Clear's truck was listed as "out" by the officials with the reason given was crash damage.

The remaining Bottom Five would finish on the same lap as the race leaders; 25th was the #50 Corona Extra / Goosebumps Ford of Jimmy Potter, 24th was the #09 Burning Rubber Chevrolet of Wooldoor Sockbat, 23rd was Gateway last-place finisher the #26 Coyote Entertainment Chevrolet of Isaac Nicholls and 22nd was the #05 Little Mountain Insurance Ford of Toot Braunsteain.

For Clear, Dover and Winchester would be the only times he would ever visit victory lane in the SCRL, as he would compete in two more ARCA Truck events, a 22nd in the next event at Rockingham and a 11th in the season finale at Airborne Speedway. Clear would end his season with two wins, the most of any driver that season, 4 Top 5's and 5 Top 10's, and would finish 10th overall in the final point standings. Clear has not competed in a SCRL race since the end of the season back in 2017.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #72 had finished last at Toledo.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
26) #72-Lowden Clear / 6 laps / crash
25) #50-Jimmy Potter / 20 laps / running
24) #09-Wooldoor Sockbat / 20 laps / running
23) #26-Isaac Nicholls / 20 laps / running
22) #05-Toot Braunsteain / 20 laps / running

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