Throwback ARCA: Massive crash at Watkins Glen prevents Geoff Hunter from completing a lap

Geoff Hunter picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Lucas Oil ARCA Racing Series career in the Season 1 BetOnUSA.com 150 at Watkins Glen International when his #28 Aluma Aluminum Trailers Chevrolet was involved in a multi-car crash without completing any of the 9 laps.

The finish came in his 17th career start.

Hunter was one of the original thirty three drivers that signed up for the first ever ARCA Season, Hunter started out his season by impressing, finishing 10th in his first start at Daytona and then finishing 5th in the next round at Atlanta. A 13th at Charlotte would be followed by a 15th at Talladega, before Hunter would score back-to-back 4th place finishes at Gateway and Kentucky before scoring back-to-back 28th place finishes at Pocono and Michigan. A series worst 34th at Texas would start a string of bad finishes with a 27th at NJMP, 23rd at Iowa, 30th at Chicagoland and a 34th at ORP before scoring his third 4th place finish of the season at the second Pocono event, but that would be followed with a 36th at Nashville before finishing 22nd in the last round at Milwaukee Mile.

On race day, Hunter rolled off starting 35th while starting in the final spot was the #99 unsponsored Roulo Brothers Racing Ford of Eric Wayne but he wouldn't stay there for long as the field entered Turn 1, pole sitter Daytona last-place finisher the #32 Win-Tron Racing Chevrolet of Dinkdrinker would lose control and spun out and would collect several other drivers. While trying to get back on track, Dinkdrinker made contact with the #1 ModSpace Ford of Grayson Acevedo as the two cars would crash into the Turn 2 guardrail, causing the track to be blocked and would result in a massive twenty car pileup. With nowhere to go, Hunter slammed into the #34 unsponsored Darrell Basham Racing Chevrolet of Caiden Irene, causing severe damage to the front end of Hunter's car before he was hit from behind by two time last-place finisher the #22 Ebay Motors / St. Jude Children's Hospital Dodge of Cam Nixey. Hunter was able to drive back around the 2.450 mile twisting road course but would pull behind the wall just before the start/finish line, not having been scored a lap as he parked the car in the garage.

One lap later, the #54 Costy's Energy Services Dodge of Benoit Lothaire-Irvine would also pull behind the wall, his car severely damaged as well but was able to make it one circuit before pulling behind the wall, giving the driver his second 40th place finish in a row.

It would take another five laps before another position was filled, as Milwaukee Mile last-place finisher the #15 RaceHard.com / Accelerade Toyota of Riley Spurlytube would be spun out in Turn 4 after contact from the #11 Syngenta Ford of Todd Kennedy, sending Spurlytube nearly head on into the guardrail before coming back across the track into the path of the #2 ModSpace / Hixson-Belmont Ford of Jonathan Raines, causing severe damage to Spurlytube's car at both ends. Spurlytube was able to coast back to the pits before pulling behind the wall and into the garage, and after a brief look over by his Venturini Motorsports team, his car was listed as "out" by the 8th lap.

Finishing 38th was the #00 Thunder 2 Chevrolet of Matt Johnson, who led three laps early in the race before losing control and spinning out in the Inner Loop and causing damage to his car, and despite going a lap down, Johnson was running at the finish.

Rounding out the Bottom Five in 37th was the aforementioned #2 of Jonathan Raines, as his team was able to fix the damage on his car as best they could and he was able to remain on the lead lap and would drive to be the last car on the lead lap.

Watkins Glen would turn out to be Hunter's lone last-place finish of his entire SCRL career. Hunter would finish his first ARCA season with back-to-back 12th place finishes at Rockingham and Kansas and would finish 14th in the overall point standings. In the entire SCRL, Hunter would never visit victory lane despite competing in several SCRL Series and hasn't competed in a series for several years.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #28 had finished last in a ARCA Series race as well as at Watkins Glen.
*This marked the first time a driver has failed to complete a lap since the Ansell ActivArmr 150 at the Chicagoland Speedway when Truttle's #48 Radon.com Ford was involved in a multi-car crash without completing any of the 27 laps; 5 races ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
41) #28-Geoff Hunter / 0 laps / crash
40) #54-Benoit Lothaire-Irvine / 1 lap / crash
39) #15-Riley Spurlytube / 6 laps / crash
38) #00-Matt Johnson / 8 laps / running led 3 laps
37) #2-Jonathan Raines / 9 laps / running