Throwback ARCA TRUCK: Scott Custer trails in season finale at Airborne; Anthony Lopez wins SCRLASTCAR Championship

Scott Custer picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL ARCA Truck Series career in the Season 1 Lincoln Welders 100 at the Airborne Speedway when his #30 Liuna! Chevrolet completed 19 of the 20 laps under power.

The finish came in his 12th career series start.

Custer was one of several drivers making their SCRL debuts in the ARCA division's newest series with dreams of moving up to higher series at some point. Custer would finish 19th in his league and series debut in the season opener at Toledo before finishing 17th at Mesa Marin, 24th at Dover before scoring a career best 12th at Bowman Gray in his fourth start. Just one race later, Custer would have his first ever competitive race by finishing runner up at Gateway, but his stay toward the front of the field lasted only one race as he would struggle to finish 13th at Eldora, 17th at Oxford Plains, 18th at Lanier and then 11th at Winchester. Custer would then impress once again, finishing 3rd at the series second visit of the season at Toledo before finishing 16th in the last round at Rockingham.

On race day, Custer rolled off starting 20th while starting last was the #50 Corona Extra / Goosebumps Ford of Jimmy Potter as the race would be a rather calm event as all twenty six drivers would give each other respect on the track with it being the final event of the season, during which Custer would struggle during the event, falling back to last in the early stages and would lose a lap with five laps to go, and with no cautions coming out during the event, Custer would be the lone driver to not finish on the lead lap.

The remaining Bottom Five, who would finish on the same lap as the race leaders, were; 25th was Eldora last-place finisher the #77 unsponsored Chevrolet of Spanky Ham, 24th was the aforementioned #50 of Jimmy Potter, 23rd was Gateway last-place finisher the #26 Coyote Entertainment Chevrolet of Isaac Nicholls and 22nd was the #21 unsponsored Chevrolet of Gavyn Moore.

By virtue of Custer finishing last, it meant that the Season 1 SCRLASTCAR Championship went to Anthony Lopez, who won the championship easily by scoring four last-place finishes.

The Season 1 SCRL ARCA Truck Series Championship went to Colin Dryburgh, the first ever in his SCRL career. Dryburgh had no last-place finishes during the season, with only one finish in the Bottom Five - coming at Bowman Gray, where he finished 22nd. 

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #30 had finished last in the ARCA Truck Series as well at Airborne.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
26) #30-Scott Custer / 19 laps / running
25) #77-Spanky Ham / 20 laps / running
24) #50-Jimmy Potter / 20 laps / running
23) #26-Isaac Nicholls / 20 laps / running
22) #21-Gavyn Moore / 20 laps / running

Throwback ARCA: Bizarre crash at Rockingham prevents Riley Spurlytube from completing a lap; SCRLASTCAR Championship battle set for Kansas

Riley Spurlytube picked up the 2nd last place finish of his SCRL Lucas Oil ARCA Racing Series career in the Season 1 American 200 at the Rockingham Speedway when his #15 RaceHard.com / Accelerade Toyota was involved in a multi-car crash without completing any of the 20 laps.

The finish, which came in his 18th career start, was his first on the circuit since the Governor's Cup 200 at the Milwaukee Mile when he fell out with header problems after completing 19 of the 40 laps; 2 races ago.

After suffering mechanical problems at Milwaukee, Spurlytube was hoping to change his luck around on the twisting road course at Watkins Glen, but would only continue to find more trouble as he would be taken out in a early crash and finished a disappointing 39th.

On race day, Spurlytube would roll off starting 30th while starting in the final spot was Chicagoland last-place finisher the #48 Radon.com Ford of Truttle, but he wouldn't stay there for too long. As the field entered the backstretch for the first time under green conditions, the #92 unsponsored NTS Motorsports Chevrolet of Sammath Kennedy went wide and smacked the outside wall, coming down the track in the path of the #06 unsponsored Wayne Peterson Racing Ford of Tim Holiday, sending Holiday day the track and almost head on into the inside wall. Thankfully for Holiday, the track had long since had safer barriers, but the impact of the crash sent him up the track and right into the path of Talladega last-place finisher the unsponsored #77 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge of John Racer, causing a chain reaction that would involve fifteen cars. At the time of the crash, Spurlytube was stuck on the high side and actually avoided the first half of the crash and looked like he might avoid any damage, but Spurlytube made contact where the concrete wall met the safer barrier, sending Spurlytube's car off the track and into the air before landing on all four wheels, the right front completely destroyed and the rest of the car not looking to great either. Spurlytube would climb from his car once the chaos had ended and was extremely upset over the track owner for having an unsafe wall, with his car being listed as "out" by the third circuit.

Finishing 40th would be the #68 unsponsored Kimmel Racing Ford of Ford of Nick Kennedy, who was right behind Spurlytube when the crash happened, with nowhere to go, Kennedy's front end was destroyed beyond repair and would actually make it around the track for one circuit before he pulled behind the wall, out after a single circuit.

The remaining Bottom Five would all be involved in that same wreck but where able to limp around for two laps before pulling behind the wall and into the garage; 39th was the #20 Coal - America's Energy Chevrolet of AJ Jones, 38th was the #34 unsponsored Darrell Basham Racing Chevrolet of Ciaden Irene and 37th was the #23 Allegiant Air Chevrolet of Cassie Waz.

Entering the season finale at Kansas, seven drivers have a chance to win the SCRLASTCAR Championship; Riley Spurlytube, Daniel Bouchard, John Arndt, Tayon Kennedy, Cam Nixey, Cole Nixey and Richard Torres. If any of the seven drivers finishes last, they will win the championship outright, while if any driver finishes in the Bottom Five, Riley Spurlytube will lock up the championship or if any driver other then the seven, Spurlytube will also lock up the championship.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #15 had finished last in a ARCA Series race at Rockingham.
*This is the first time a driver has failed to complete a lap since the BetOnUSA.com 150 at Watkins Glen International when Geoff Hunter's #28 Aluma Aluminum Trailers Chevrolet was involved in a multi-car crash without completing any of the 9 laps; 1 race ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
41) #15-Riley Spurlytube / 0 laps / crash
40) #68-Nick Kennedy / 1 lap / crash
39) #20-AJ Jones / 2 laps / crash
38) #34-Caiden Irene / 2 laps / crash
37) #23-Cassie Waz / 2 laps / crash

SHAKER MEMORIAL: Jake Bloom trails in first ever SCRL start after early crash at Atlanta

Jake Bloom picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Shaker Memorial Race career in Wednesday's 7th Annual Shaker Memorial Race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway when his #88 UPS Ford was involved in a multi-car crash after 2 of the 33 laps.

The finish came in his 1st start. 

The Shaker Memorial began in 2015 when the dog of this blog's author, Shaker, passed away in 2015, in her honor, a yearly race is held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, the closest track to where she lived. The entry list for the 7th annual, but 8th running of the event, was for the fourth year in a row that was a full 42 car field, as only one former winner of this event would be competing this year.

In qualifying, rookie Tyler Ferris would impress in his first ever attempt behind the wheel in the SCRL by winning the pole with a time of 26.292. Bloom would struggle around the 1.540 track, posting a time of 26.401, while it was only 0.109 seconds off Ferris's pole time, it would place Bloom 23rd on the starting line up. Starting last in the race was the #20 The Home Depot / Lithium-Ion Chevrolet of Blaise Zebrataur, who posted a time of 26.571 seconds, 0.279 behind Ferris's pole winning time.

With over one hundred twenty thousand people in the stands, the green flag waved as Blaise would get a good run from the start and knocked the #10 Valvoline Chevrolet of Addison Way into the final spot in Turn 1 as Way would trail for the first lap and was trailing the field as drivers raced out of Turn 4 to start Lap 2. As the field entered Turn 1, defending Shaker Memorial race winner the #22 Caterpillar Dodge of Chris Kyle made contact with the #31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet of Brandon Mayhew, as Mayhew knocked Kyle down the track and into Bloom who was also going four way with the others as Kyle and Bloom locked bumpers and drove down onto the apron and back up the track with the #27 Freddie B's Ford of Sun Mao Keys as all four cars would be collected to bring out the race's first caution. After the accident was over, Bloom would actually drive his car head on into Mayhew's stalled car, causing more damage to both cars as both drivers would be scored as competing two laps with Bloom being given the final spot.

Being scored 40th and 39th was Chris Kyle and Sun Mao Keys, who were both able to limp back around to the front stretch and crossed the start/finish line before pulling behind the wall, both scored as competing three laps and would be done for the day.

Rounding out the Bottom Five in 38th was the #11 FedEx Ground Chevrolet of Derek Greene, who had been in the four wide battle when the crash happened but had been lucky to barely miss hitting Bloom's car as it came back up the track. Greene, who was running in 22nd at the time as the field ran around behind the pace car began to smoke heavily as he pulled to the inside of the track and then behind the wall, as the crew looked over the car it was discovered the gearbox was broke, and with not enough time to get back out for a non-points paying event, the team decided to retire the car, with it being listed as "out" on Lap 10.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #88 has finished last in the Shaker Memorial.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #88-Jake Bloom / 2 laps / crash
41) #31-Brandon Mayhew / 2 lap / crash
40) #22-Chris Kyle / 3 laps / crash
39) #27-Sun Mayo Keys / 3 laps / crash
38) #11-Derek Greene / 6 laps / gearbox

Throwback TRUCKS: Josh Barker fails to advance in LCQ at Mesa Marin

Josh Barker picked up the 2nd last place finish of his SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series career in the Season 1 Spears Manufacturing 200 at the Mesa Marin Raceway when his #2 Ultra Custom Wheels / ASE Ford completed all 15 laps in the LCQ.

The finish, which came in his 19th career start, was his first on the circuit since the Stevens Beil / Genuine Car Parts 150 at the Flemington Speedway when he completed all 10 laps in the LCQ; 5 races ago.

After trailing the field at Flemington, Barker finished 38th after being in a mid-race crash at Richmond, 4th at Martinsville, 8th at North Wilkesboro before finishing 21st in the last round at Sears Point.

With the track only able to fit 34 trucks, the last four in points would be forced to battle it out for the last two spots. On race day, Barker would roll off the field in 2nd place in the LCQ while starting last was Evergreen last-place finisher the #83 Coffee Critic Chevrolet of Richard Torres a position that Torres would hold for the first lap before knocking Barker into the final spot on Lap 2, Barker would hold for two laps before Torres fell back to last on Lap 4 but would rebound by knocking Barker into the final spot once again on Lap 5. Barker would try over the next ten laps to try and pass Torres once again but could never find the right chance, failing to gain a spot over the remaining laps and failed to transfer along with Torres, who was scored 35th.

Finishing 34th was the #52 AC Delco of Cesar Chavez, who was caught up in a multi-truck crash just seconds after the green flag was waved, having not completed a single lap.

The remaining Bottom Five would be involved in a Lap 10 crash on the backstretch: 33rd was the #24 DuPont Refinishes of John Arndt and 32nd was IRP last-place finisher the #08 Ultra Custom Wheels Ford of Evan Rudd.

Barker's victory at Colorado earlier in the season would be his lone visit to victory lane in the truck series, as he would finish 34th in the overall point standings. Barker currently has 4 career SCRL wins and still competes to this day.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #2 had finished last at Mesa Marin.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #2-Josh Barker / 15 laps / running
35) #83-Richard Torres / 15 laps / crash
34) #52-Cesar Chavez / 0 laps / crash
33) #24-John Arndt / 10 laps / crash
32) #08-Evan Rudd / 11 laps / crash