John Joseph picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Short Track Division career in Wednesday's Season 1 Race 6 at the Monroe County Fairgrounds when his #74 unsponsored Chevrolet was involved in a single-car crash after 9 of the 20 laps.
The finish came in his 7th career start. In the SCRL Short Track Division, it's the 1st for car #74 and the 1st from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 2nd for the #74 and the 288th from a crash.
Joseph was one of at least half of the field that was making their SCRL debuts by signing up to compete full time in the newest series sanctioned by this league, as Joseph had hopes of competing as many laps as he could during the season and possibly scoring a Top 10 or maybe even a Top 5, and if those goals was met, possibly even sneak in a win or two if the cards would fall the way he hoped, and who knows maybe a championship in his first ever attempt. Joseph would qualify 11th and finished 12th in his debut race at Dayton before following it up with a 11th at Charlotte, 14th at Greenville-Pickens, 20th at Hickory, 7th at Bowman-Gray before finishing 17th in the last round at Martinsville.
In qualifying, veteran Samet Ozkan would win his first career series pole, posting a time of 18.806 seconds. Joseph would fair decent in qualifying, posting a time of 19.018 seconds, 0.212 seconds behind Ozkan's time, which placed him 12th on the starting lineup. Starting last in the race was the #99 Super America Ford of R.T. Smith, who posted the slowest time of 19.524, 0.718 seconds behind Ozkan's pole winning time.
On race day, Smith would trail for the first lap around the half mile dirt track before knocking Joseph back to last for the first time on Lap 2 before the race's first caution comes out on Lap 3 when the #2 Dayvaults Ford of Hale Hyatt lost grip entering Turn 3 before spinning out and sliding up into Smith who also spun out, giving Hyatt severe right side damage to Hyatt's car before going for two flips before landing back on all four wheels. After a brief pitstop to try and repair the damage, Hyatt would return to the track having lost a lap to the race leaders and would trail the field until the race's second caution came out on Lap 11 that would end the race for the battle for last.
While running in 19th, Joseph would lose traction going in Turn 3 and slid up the track, smacking the outside wall with enough force that would make Joseph flip over four times before landing on all four wheels, his car destroyed and done for the day.
The next two spots would be filled up in the next lap as the #28 LaFayette Ford of Kaitlyn Coyne and #11 Dodge Boys Dodge of Dilan Ebrahimian would also be involved in the same caution but would wreck further along the track in Turn 4.
The remaining Bottom Five would be filled up just six laps later as the race's third and final caution would fly on Lap 16 when the #9 Coors Ford of Bailey Leigh and Hickory last-place finisher the #55 Bill-Tin Chevrolet of Alexa Lake would crash out in Turn 4, ending both their days.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #74 had finished last as well at Monroe County.
*This was the first time a driver trailed due to crashing out of the event.
*This was the first time the #74 had finished last as well at Monroe County.
*This was the first time a driver trailed due to crashing out of the event.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
22) #74-John Joseph / 9 laps / crash
21) #28-Kaitlyn Coyne / 10 laps / crash
20) #11-Dilan Ebrahimian / 10 laps / crash
19) #9-Bailey Leigh / 16 laps / crash
18) #55-Alexa Lake / 17 laps / crash
22) #74-John Joseph / 9 laps / crash
21) #28-Kaitlyn Coyne / 10 laps / crash
20) #11-Dilan Ebrahimian / 10 laps / crash
19) #9-Bailey Leigh / 16 laps / crash
18) #55-Alexa Lake / 17 laps / crash
SCRL LASTCAR SHORT TRACK DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
No comments:
Post a Comment