TRUCKS: Last lap spin at Evergreen gives Ashton Tifft his second last-place finish in a row

Ashton Tifft picked up the 2nd last place finish of his SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series career in Sunday's NAPACARD 200 at the Evergreen Speedway when his #38 Menards Chevrolet completed all 20 laps under power.

The finish, which occurred in his 3rd career series start, was his first on the circuit since the Chevy Trucks NASCAR 150 at the Phoenix International Raceway when he was eliminated in a two-truck accident after 4 of 15 laps; 1 race ago. In the Truck Series, it's the 2nd for the #38 and the 36th for running at the finish. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 2nd for the #38 and 116th for running at the finish.

After trailing the field for the first time in his career at Phoenix, Tifft's team traveled up the west cost to the Evergreen Speedway, the site of what would be the series historic 100th race.

The entry list for Evergreen would shrink back to 36 trucks as Jamie Timber's team decided to skip the event, not planning on competing in another race until Martinsville.

In qualifying the session would be rained out, forcing the field to be set by driver points, putting Zachary Fitzwater on the pole while Tifft would be placed 17th on the starting grid. Starting in the 35th and final spot would be the #26 Mittler Brothers / American Trucking Ford of Derrick Edison. One truck would fail to qualify, that being the #31 Auto Trim Design Ford of Kristian Bracken, as she is still looking for her first Top 20 finish after placing 35th at Homestead and 34th at Phoenix.

On race day, Edison's stay in the final spot would last only two circuits before he knocked the #44 Federated Auto Parts Ford of Mitchell Hodack into the final spot with Hodack trailing for the first lap but the next time around it would be the #14 Circle Bar Motel & RV Park Ford of Michael Brown who would be last across the line and the next lap it was the #7 Conely Rent-a-Car of Tyler Kepman who would be last across the line on Lap 3. The next time by, the race's first caution would fly when the #83 Gwaltney / FW Siebert Construction Ford of Max Anderson would spin out on the Frontstretch after contact from Juniper Skunktaur, collecting Homestead last-place finisher the #04 Chelsea Dodge of Hilda Pierson as well as Kepman.

Kepman would remain in the final spot through the caution laps and when the green flag came back out on Lap 10, he was determined to not trail for the first time in his career, knocking Pierson down to last on Lap 11. Pierson's truck, clearly damaged from taking a hit to the passenger door and almost flipping, would limp around the final spot until with two laps to go she knocked Edison back to last as it appeared Edison would be heading to his third truck series last-place finish as he took the white flag. But as the field entered Turn 1, Tifft, who had worked his way into 15th, would be spun out by the #46 Acxiom Ford of Sebastian Torres, bringing out the caution but since the drivers had already taken the white flag, a Green, White, Checkered finish wasn't going to happen, forcing Tifft to limp across the finish line 15.669 seconds behind the race leaders.

The remaining Bottom Five were; 34th was the aforementioned #26 of Derrick Edison, 33rd was the #04 of Hilda Pierson, 32nd was the #7 of Tyler Kepman and 31st was the #34 Sprint Prepaid Phonecard Dodge of Brian Fox.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #38 has finished last in a Truck Series race at Evergreen.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
35) #38-Ashton Tifft / 20 laps / running
34) #26-Derrick Edison / 20 laps / running
33) #04-Hilda Pierson / 20 laps / running
32) #7-Tyler Kepman / 20 laps / running
31) #34-Brian Fox / 20 laps / running

S5 SCRLASTCAR Rainbow Dash Truck Series Driver's Championship

TRUCKS: Massive crash under caution gives rookie Ashton Tifft first career last-place finish at Phoenix

Ashton Tifft picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series career in Saturday's Chevy Trucks NASCAR 150 at the Phoenix International Raceway when his #38 Menards Chevrolet was eliminated in a two-truck accident after 4 of 15 laps.

The finish occurred in his 2nd career series start. In the Truck Series, it's the 1st for the #38 and the 38th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 1st for the #38 and 81st from a crash.

Ashton was one seventeen drivers who would be making his truck series debut, but he was also making his overall SCRL debut, having never competed in a SCRL sanctioned race before choosing to sign up to drive full-time here in Season 5. In his debut in the last round at Homestead, Tifft would qualify disappointing 27th and would finish 22nd by the time the checkered flag waved.

The entry list for Phoenix would grow by one as Jamie Timber, who would be attempting to make his first career start in the truck series, would be placed on the entry list for his first of a planned seven races in Season 5 before attempting to go full time in Season 6.

Six time SCRL Champion Chakat Whitelion would score hir second career series pole in qualifying, posting a time of 28.638 seconds, while Tifft would improve on Homestead, posting a time of 28.813 seconds, 0.175 seconds behind Whitelion's pole winning time, placing him in 23rd position. Posting the slowest time during qualifying was Homestead race winner the #12 Team ASE / Ultra Wheels Ford of Reggie Fogleman, who was 0.257 seconds behind Whitelion's lap time.

On race day, Fogleman would trail for the first turn before knocking the #86 Royal Crown Cola Ford of Cameron Hathaway into last as Hathaway would trail for the first lap before knocking the debuting #23 Red Line Oil Chevrolet of Jamie Timber into last place and he would be running in that same spot for the next two circuits before the battle for last came to a quick and sudden end.

The race's first caution would come on Lap 2 when the #26 Mittler Brothers / American Trucking Ford of Derrick Edison and the #83 Gwaltney / FW Siebert Construction Ford of Max Anderson would spin out on the Frontstretch, forcing drivers to make the whole lap having missed the caution flag. When the drivers took the caution, Tifft who had worked his way up to 15th by this point entered Turn 1 side-by-side with the #21 HS Die & Engineering Ford of Zachary DiLello, at which point DiLello would hook the right rear of Tifft's truck and turned him head on into the wall, causing Tifft's truck to lift all but one wheel of the ground before slamming back down to the pavement. While DiLello would drive away, Tifft's truck was destroyed beyond repair and would be towed back to the garage, his truck listed as "Out" by Lap 5.

Finishing 36th was the #1 Mopar Performance Dodge of Angel Gutiérrez, who suffered a broken Valve while running behind the pace truck during the caution flag.

The remaining Bottom Five would finish on the same lap as the race leaders; 35th was the aforementioned #21 of Zachary DiLello, 34th was the #31 Auto Trim Design Ford of Kristian Bracken and 33rd was the #15 Ortho Ford of Sébastien Palmer.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #38 has finished last in a Truck Series race as well at Phoenix.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
37) #38-Ashton Tifft / 4 laps / crash
36) #1-Angel Gutiérrez / 5 lap / valve
35) #21-Zachary DiLello / 15 laps / running
34) #31-Kristian Bracken / 15 laps / running
33) #15-Sébastien Palmer / 15 laps / running

S5 SCRLASTCAR Rainbow Dash Truck Series Driver's Championship

TRUCKS: Early crash gives Hilda Pierson first career last-place finish in debut at Homestead

Hilda Pierson picked up the 1st last place finish of her SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series career in Friday's Florida Dodge Dealers 400K at the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex when her #04 Chelsea Dodge was eliminated in a multi-truck accident after 2 of 19 laps.

The finish occurred in her 1st career series start. In the Truck Series, it's the 2nd for the #04 and the 37th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 4th for the #04 and 80th from a crash.

The start of Season 5 of the SCRL's Rainbow Dash Truck Series began with signups, in which a total of seventeen of the thirty-six drivers that signed up would be making their truck series debuts, among them was Pierson, who would be making her overall SCRL debut. Choosing to be the driver for Bobby Hamilton's second truck, Pierson is looking to have a decent season while contending for Rookie of the Year and plans to compete in all 25 events.

The entry list would be filled with all thirty-six drivers with no drivers in danger of going home in qualifying. Rookie Reggie Fogleman would score his first career series pole in qualifying in his debut, by posting a time of 36.204 seconds, while Pierson would struggle in qualifying, posting a time of 36.432 seconds, 0.228 seconds behind Fogleman's pole winning time, placing her in 30th position. Posting the slowest time during qualifying was the #75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet of Michael Hoaks, who was 0.281 seconds behind Fogleman's lap time.

On race day, Russell would trail for the first two turns before knocking the #99 Exide Batteries Ford of Chakat Whitelion into last place, as Whitelion would trail for the first lap and was in that very spot when the battle for last would come to a quick end the very next circuit. While battling for 18th, the #29 Mopar Performance Dodge of Skyler Taylor would be spun out by the #09 of Chakat Duskwatcher, sending Taylor up the track and into the concrete wall and then back out in front of traffic. Pierson's teammate the #18 Dana Dodge of Nathan Ormond would be the first truck to make contact with Taylor's truck, causing a chain reaction as multiple other trucks would be involved, one being the #31 Auto Trim Design Ford of Kristian Bracken, who spun in front of Pierson, and with nowhere to go, Pierson hit Bracken in the driver's door, and while Pierson and Bracken would drive their trucks back to the garage, their day was done, being listed as "out" by Lap 4, while Taylor would make one more circuit, being scored as completed 3 laps and listed as out by Lap 5.

The remaining Bottom Five would finish on the same lap as the race leaders; 33rd was the #0 Buyers Choice Chevrolet of Rogal Doran and 32nd was the aforementioned #18 of Nathan Ormond.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This is the first time the #04 has finished last in a Truck Series race at Homestead.
*The only other time the #04 has finished last in a Truck Series race was in the Season 3 The No Fear Challenge at the California Speedway when Maria Valera's #04 unsponsored M-R Motorsports Chevrolet was involved in a multi-truck crash after 3 of the 25 laps; 30 races ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #04-Hilda Pierson / 2 laps / crash
35) #31-Kristian Bracken / 2 laps / crash
34) #29-Skyler Taylor / 3 laps / crash
33) #0-Rogal Doran / 19 laps / running
32) #18-Nathan Ormond / 19 laps / running

S5 SCRLASTCAR Rainbow Dash Truck Series Driver's Championship