Friday, March 15, 2024

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


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