O’REILLY: Alex Labbe scores first last-place run for #91 at Darlington since 1984
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Arthur, @Arthur21297476
Alex Labbe picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career in Saturday’s Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at the Darlington Raceway when his #91 Berry’s Injection Molding Chevrolet was eliminated with crash damage after 120 of 147 laps.
The finish, which came in Labbe’s 165th series start, was his first of the season and first in an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race since February 13, 2021 at Daytona, 170 races ago. In the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings, it was the 35th for the #91, the 417th from a crash, and the 684th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 62nd for the #91, the 1,449th from a crash, and the 2,031st for Chevrolet.
Labbe was last featured on this site last summer, when his Truck Series debut for Reaume Brothers Racing ended with rear gear issues 34 laps into the inaugural event at Lime Rock Park. While still active in the NASCAR Canada Series, he’s continued to compete in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for, though for fewer starts since his last full-time effort in 2021. While most known for his road racing prowess, he’s also made several oval starts on both short tracks and superspeedways, including a 12th at Loudon in 2023. And while he’s often driven for Mario Gosselin – as he had on Saturday – he’s also driven for RSS Racing, SS-Green Light Racing, and Joey Gase Motorsports to name a few.
Saturday marked Labbe’s eighth series start at Darlington, his first since 2022. In those previous seven starts, he’d shown remarkable consistency, completing all but one lap and finishing no worse than 19th. His best was a 10th-place sweep of both races in 2021.
While DGM Racing x JIM elected to not run “throwback” schemes for either of their cars, the team instead went for a “throwback” lineup, tweeting that Labbe in the #91 would join his 2019 teammate Josh Williams in the #92. Multiple backer jumped aboard Labbe’s black-and-white #91 Chevrolet, headlined by Berry’s Injection Molding & CNC on the hood. Larue Industrial Snowblowers, a longtime backer of Labbe, took the quarter panels along with Canadian RV dealer Centre du BR Victoriaville. Bucked Up Apparel, a frequent NASCAR team sponsor, adorned the TV panel.
Labbe’s was one of 40 cars originally entered for the 38 spots in Saturday’s race before Mike Harmon Racing withdrew the #74 for driver Dawson Cram. In practice, Labbe ranked just 35th with a best lap of 31.518 seconds (156.025mph) that he turned halfway through his 30 laps. But the team detected something off with the motor, so they performed an engine change. To do this, they unloaded their backup, the #91 Success Unlocked Chevrolet driven by Mason Maggio, and put it in Labbe’s car. The team completed this in time for Labbe to line up 13th for qualifying, though he still struggled for speed. He ranked just 34th with a lap of 31.225 seconds (157.489mph), meaning he had to rely on Owner Points.
Securing the 38th and final starting spot was Nathan Byrd, whose unsponsored #42 Randco Chevrolet was the only car to not take time due to a mechanical issue of his own. He still secured the final starting spot as the lone team sent home was the #35 Ace Hardware Rock Hill / Michael Annett 2014 Tribute Chevrolet of Matt DiBenedetto, marking the third DNQ in a row for Joey Gase Motorsports’ #35 entry. Byrd’s team completed unapproved adjustments, incurring him a redundant tail-end penalty along with Labbe for his engine change. Also docked for unapproved adjustments were 27th-place starter Nick Sanchez in the #25 Paynuity / Travel Curious Ford and 28th-place Patrick Staropoli in the #48 Syfovre Chevrolet.
When the race started, Byrd retook the last spot by the exit of Turns 1 and 2, his #42 holding the last spot on the inside line. By Lap 18, he was still on the lead lap, but now 28.118 seconds back of the lead. Four laps later, Kyle Larson caught him in Turns 3 and 4, then worked his way past in the high lane through the frontstretch and the entrance of Turn 1. The next time by, Larson also lapped new 37th-place runner Joey Gase in his #55 NFPA Chevrolet. While negotiating Byrd through faster lead-lap traffic, the team’s spotter advised him to try a different line through Turns 3 and 4. This seemed to help, as by Lap 37, he caught and passed Gase on track, putting the #55 back to last place. Byrd then reached 35th on Lap 39, just as Blaine Perkins now took last due to brake issues on his #31 Capital City Towing Chevrolet.
That same time by on Lap 39, Austin Hill was limping his #21 1-800-PACK-RAT Chevrolet, which started to have a tire go down after he glanced off the wall back on Lap 5. This forced Hill to pit road, dropping him to last on Lap 40, and he fell two laps down. This occurred in the final laps of Stage 1, at which point Hill remained in last, ready to take the wave-around. During the caution, Hill spoke with both his crew and team owner Richard Childress about what to do next. After learning the tire was cut and not worn out, Childress suggested freeing the car up for the next run. Hill also called for more help in the center of the corner as he remained fast on corner entry.
On Lap 49, still under the Stage 1 caution, Kyle Sieg slowed to a crawl at pit entrance, and needed a wrecker to push his #28 Night Owl Companies Chevrolet to his pit stall. The team was perplexed, wondering how they could have run out of fuel in so short of a race. A similar issue affected Jeremy Clements in the #51 Fly and Form Structures Chevrolet, causing him to swap the 37th spot with Clements while Hill got one of his two laps back in 38th. On Lap 52, still under caution, Ryan Ellis – Byrd’s teammate at Young’s Motorsports – dropped to 37th after issues on his #02 Sweetwater Chevrolet, moving Byrd to 36th and Perkins to 35th.
By Lap 53, Byrd was now 37th with Kyle Sieg in 36th and Ellis up to 35th, though Clements incurred a penalty for pitting on a closed pit road. Byrd briefly retook last on Lap 54 before Clements’ penalty dropped him to last. But Clements’ crew then told him he should line up ahead of Sieg for the restart. So, just before the green came back out on Lap 55, Sieg took the spot, only to immediately get back by Clements on Lap 56. Gase briefly held last on Lap 57 before scoring showed Byrd behind Sieg, then Perkins dropped to 37th on Lap 60 to split Gase from Byrd. Byrd then caught and passed Perkins on Lap 67, putting the #31 to 38th for the second time in the race. On Lap 74, Byrd again gained a spot, dropping Gase to 37th. Four laps later on Lap 78, the leaders lapped both Perkins and Gase for a second time, and on Lap 85, Perkins dropped Gase to last once more. By the Lap 91 caution to end Stage 2, Perkins had climbed to 36th, dropping Ellis back to 37th with Gase still in last, calling for adjustments.
Under the Stage 2 caution, Austin Hill had another lengthy stop, dropping him two laps down and back into last place on Lap 93. The crew had taken extra time to remove rubber buildup from his brake caliper, rubber which may have caused a noticeable fire behind his right-front wheel on an earlier stop. On Lap 95, Hill pulled ahead of Myatt Snider, who after sliding toward the Bottom Five took last for the first time in his #30 Barrett Wines / Proof Ice Cream Chevrolet. On the Lap 98 restart to begin the final stage, Hill again held the spot, only to quickly drop Snider to last again on Lap 99. Snider then caught and passed Gase on Lap 101, holding the last spot until Lap 111, when Byrd pitted for fresh tires, putting him three laps down as the new 38th-place runner. Byrd was just starting to make use of his tires when trouble broke out on the backstretch.
Coming off Turn 2 on Lap 122, Dean Thompson’s #26 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota, decorated to resemble the late Greg Biffle’s #16 3M Ford, got into the left-rear of Kyle Sieg’s #28. Sieg spun left, bounced off Thompson’s right-front fender, then careened to the right into the outside wall. As cars turned hard left, Austin Hill was caught behind the #18 Soundgear Toyota of William Sawalich when Hill lost control, then smacked the inside wall with the right-front and right-rear of his already battered Chevrolet. The wreck had fully unfolded by the time Labbe arrived on the scene, where he was turned from behind, sending him careening into the inside wall. Also caught up in the wreck was Lavar Scott, who had noticeable fender damage to his #45 Sunoco Chevrolet.
All the cars involved managed to make it to pit road, starting with Hill, who lose a third lap n Lap 123, but remained in 37th ahead of Byrd. Hill then lost a fourth lap on Lap 124, dropping him to last place. That time by, Labbe had pulled into his stall – Number 26 – and climbed out of the car. While inspecting the passenger side, he nearly fell after tripping on his crew member’s jack. Labbe’s car had left a long streak of oil from the entrance of pit road, a trail that continued into the garage after the #91 was towed behind the wall. By Lap 127, Labbe had taken last from Hill, who returned to the track, and Lavar Scott pulled behind the wall a few moments later. Scott was credited with 36th as Kyle Sieg’s “Crash Clock” expired, putting him 37th. Hill finished the race in 35th, five laps down to race winner Justin Allgaier, with Byrd another three laps ahead of Hill in 34th.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*The 120 laps that Labbe completed are the second-most of any last-place finisher of an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington. The record remains all 147 turned by Denny Hamlin, who was disqualified for running a car too low in the left-front and too high in the right-rear after winning on August 31, 2019.
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #91 in an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington since September 1, 1984, when Danny Weese’s turn in the #91 JeNet’s Hair Boutique Pontiac ended with oil pump issues after just one completed lap.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #91-Alex Labbe / 120 laps / crash
37) #28-Kyle Sieg / 121 laps / crash
36) #45-Lavar Scott / 123 laps / crash
35) #21-Austin Hill / 142 laps / running
34) #42-Nathan Byrd / 145 laps / running
2026 LASTCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) DGM Racing x JIM (2)
2nd) AM Racing, Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen, RSS Racing, Young’s Motorsports (1)
2026 LASTCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (5)
2nd) Ford (1)
2026 LASTCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
