SEASON IN REVIEW
Napa, California driver Phil Bonifield picked up his first LASTCAR Truck Series Championship in 1999, scoring six last-place finishes in fourteen starts during a twenty-five race season.
Bonifield competed in his first Truck Series season in 1999 driving a #23 Red Line Oil Chevrolet owned by Tom Mazzuchi. Perhaps the first “start-and-park” driver in the history of the Truck Series, Bonifield failed to finish all fourteen of his starts that year, and never finished better than 30th at both Evergreen on April 3 and Michigan on July 24. Ironically, that 30th-place finish at Evergreen in the NAPACARD 200, a DNF due to a busted fuel pump after 17 laps, was the first of his six last-place finishes.
Bonifield’s next four last-place finishes both came in two-race stretches that summer. The first two came at I-70 Speedway on May 22, where the rear end gave out 3 laps into the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200, followed on June 5 by a transmission failure 9 laps into the Coca-Cola Family 200 at Bristol. The next pair started at Nashville on July 10, where electrical problems kept him from completing a lap of the Federated Auto Parts 250, followed on July 18 by another fuel pump issue 4 laps into the NAPA Autocare 200 at Nazareth.
Bonifield’s sixth last-place finish came at Heartland Park Topeka on August 28, where this time the rear end gave out after 3 laps of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 275. With the finish, Bonifield not only beat Mike Hurlbert’s single-season last-place record set in 1996, but also tied Hurlbert for the most last-place finishes in Truck Series history. He would take that record as well in 2000.
Bonifield went on to compete in 70 Truck Series races through 2004. He failed to finish in all but three of those races, including his career-best 23rd-place finish in the O’Reilly 200 at Memphis on June 21, 2003 driving a self-prepared #86 Lane Automotive / Motor State Performance Chevrolet.
OTHER LASTCAR HEADLINES
Dennis Setzer made his Truck Series debut with a runner-up finish to Mike Skinner in the Sears Auto Center 125 at Milwaukee on July 1, 1995. He scored his first Truck Series victory at Mesa Marin driving for Ron Keselowski in 1998, then followed it up with another three wins and a 3rd-place finish in the point standings in Keselowski’s #1 Mopar Performance Dodge. On March 20, Setzer scored his first last-place finish in the season-opener at Homestead when the engine let go after the opening lap of the Florida Dodge Dealers 400K. In the decade that followed, Setzer would become the first NASCAR driver to score LASTCAR Championships in both the Nationwide Series (2010) and Truck Series (2012).
After five inconsistent seasons in the Busch Series, Jack Sprague found a home in the Truck Series. From 1995 through 1998, Sprague scored thirteen victories and the 1997 NASCAR Truck Series Championship. He scored his second title in 1999 on the heels of another three victories, but also scored his first last-place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park on August 5. Sprague’s #24 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet lost the engine 4 laps into the Power Stroke 200 by Ford. Sprague ran 297 Truck Series races through 2008, scoring a third title in 2001 and 28 series wins. With the lone exception of a part-time season in 2003 when he attempted to move to the Cup Series, Sprague never once finished outside the Top Ten in points.
In 1999, Jay Sauter had one of his best seasons driving for Richard Childress, scoring two wins, eight Top Fives, and sixteen Top Tens on his way to a 5th-place finish in points. Sauter also finished last for the only time in his 90-race career at Richmond on September 9 when his black #3 GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet lost the engine 60 laps into the Virginia Is For Lovers 200. After that season, Sauter made just four more Truck Series starts in 2004 driving for Dave Malcolmson.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1st) Phil Bonifield (6)
2nd) Milan Garrett, Chris Horn, Lonnie Rush, Jr. (2)
3rd) Rich Bickle, Rick Carelli, Mike Clark, Mike Dillon, Marty Houston, Carl Long, Rick McCray, Ryan McGlynn, Jay Sauter, Ken Schrader, Dennis Setzer, Jack Sprague, Jay Stewart (1)
