PHOTO: Motorsport.com
SEASON IN REVIEW
Paris, Texas driver Loni Richardson picked up his second LASTCAR Truck Series Championship in 2004, scoring four last-place finishes in five starts during a twenty-five race season. In doing so, Richardson not only became the first repeat LASTCAR Truck Series Champion, but also broke his own record for fewest starts by such a champion.
The 2004 season marked the final four starts of Richardson’s 19-race Truck Series career, and all of them came driving his self-prepared #0 Chevrolets. He failed to finish all five of his races, earning an average finish of 35.0, and finished last in all but one of them. In that one race, Richardson finished next-to-last-place in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville on August 14 when Charlie Bradberry and his #78 Bradberry Motorsports Chevrolet snagged away the last spot by a single lap, 18-17.
Richardson remained perfect in his remaining four starts. At Texas on June 11, his #0 Value Tool & Engineering Chevrolet broke a rear end after 2 laps of the O’Reilly 400K. At Michigan on July 31, the same truck was parked for going too slow 8 laps into the Line-X Spray-On Truck Bedliners 200. At New Hampshire on September 18, an oil leak stopped him 40 laps into the Sylvania 200. And in his final career start at Fontana on October 2, the driveshaft broke on his #0 Richardson Truck Lines Chevrolet 3 laps into the American Racing Wheels 200.
In all, Richardson only finished under power in 4 of his 19 career starts: Homestead and Gateway in 2001, Gateway again in 2002, and Michigan in 2003.
OTHER LASTCAR HEADLINES
LASTCAR runner-up Chris Wimmer, brother of 2004 Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Scott Wimmer, made twelve starts in 2004 driving the #63 Porter Truck Sales Ford for owner Mike Mittler. He finished last three times, but fell short of the LASTCAR title. The first came in the inaugural race at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway on May 16, where the oil pump let go 26 laps into the UAW / GM Ohio 250. Next was the O’Reilly 200 at Memphis on June 19, where the engine blew after 21 laps, followed by the Kroger 200 at Richmond on September 9, where another engine let go after 2 laps. Wimmer made just nine more Truck Series starts after 2004, scoring a career-best 17th at Atlanta and Memphis in 2005.
Toyota made its first NASCAR start by joining the Truck Series in 2004 and immediately scored their first last-place finish in their first on-track appearance at Daytona. Five-time NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series Champion Robert Huffman did the honors in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona when his #12 Toyota Tundra Toyota suffered crash damage 25 laps into the race. After a 23rd-place finish in points, Huffman made just 14 more Truck Series starts in 2005, picking up the last two of his eight career top-ten finishes.
Another last-place finish for Toyota came with rookie David Reutimann, who drove the #17 NTN Bearings Toyota for three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Darrell Waltrip. Reutimann finished last at Charlotte on May 21 when the engine let go after 68 laps of the Infineon 200. Reutimann claimed his only career Truck Series win the following year in Nashville, then finished 3rd in points the year after, culminating in his first full-time Busch Series season in 2007.
Michael Waltrip, who became Reutimann’s Busch Series owner in 2006, scored his first and only Truck Series last-place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park on August 6 when his #33 Monaco Coaches Chevrolet crashed 14 laps into the Power Stroke Diesel 200. To date, Waltrip has made just nine Truck Series starts, most recently his only career victory at Daytona on February 18, 2011, ten years after his emotional victory in the star-crossed 2001 Daytona 500.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1st) Loni Richardson (4)
2nd) Chris Wimmer (3)
3rd) Robert Huffman, Kelly Sutton (2)
4th) Charlie Bradberry, Johnny Chapman, Wayne Edwards, Bill Manfull, Mark McFarland, Chase Montgomery, Eric Norris, Deborah Renshaw, David Reutimann, Ken Schrader, Jack Sprague, David Starr, Michael Waltrip, Jon Wood (1)
