TRUCKS: Carter Fartuch returns after fuel issue causes him to miss the start, handing Ben Rhodes first last-place finish since 2019

by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Ben Rhodes picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s Ecosave 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway “Roval” Road Course when his #99 TSPORT Trucks Ford crashed after 2 of 70 laps.

The finish, which came in Rhodes’ 232nd series start, was his first of the season and first in a Truck Series race since June 28, 2019 at Chicagoland, 147 races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 5th for the #99, the 139th for Ford, and the 202nd from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 42nd for the #99, the 1,079th for Ford and the 1,435th from a crash.

When Rhodes was last featured on this site in 2019, he had just changed to his current truck number #99 at ThorSport, and was struggling through a winless season. He’s remained with that number and team ever since, staying through a brief switch to Toyota then back to Ford. And most significantly, he’s earned two Craftsman Truck Series championships, resulting in two equally memorable interviews in the media center at Phoenix. He’s done all this despite winning just five races in that stretch, the last of which coming at Charlotte in 2023.

This season marks a significant turning point for ThorSport as Matt Crafton, the team’s most experienced driver, will step away from full-time racing at the end of the season, moving defending series champion Ty Majeski to the #88 in 2026. The team has also continued to develop new talent, bringing on the likes of Luke Baldwin and Luke Fenhaus to pilot the team’s part-time #66 effort. Among Duke and Rhonda Thorson’s contingent, only Majeski and newcomer Jake Garcia made the cut for the Playoffs, though Garcia was eliminated last time out in Loudon. Rhodes, still searching for his first win of 2025, finished a season-best 2nd two races ago in Bristol.

For the first Truck Series race on the Charlotte “Roval,” Rhodes ranked 16th of the 35 drivers who took time, then qualified 22nd with a lap of 87.402 seconds (93.911mph).

There were 36 trucks entered to attempt Friday’s race as Skip Barber Racing School instructor Carter Fartuch was the only driver to not turn a lap in practice in Reaume Brothers Racing’s #2 Broll Mountain Vineyards Ford. Fartuch also didn’t turn in a qualifying time along with team owner Josh Reaume in the #22 Aerial Titans Ford and Daniel Hemric in the #19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet.

Fartuch, Reaume, and Hemric all incurred redundant tail-end penalties along with unapproved adjustment penalties for 12th-place Bayley Currey in the #45 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet, 20th-place Chandler Smith in the #38 The Pete Store Ford, 21st-place Ben Maier in the #02 Top Liner Chevrolet, 25th-place Kris Wright in the #16 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet, and 27th-place Jack Wood in the #91 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet.

*Carter Fartuch with issues before the start of Friday’s race. (PHOTO: Jacob Flynn, @BiggiePabs)*

But before anyone could drop to the rear, there were more problems for Fartuch, who remained in the #2 despite a report he would switch rides with team owner Josh Reaume. Fartuch’s #2 wouldn’t fire, and as the team attempted repairs, NASCAR told him to go to the garage. Before he could, the truck fired, but now it was hesitating every time he shifted. As the pace laps continued, Fartuch pulled down pit road into his Stall 18, just past the starting line. The crew checked the plug wires, then concluded they needed to go to the garage. He rolled forward to the opening between Stalls 14 and 15. The crew was going to work just behind pit wall, then decided to go to the garage. They now believed there was water in the fuel tank, meaning they’d have to flush the fuel cell.

Fartuch’s team began repairs just as the green flag dropped for the remaining 35 entrants. Based on intervals, Hemric crossed the line in 34th, 7.078 seconds back of the lead, while Tyler Tomassi surrendered 33rd to cross the stripe in 35th, his #69 Tomassi Law LLC Ford 7.949 seconds back. But by the time both took the green flag, there was already trouble up front.

Heading into the very first corner, three of the first four qualifiers collided when Grant Enfinger’s #9 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet got into the back of outside-polesitter Layne Riggs’ #34 Clew Ford, sending Riggs spinning into polesitter Corey Heim’s #11 Mobil 1 Toyota, which struck the tire barrier. The caution didn’t fall, and all three limped around the track with different degrees of damage. Riggs and Heim made it to pit road for the first of a series of pit stops, each time returning to the track to stay on the lead lap.

Seconds later, on Lap 2, as the field prepared to exit the infield portion of the course, Rhodes entered Turn 5 too high, getting off in the grass and spinning into the outside tire barriers. Rhodes struck the wall hard enough to damage both ends of his truck, and the caution now fell on Lap 3 as he limped around the apron of the track with the tailgate dangling from the rear of his Ford. He made it to pit road, crossing the stripe to complete his second lap as he stopped in Stall 10 on the Turn 1 side. He then pulled behind the wall and up to the team’s hauler, done for the afternoon. Riggs and Heim caught the tail end of the field and made additional stops along with Enfinger, all three remaining on the lead lap. NASCAR declared Rhodes out on Lap 9.

*Fartuch’s crew working with dump cans to clear out the spoiled fuel. (PHOTO: Jacob Flynn, @BiggiePabs)*

With Rhodes out of the race, just two laps ahead of Fartuch, the focus turned back to whether the Reaume team could get the #2 on the track. The crew confirmed with NASCAR that they could still return to the race despite missing the initial start. On Lap 2, the team called for dump cans, and by Lap 5 the team confirmed the issue, which apparently also prevented them from practicing and qualifying. “Hey Carter,” said the team. “Well, after all day long and all that bullshit we found the problem – there’s water in the fuel. The issue is we don’t have anything to pump it into.” The team set to work, calling for empty fuel cans, including at least one from another team. They also checked the power steering, transmission, and powered the truck on and off. The team also reported they’d filled their fuel cans back at the shop, indicating a possible issue with their own fuel storage.

On Lap 21, as the caution fell to end Stage 1, Fartuch was back under power. But before returning to the track, NASCAR told him to drive two laps around the infield pit building to make sure the truck was still running. Stephen Mallozzi, another of Reaume’s drivers, had to do the same thing back at Rockingham. With this done, Fartuch returned to the track 21 laps down, and was just now getting his bearings on the “Roval” track. On Lap 22, he completed his first lap with a time of 2,443.954 seconds (just under 41 minutes). He then climbed past Rhodes on Lap 25. “You’re doing great out there, Carter,” said his team. “Your truck’s not even dirty!”

Fartuch only made it past one more truck before falling out of the race with a blown engine. The truck he passed belonged to Parker Kligerman, whose #75 Borchetta Bourbon Chevrolet pulled behind the wall with a developing mechanical issue just as Fartuch took his first laps. Josh Reaume’s #22 took 33rd while Andres Perez de Lara returned from a stay in the garage to climb to 32nd in his #44 Telcel Chevrolet.

Crews and Bilicki impress while Heim rallies to score record-setting win

Improbably, Corey Heim came back from the first-corner wreck to pull off the win – his record-setting tenth on the year. Heim took the lead after teammate Brent Crews, whose #1 JBL Toyota escaped the first-lap wreck despite qualifying 3rd, led a race-high 56 laps, then ran out of fuel during the last caution. Crews still clawed his way to 2nd by the finish, again by escaping a multi-truck pileup this time off Turn 7. This marks Crews’ best series finish and first Top Five in only his eighth series start.

Taking 6th to kick off his triple-duty weekend at the “Roval” was Josh Bilicki, whose #41 Circle B Diecast Chevrolet was firmly among the Top Five for much of the afternoon. Bilicki rebounded from his own spin off Turn 7, plus some close racing on the frontstretch that saw his truck bounce off the outside wall. This marks only the second career top-ten finish in Bilicki’s 13 career Truck Series starts, setting a new career-best mark ahead of his 7th at Lime Rock Park.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first time the #99 finished last in a Truck Series race on a road course since August 24, 1997, when Chuck Bown’s run at Watkins Glen in the #99 Exide Ford ended with a blown engine after 19 laps. It was the first last-place finish of Bown’s Truck Series career, making him the third driver to complete the LASTCAR Triple Crown.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #99-Ben Rhodes / 2 laps / crash

35) #75-Parker Kligerman / 20 laps / suspension

34) #2-Carter Fartuch / 24 laps / engine

33) #22-Josh Reaume / 52 laps / dvp

32) #44-Andres Perez de Lara / 54 laps / running

2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (10)

2nd) Norm Benning Racing (3)

3rd) Front Row Motorsports (2)

4th) FDNY Racing, Freedom Racing Enterprises, Halmar Friesen Racing, Henderson Motorsports, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, Niece Motorsports, Spire Motorsports (1)

2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Ford (12)

2nd) Chevrolet (9)

3rd) Toyota (1)

2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP