PHOTO: SpeedwayMedia.com
SEASON IN REVIEW
Abingdon, Virginia driver Caleb Roark picked up his second LASTCAR Truck Series Championship in 2015, scoring four last-place finishes in eight starts during a twenty-three race season. Roark became the series’ third two-time LASTCAR champion and the first since Mike Garvey in 2011 to do so in consecutive seasons.
As in 2014, Roark was called-upon to drive Jennifer Jo Cobb’s second truck, the #0 that both he and Chris Lafferty drove to consecutive LASTCAR titles the last two years. This time, Roark would share the ride with racing instructor Adam Edwards, who scored a last-place finish of his own at Texas on June 5, newcomer Brad Foy, who was forced to withdraw at Martinsville on October 31 following an ill-timed engine failure, and Scott Lagasse, Jr., who took over Roark’s ride in the Homestead finale on November 20. Foy’s withdrawal was one of three for the #0 in 2015 – Roark’s entry was pulled at Dover and Mosport in addition to his DNQs at Bristol and the penultimate race at Phoenix.
Roark and the #0 first hit the track at Kansas on May 8, and his #0 Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet with hot pink rims left the race after 5 laps with electrical issues. It marked the 300th last-place finish for Chevrolet in Truck Series history and tied Roark for the lead with Norm Benning, Travis Kvapil, and Justin Marks.
For most of the season, Roark battled Benning for the LASTCAR title. The ARCA veteran’s unsponsored #6 Chevrolet took the lead later that month at Charlotte, but Roark tied him after a vibration five laps into the Iowa race on June 19 gave him his second finish. Benning again took the lead in the next race at Kentucky in July, ending the #0 team’s three-year streak of last-place runs at the track, and Roark tied him again at Pocono on August 1 after early suspension issues. The two remained tied through the fall, and Roark didn’t take the lead for good until his final start of the season at Texas on November 6. That day, electrical issues stopped Roark’s truck before he could complete a single lap. Also without a completed lap that day was newcomer Tyler Tanner, who through the summer had tied Roark and Benning with the first three last-place finishes of his career driving MB Motorsports’ #36 Chevrolet.
Roark failed to qualify for the next race at Phoenix and Tanner wasn’t entered, meaning the championship was likely to go down to Homestead. Benning was eliminated from contention at Homestead as he didn’t have enough bottom-five finishes to force a tiebreaker with Roark.
Tanner, however, needed only to finish last as he was still ahead of Roark in both Bottom Ten and Bottom Fifteen finishes. However, MB Motorsports again didn’t put Tanner in either of its truck at Homestead, so Roark locked-up the title before the start of practice. Unlike his walk-off win in 2014, however, Roark did not get a chance to lock up the title on track as he had ceded his ride to Scott Lagasse, Jr. before practice.
OTHER LASTCAR HEADLINES
Both Tanner and Roark’s co-driver Adam Edwards were among the season’s nine first-time last-place finishers.
Justin Marks, looking to pull the triple in the season-opening Daytona weekend, scored Toyota’s only last-place run of the year after a crash on Lap 12 ended his February 20 race in the #35 American Born Moonshine / GoPro Motorplex machine.
At Gateway on June 13, Joey Gattina brought back Norm Benning’s second truck, the bright red #57, and lost the engine on the opening lap, edging Edwards for last.
Stew Hayward became the first NASCAR driver since L.D. Austin to finish last driving the #74 in a NASCAR dirt track race when his Mike Harmon-owned RAM lost the engine at Eldora on July 22.
Robert Mitten was unable to start Mosport on August 30 after his #53 NDS Motorsports RAM found fluid on the track in qualifying and collided with a tire barrier.
K&N Pro Series standout Justin (then J.J.) Haley wrecked his #32 Great Clips Chevrolet after 119 laps at Martinsville on October 31.
The final two races of the season saw two Brandons – Brandon Jones at Phoenix on November 13 and Brandon Brown at Homestead on November 20 – both leave the race in the first six laps following a crash and transmission failure, respectively.
Of these nine first-time last-place finishers, Gattina, Hayward, and Mitten’s came in their first Truck Series race.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1st) Caleb Roark (4)
2nd) Norm Benning, Tyler Tanner (3)
3rd) Justin Jennings, Jennifer Jo Cobb (2)
4th) Brandon Brown, Adam Edwards, Joey Gattina, Justin Haley, Stew Hayward, Brandon Jones, Travis Kvapil, Justin Marks, Robert Mitten (1)
