TRUCKS: Norm Benning takes 2025 LASTCAR lead after engine flutters on Lap 2
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
Benning at North Wilkesboro (PHOTO: Steven Taranto, @STaranto92)
Norm Benning picked up the 21st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics at the Michigan International Speedway when his #6 MDIA, Inc. Chevrolet fell out with engine issues after 3 of 139 laps.
The finish, which came in Benning’s 253rd series start, was his third of the 2025 season and first since North Wilkesboro, three races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 20th for the #6, the 144th from engine issues, and the 460th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 75th for the #6, the 1,157th from the engine, and the 1,993rd for Chevrolet.
The finish also moved Benning into the lead for the 2025 LASTCAR Truck Series Championship, taking the lead from Stephen Mallozzi.
Although he’s enjoyed competing more on superspeedways and the dirt tracks, Benning has been a frequent sight at Michigan. He started all 12 races from 2009 through the most recent in 2020. And though he’d only finished in four of those races with no lead-lap finishes, he also took home a track-best 17th in 2009. Prior to that, Benning also made another 18 starts on the track in ARCA dating back to 1996, including a best of 15th in 2000 when he was just one lap down to winner Tim Steele.
This year’s series return to Michigan saw Benning back on track for the first time since North Wilkesboro as one of 32 drivers entered for 36 spots. His was the slowest in practice, turning a best lap of 43.713 seconds (164.711mph), two-and-a-half seconds off the next-slowest truck of Spencer Boyd and nearly five seconds off the fastest time. In qualifying, he improved to 43.169 seconds (166.786mph), but was still the slowest to complete a lap. A big reason for the difference was his SB2 Chevrolet motor, which was outclassed by the rest of the field that used Ilmor engines.
Benning secured 30th on the starting grid as two other drivers didn’t complete their laps. Chandler Smith took 31st after his #38 Long John Silver’s Ford had a stumble in the engine and Morgen Baird lost power in Josh Reaume’s #2 Alro Steel Ford. Both incurred redundant tail-end penalties for unapproved adjustments along with 27th-place Toni Breidinger in the #5 Coach Toyota and 28th-place starter Nathan Byrd in the #02 RCA / Sonesta Chevrolet.
When the green flag dropped, Baird was among the last trucks in the draft, his spotter telling him, “Stay attached, man, best you can.” But on Lap 2, Benning started to slow, falling to last place nearly five seconds off the pace. Both driver and team indicated the truck looked fine on the first lap, running 8600rpms, but then the ceiling dropped to just 7000 on Lap 2. He came in for an unscheduled stop on Lap 4, just as last week’s Nashville winner Rajah Caruth made a stop of his own for a flat tire on the #71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. As Caruth lost a lap in 31st, Benning went behind the wall to the team’s hauler, where he told a NASCAR official what had happened. “I don't know what to say,” he said. “I can stay out here and blow it up.” “Don’t do that,” the team answered.
Attention then turned to diagnosing the issue. He said only crew members Rick and Jason needed to meet him there since the garage was so far from their spot on pit road in Stall 2, just behind Corey Heim’s stall the entrance of Turn 1. Benning said the engine was “fluttering” with a possible broken valve spring, but wanted the team to check if it was a spark plug issue. On Lap 15, the crew reported all the wires were tight, as was the distributor. There still seemed to be an issue in the top of the engine. By Lap 19, the team was already packing up the pit cart and retrieving the tires and cooler. “I was so looking forward to this,” said Benning. “Goddamn, it’s terrible.” Benning wasn’t declared out until sometime after the halfway point.
Caruth earned his lap back at the end of Stage 2, only to be caught in the middle of a three-wide battle in Turn 1 on Lap 77, where Matt Mills’ #42 J.F. Electric Chevrolet made contact with Caruth’s right-front, sending the #71 spinning backwards into the outside wall. He was soon caught and passed by Josh Reaume, whose 22 Aerial Titans Ford lost power on Lap 62 and received adjustments along with repairs to the electrical system. Reaume recovered to finish 25th as he then passed Byrd’s #02 and Baird’s #02, who tangled in Turn 3 on Lap 84. One of these trucks hit hard enough to pierce a license plate-sized hole in the SAFER barrier, forcing a 19 minute 40 second red flag for repairs. Completing the group was Lawless Alan, whose #1 AUTOParkIt Toyota was battling among the leaders when it skated up the track on Lap 126 and clobbered the Turn 2 wall.
Friesen breaks losing streak, Fenhaus and LaJoie impress in part-time efforts
Taking the checkered flag was Stewart Friesen, who snapped a 72-race winless streak dating back nearly three years for his fourth career victory and first at Michigan. After leading no fewer than 44 laps in each of his three previous wins, Friesen and his #52 Halmar International Toyota led only the final two.
In just his 12th career start, Luke Fenhaus won his first career pole, then followed it up with a career-best 3rd in his #66 Soda Sense Ford. It’s already Fenhaus’ third top-ten finish despite that he’s yet to run a single full-time season in the series. His run followed a 10th in Gateway last summer than was followed by a 7th in IRP.
Corey LaJoie kicked off a nine-race deal with Spire Motorsports in the #07 Gainbridge Chevrolet by climbing from 24th to the lead, taking the lead after the day’s biggest pileup with four laps to go, only to drop back to 5th after two overtime finishes. This was still LaJoie’s career-best finish in just six career Truck Series starts dating back to 2014, when he ran 10th for Ricky Benton at Bristol.
In the closing laps, Frankie Muniz climbed as high as 3rd in Josh Reaume’s #33 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet, which coincided with a new advertising campaign featuring the driver that aired during the broadcast. On one of the last restarts, Muniz accidentally took the green in third gear, dropping him to 11th, and he ultimately finished 14th. Just eight days after an oil leak stopped his race at Nashville before it could start, Muniz now has the second-best finish of his career.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*The last time the #6 finished last in a Truck Series race at Michigan was on August 10, 2019, when Benning’s H&H Transport Chevrolet lost the engine on the opening lap. That finish saw Benning tie Johnny Chapman for the most last-place finishes in Truck Series history.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
32) #6-Norm Bening / 3 laps / engine
31) #71-Rajah Caruth / 77 laps / crash
30) #02-Nathan Byrd / 83 laps / crash
29) #2-Morgen Baird / 83 laps / crash
28) #1-Lawless Alan / 126 laps / crash
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (5)
2nd) Norm Benning Racing (3)
3rd) Front Row Motorsports (2)
4th) Freedom Racing Enterprises, Henderson Motorsports, Niece Motorsports (1)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (7)
2nd) Chevrolet (6)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
