NASCAR
Corey Heim Earns First Truck Win at Home Track in Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. – For the first race of the tripleheader weekend on the new Atlanta surface, it was a Georgia driver taking the checkered flag. 19-year-old Corey Heim made a last-lap pass on teammate Chandler Smith to earn the victory. In only his fifth career start, the ARCA standout took the 51 truck to victory lane. Both Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers had fellow teammate John Hunter Nemechek right behind them, but the 4 was laps down. Tensions were high afterwards in the KBM camp, but not towards the winner.
Both Stages were relatively calm on the reconfigured Atlanta track, with Stewart Friesen leading wire-to-wire in Stage 1. Friesen was in position to sweep both Stages, but elected to pit from the lead late in Stage 2. This gave the second Stage win to John Hunter Nemechek.
Inside of the final 25 laps, Nemechek scraped the outside wall, cutting a tire. While Nemechek was able to continue, he was trapped a lap down. When the leaders came to lap him again, he fell in line in the lead pack just behind his two teammates, Chandler Smith and Corey Heim.
On the last lap, Heim ducked to the inside of Smith, and Nemechek ended up going with the 51. In only his fifth career start, Corey Heim became a Truck Series winner. Only adding onto the biggest day of this teenager’s life was the fact that his maiden victory came at his home track. Heim hails from nearby Marietta, Georgia.
“It’s awesome—I was at the right place at the right time,” said Heim. “Toyota Racing just helps us so much to get here and I’m just so glad to be here. So I’ve got to give all the credit to John Hunter Nemechek for helping me out there. It’s just surreal. Awesome.”
While one KBM driver was elated in victory lane for the first time, another left Atlanta seething. Chandler Smith was none too happy with how he got hung out to dry by Nemechek on the last lap. Driver 18 had some very heated post race comments as well, voicing his displeasure at losing in such a devastating manner that was out of his control.
.@CSmithDrive was NOT happy with teammate @JHNemechek following today’s race.
“I get it were teammates, you tried to help him out, but you f*cked your other teammate!” #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/wkul1RPt7n
— Noah Lewis (NASCAR) (@Noah_Lewis1) March 19, 2022
Top 10 finishers from Atlanta were Heim, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Chandler Smith, Zane Smith, Stewart Friesen, Ryan Preece, Tanner Gray, Derek Kraus, and Austin Wayne Self.
The Camping World Truck Series will be back in action next week from Circuit of the Americas. Coverage of the Xpel 225 is Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The Austin, Texas road course gave Todd Gilliland his sole win last year, who can win it this time around?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
