NASCAR
Heim Takes Home Fourth Win, Big Money Bonus at Gateway
MADISON, ILL. – A week after being disqualified from a second-place run, Corey Heim came into Gateway with the win on his mind. A near flawless third Stage gave driver No. 11 his series-leading fourth victory of 2024, with a hefty bonus check too from Craftsman. The championship favorite ends a five-week stretch of racing in a very familiar place, victory lane.
From the pole, Ty Majeski was a man on a mission in Stage 1. Despite losing the lead on a restart, he was laser-focused on holding the top spot, making slight contact with Christian Eckes for the pass.
Stage 2 saw Majeski’s teammate Ben Rhodes make a daring three-wide move to take command. Rhodes’ speed in the No. 99 was not quite enough to keep Majeski at bay though, the 98 earned a Stage sweep.
Thanks to a lightning-quick pit stop after Stage 2, Corey Heim had position on Majeski to start Stage 3. The No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota was in command for the remainder of the afternoon, taking home a fourth win of 2024.
Unlike his past victories however, this checkered flag also comes with a very nice payday. Winning race two in the Triple Truck Challenge gave Heim an extra $50,000.
“Total team effort today,” Heim said after the win. “We actually struggled a bit yesterday and worked overnight on it. Just have to say this pit crew has redeemed themselves. Last week I felt like we could have won the race, and admittedly they made some mistakes. But they redeemed themselves today and that’s what it’s all about. Total team effort on this 11 crew. So thankful for TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing, Safelite, that was awesome.”
“Trust me I was thinking about (the money) coming to the line too. It’s just a great day, I mean what a day. So thankful for everyone who’s a part of this, like I said we couldn’t do it without TRICON, Toyota Racing, and Safelite, just on top of the world right now. We’ve got such a great race team with such a long season ahead.”
Behind Heim other top finishers were Christian Eckes, Nick Sanchez, Ty Majeski, and Layne Riggs. Chase Purdy, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Andres Perez, and Luke Fenhaus rounded out the top-10. Both Perez and Fenhaus brought home top-10s in their Truck Series debut.
Following five straight weeks of racing, the Truckers have a bit of a break before their next outing. The Truck Series returns to action at Nashville Superspeedway. The Rackley Roofing 200 goes green Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET on FS2, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter/X
Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
