NASCAR
Corey Heim Wins at Texas in Double-Overtime Slugfest
FORT WORTH, Texas – Friday night saw a tumultuous marathon for the Truckers at Texas Motor Speedway. The box score may read another dominant run by Corey Heim, but the win was still up for grabs on the last lap. Bent tempers, hurt feelings, and another championship-caliber performance were all seen on TMS’ high banks.
Most of the leaders flipped Stage 1 under a timely caution. The yellow flag flew for a hellacious crash after Gio Ruggiero clipped the inside grass. The massive contact by the No. 17 had shades of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s massive 2014 Texas wreck. This sequence of events gave the opening bonus points to Grant Enfinger, who bounced back nicely from a lap one mistake. Stage 2 would likewise go to the 11 of Corey Heim.
Heim simply put on a clinic for the opening laps of Stage 3. At one point the No. 11 had a 16-second lead and lapped all the way up to sixth. What briefly appeared to be a possible shot at lapping the field would be erased, however, by Frankie Muniz pounding the outside wall.
Only a few laps later, several drivers were instantly taken out of the top-five. This massive wreck was triggered after Stewart Friesen got loose in turn four underneath Grant Enfinger. Chandler Smith was also taken out as an innocent bystander.
Two quick cautions later, Heim lined up against Ben Rhodes for a second overtime sprint to the checkers. This broke a series-record 21 race run of no overtime finishes. Heim failed to get up to speed fast enough to clear his competition, allowing Rhodes a run at the white flag. Daniel Hemric made the leaders three-wide at the stripe, but Heim had enough momentum to get back by both of them in turn two. For the fourteenth time, it’s Heim Time in the Truck Series.
“I wasn’t going to let them take that one away from me,” Heim said. “I’ve given up too many this year so far. Just so proud of these TRICON guys. So special to win with National Foster Care Awareness Month and this blue truck. So grateful for SafeLite for putting that on and just overwhelmed. Obviously so many restarts there at the end. Guys were trying to split me three-wide into (turn) one, all they could do. Man, I wouldn’t have let them take that from me right there. I just drove until I couldn’t anymore. Kind of out of breath. So grateful for Toyota, SafeLite, and TRICON Garage.”
Heim and Hemric were the first two across the stripe, just ahead of: Rajah Caruth, Tyler Ankrum, and Tanner Gray. Ben Rhodes slid to sixth, while the top-10 was rounded out by: Matt Crafton, Bayley Currey, Dawson Sutton, and Ty Majeski.
The Truckers will be back in action next week from Kansas Speedway. The Heart of Health Care 200 will see Heim try and stay undefeated in the heartland, looking for a third-straight Kansas trophy. The green flag will fly Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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