Corey Heim secures his tenth NASCAR Truck Sequence victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL on Friday evening within the EcoSave 250.
CONCORD, N.C.—Recovering from a first-lap crash in ‘Calamity Nook’, Corey Heim rallied to win Friday’s EcoSave 250 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Street Course, setting a single-season NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Sequence report together with his tenth win of the 2025 marketing campaign.
Driving a closely taped No. 11 TRICON Storage Toyota, Heim took the lead by staying out for an additional time restart whereas teammate Brent Crews, who had led a race-high 56 laps, pitted for gas and tires.
Heim drove away on the restart and beat runner-up Crews to the end line by 1.338 seconds, main the first-ever one-two-three end for TRICON, with rookie Gio Ruggiero coming house third.
“It was not straightforward at this time—I believe it was most likely the hardest one of many 12 months to this point,” mentioned Heim, who secured a spot within the Oct. 31 Championship 4 finale at Phoenix Raceway. “Simply reveals the resilience of this TRICON staff. They mounted it up so good for me after that incident on the primary lap—simply type of out of our management.
“I assumed we have been accomplished, actually. The proper entrance fully folded when it hit the wall over there.”
Actually, the race was only a few seconds previous when three Playoff drivers tangled within the first flip, nicknamed ‘Calamity Nook’ attributable to its frequent scenes of accidents on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn circuit.
Contact from Grant Enfinger despatched second-place starter Layne Riggs spinning in a collision that knocked the No. 11 Toyota of Heim, the pole winner and runaway collection chief, into the primary flip barrier.
All three vehicles sustained harm, with Heim struggling a left-rear tire rub that required a number of pit stops to right.
“We have been not so good as we have been in apply and qualifying after that harm,” mentioned the 23-year-old Heim, who earned his first victory on the Roval and the twenty first of his profession, seventh all-time. “My steering wheel was about 45 levels to the left, and we got here down pit highway like six instances to attempt to get it again to not less than considerably the place it was.”
Brent Crews has the Dominant Automotive
As Heim labored his means again to the entrance after the accident, Crews dominated, although he short-pitted in each the primary and second levels to arrange monitor place after the breaks.
Actually, Crews appeared certain for his first victory within the collection earlier than one other TRICON teammate, Toni Breidinger, stalled within the fifth flip to trigger the fourth and last warning, sending the race to additional time.
Crews got here to pit highway from the lead with third-place Connor Zilisch, as Heim stayed on monitor with Connor Mosack, Riggs, and Chandler Smith.
The Additional time Restart – Corey Heim’s Tenth Victory
Riggs, who had been racing and not using a sway bar because the early crash, suffered clutch points on the restart and held up the surface lane. With vehicles spinning behind him, Heim opened a niche and maintained it all through the two-lap further interval.
“We had a super-fast truck, as you bought to see,” Crews mentioned philosophically. “I’m on the market main the race at this time—I had a blast. Actually glad for TRICON at this time to go one-two-three, and congrats to the entire 11 staff. They did an ideal job all day as nicely.
“I used to be glad to see them get again up there, however I undoubtedly didn’t need to see keep on the market (for the additional time).”
Zilisch got here house fifth in Friday’s race, adopted by Josh Bilicki, Enfinger, Majeski, Ankrum, and Mosack. Riggs completed twenty first to drop under the lower line and was nonetheless steamed in regards to the first-lap incident after the race.
“We simply acquired wrecked by the 9 (Enfinger),” Riggs mentioned. “I don’t actually perceive what his thought course of is. Individuals say you’re alleged to take recommendation from the veterans and be taught from them of tips on how to race, and so they race the worst out of anyone.
“That’s twice this 12 months we’ve gotten wrecked by the 9 truck—at Watkins Glen and right here, each highway programs, two separate incidents, two blatantly fallacious on his half. We drug a sway bar arm off after that contact and simply had a horrible dealing with truck the remainder of the day.
“On the finish, we have been simply going to attempt to salvage one thing, however one thing within the rear finish housing broke, or a clutch began slipping, however I had no energy there on the finish.”
With Heim advancing to the Championship 4, the opposite seven Playoff drivers left the opening race within the Spherical of 8 clustered collectively across the elimination line. Daniel Hemric (eleventh Friday after ranging from the rear) and Tyler Ankrum (ninth) are second and third within the standings, two factors above the lower line.
Fourth-place finisher Rajah Caruth is fourth within the standings, only one level to the nice over Riggs, two away from defending collection champion Ty Majeski, and 4 forward of Enfinger and Kaden Honeycutt, who received the primary and second levels earlier than ending 14th.
Up Subsequent
The NASCAR Truck Sequence will run the second race in its Spherical of 8 on Friday, October eleventh, at Talladega Superspeedway. The Love’s RV Cease 225 begins at 4 pm ET on FS1, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. They may run 226.1 miles over 85 laps, and the defending winner is Grant Enfinger at his house monitor.
