Corey Heim prevails for NASCAR Truck Collection victory at Michigan Worldwide Speedway on Saturday within the DQS Options & Staffing 250.
Reigning NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Collection champion Corey Heim held off a dramatic checkered flag cost – in lapped visitors – from his TRICON Storage teammate Kaden Honeycutt to say his first profession win on the iconic Michigan Worldwide Speedway on Saturday’s DQS Options & Staffing 250 powered by Precision Car Logistics.
Corey Heim: Win at Michigan
It’s Heim’s twenty sixth profession victory, however first ever on the two-mile Michigan excessive banks, giving him sequence wins now on 22 completely different tracks – second greatest all-time, solely NASCAR Corridor of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. has received at 31 venues. It’s Heim’s third win in solely 5 truck begins this season and comes every week after saying he’ll be part of the championship-leading 23XI Racing group within the NASCAR Cup Collection for 2027.
Heim’s No. 1 TRICON Storage Toyota handed the day’s most dominant truck, pushed by NASCAR Cup Collection common Carson Hocevar, with 15 laps remaining. It crossed the road solely 0.065 seconds forward of Honeycutt’s No. 11 TRICON Storage Toyota – the truck Heim drove to the championship final season.
He instantly thanked Honeycutt for the push ahead within the ultimate laps – his solely laps out entrance all day – acknowledging the assistance put simply sufficient distance on Hocevar, who led a race-best 65 of the 126 laps.
“We mentioned it pre-race that we have been going to race it out in the long run and that’s what we did,” the 23-year-old Georgia native Heim mentioned. “He tried to get to my proper rear there which might have most likely received the race and I needed to shield it.
“Props to Kaden there and to [fellow Toyota driver] Christopher Bell, I don’t know the place he ended up however he was robust all day. The final couple laps there on the finish, have been fairly superior.
“That was loads of enjoyable, I had a blast,” he added.
The 21-year-old Honeycutt definitely saved Heim trustworthy within the closing run to the checkered, hoping to earn his second profession win, matching his work at Watkins Glen, N.Y., in Could.
“Good race there on the finish, us 5 up there and I’m certain it was a great race for the followers in order that was good,” Honeycutt mentioned. “It was unlucky I didn’t get the win there. Simply really feel like I’ve misplaced too a lot of them on my half so I believe that’s what bothers me essentially the most.”
Though boosted by a robust exhibiting all day at his “house monitor,” the Michigan-native Carson Hocevar was clearly disillusioned along with his end, explaining his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet truck had been overheating all day. He hoped to win for the hometown crowd and particularly for his mom, who’s celebrating her birthday this weekend.
“Everybody did a great job,” he mentioned, including, “Simply sucks we didn’t shut it on the market. Felt like I might have achieved a greater job however don’t know what I might have achieved otherwise. Want to see what I’d have had full energy.
“Loads of causes to win right here at Michigan.”
Entrance Row Motorsports teammates Chandler Smith and Layne Riggs rounded out the highest 5 – an particularly valiant effort from Riggs, who went a lap down early after a pit cease concern.
Bell completed sixth within the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Toyota after sweeping each stage wins and main 37 laps – one in every of six race leaders on the afternoon. Fellow NASCAR Cup Collection driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr was seventh, adopted by Connor Mosack, Jake Garcia, and Tyler Ankrum.
Fan favourite Cleetus McFarland rallied from a late race spin that introduced out one in every of seven yellow flags – and completed twenty fifth on the lead lap in solely his second sequence begin.
The NASCAR Truck Collection Level Standings
A winner within the earlier two races, Riggs’ comeback to fifth place retains him atop the championship standings by 26 factors over Honeycutt. Chandler Smith moved up one spot to 3rd place. Gio Ruggiero moved up one spot to fourth, whereas Christian Eckes moved again two spots to fifth place.
Up Subsequent
After six consecutive races, the vehicles go into an off-week. They may return to motion June 19 within the inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Collection Race at San Diego on the Naval Base Coronado (7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
