Corey Heim wins NASCAR Truck Sequence regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway on Friday night time within the eero 250. The Playoff discipline is about.
RICHMOND, Va – Corey Heim earned a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Sequence greatest seventh victory of the season within the eero 250 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway Friday night time. This was the primary brief monitor victory for the Common Season Champion, taking a quick Toyota truck, some actual perseverance, and a little bit of racing luck.
Corey Heim Wins at Richmond
The 23-year-old Georgia native began from the pole place within the collection regular-season finale on the historic three-quarter-mile venue. Nonetheless, he rapidly needed to cope with his entrance row beginning mate, Ty Majeski, who pressed him all night time. Majeski swept each stage wins, and his race-best 143 of the 250 laps out entrance was extra laps led than he turned your entire season.
In the end, Majeski’s shot at his first win of the 12 months suffered a setback when he was collected in an incident along with his ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton whereas main late within the race.
Though Majeski recovered and raced ahead, Heim, who led 75 laps himself within the No. 11 TRICON Storage Toyota, obtained to the entrance when it mattered most and drove away, taking the lead for good with 20 laps remaining after which holding off the reigning collection champ Majeski by 0.923 seconds on the checkered flag.
With the victory, Heim turns into the youngest driver in collection historical past to get to 18 profession wins.
“Felt like we had been one of the best truck at [short tracks] Martinsville (Va.) and North Wilkesboro (N.C.) however they obtained away from us and we sort of obtained this one again,” Heim mentioned of his brief monitor struggles this season. “I didn’t really feel like we had been one of the best truck tonight. I really feel just like the 98 was actually stout, however clearly had a run-in and obtained some harm.
“Being there when it counted was the primary aim and we had been and simply capable of execute from there.”
The race formally set the ten-driver Playoff discipline. Heim, Layne Riggs, Chandler Smith, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum, and Rajah Caruth advance to the six-race Playoffs through victories. Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Kaden Honeycutt, and Jake Garcia topped the remainder of the collection in factors to earn their championship likelihood.
The 20-year-old Garcia needed to maintain off former collection champion Ben Rhodes and highly-touted rookie Gio Ruggiero Friday. In the end his seventh-place end was sufficient to present Garcia a 19-point edge on Rhodes and 31-point margin on Ruggiero, who made a valiant run, restarting second on that closing restart with 35 laps remaining regardless of beginning final within the 35-truck discipline.
“Simply did my greatest to run a sensible race the second half,” mentioned Garcia, driver of the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Ford. “Even within the first half there have been moments we had been 4 large and that’s not gonna work out at Richmond. There have been some factors I needed to bail out and misplaced numerous spots on the restarts simply being actually conservative.
“However our truck was actually quick and I believe we may have completed top-five. I wish to thank all my guys. They labored actually, actually arduous on this truck like they do all of the vehicles and gave me a extremely quick piece at the moment.”
Riggs completed third within the No. 34 Entrance Row Motorsports. His teammates, Sammy Smith and Corey LaJoie, spherical out the highest 5 positions.
Ruggiero, Garcia, Rhodes, Chandler Smith, and Kaden Honeycutt spherical out the highest ten. Honeycutt will compete for the driving force’s title, and his No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota will contend for homeowners’ factors.
Subsequent Up
The 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Sequence Playoffs start Saturday, Aug. 30 with the Sober or Slammer 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. NASCAR Cup Sequence common Ross Chastain gained the 2024 race at Darlington. That is the primary 12 months the historic monitor has hosted the collection in a Playoff contest.