Corey Heim lined up on the front row in second for the 134-lap event at Kansas Speedway next to Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) teammate John Hunter Nemechek. Heim fell back to fourth on the initial restart but powered his way back up to the front to win his first career stage in the Camping World Truck Series.
The talented rookie continued his strong run before handling issues in the Final Stage caused Heim to contact the outside fence, cutting down a tire and forcing the No. 51 team to make three unscheduled pit stops. The damage from the flat tire would relegate Heim to a 33rd-place finish.
Stage One Recap
· Heim lined up for the Heart of America 200 on the front row in second after laying down a lap time of 30.688 seconds in Saturday’s qualifying session.
· Heim fell back to fourth as the field took the green flag to start the 134-lap event at Kansas Speedway but quickly surged back up to the front, passing Nemechek for second on lap seven, with his sights set on chasing down the No. 38 of Zane Smith in first.
· On lap 13, Heim was told that he was the fastest truck on the track as he was gaining ground on the No. 38.
· Just 10 laps later, the talented teenager took over the lead from Smith and drove away to his first career stage win.
Stage Two Recap:
· Heim lined up for the Stage Two restart in first but was unable to hold onto the lead as the field came back to the stripe, falling back to second behind Zane Smith.
· Midway through the middle stanza, Heim communicated that his JBL Tundra TRD Pro was turning off but would re-fire as soon as he let off the gas.
· Despite the power issues, Heim was able to wheel his No. 51 Tundra to a second-place finish in Stage Two and earn an additional nine stage points.
Final Stage Recap:
· At the stage break, Heim communicated his JBL Tundra was “a little free in and tight off for most of the second stage.”
· Heim came down pit road for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment to correct the handling issues and would restart the Final Stage in third.
· The Georgia native continued his strong run within the top five throughout the Final Stage but continued to deal with handling issues as he came over the radio and said his No. 51 Tundra was “too free here” with 56 laps remaining.
· The handling issues eventually caught up with the No. 51 team as Heim got into the outside wall on lap 100 and again on lap 105 which would cut down his front right tire, forcing Heim to bring his JBL Tundra down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop.
· Just 10 laps later Heim had another tire go down, forcing another unscheduled pit stop for the No. 51 team.
· After assessing the damage, Heim would eventually take the checkered flag scored in 33rd.
Heart of America 200 Recap
Zane Smith picked up his third win of the season and sixth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Chandler Smith and Christian Eckes rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were four cautions for 19 laps and nine lead changes among five drivers, including Heim who led for 18 laps.
How Corey Heim’s KBM Teammates Fared:
· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished fourth.
· John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished sixth.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
The No. 51 team lost two positions in the Owner’s Championship standings and currently sit in 11th, 91 points back of the ThorSport Racing No. 99 team in first.
Next Race
Corey Heim will pilot the No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro for his third consecutive race as the Camping World Truck Series action heads to Texas Motor Speedway next week.Live coverage of the SpeedyCash.com 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8:30 p.m. ET.
