Corey Heim lined up on the front row in second for the second consecutive week after putting down a lap time of 29.639 seconds in the one-lap qualifying session for Friday’s SpeedyCash.com 220 at Texas Motor Speedway. Heim dealt with handling issues throughout much of the first two stages but was still able to earn five stage points with 10th and seventh-place stage finishes, respectively.
During the Stage Two break, Heim suffered right front damage after making contact with the No. 16 while exiting his pit stall. The damage forced the No. 51 team to make unscheduled pit stops and restart the final stanza from 29th. Despite the damage, Heim was able to drive through the field in the Final Stage and come home with a seventh-place finish.
Stage One Recap
· Heim started Friday’s SpeedyCash.com 220 at Texas Motor Speedway from the front row in second after clocking a lap time of 29.639 seconds in the qualifying session earlier in the day.
· Heim fell back on the initial restart and came over the radio on lap four saying that his JBL Tundra was “wrecking loose”.
· The 19-year-old driver continued to battle with handling issues throughout the opening stanza as he took the green-and-white checkered flag in 10th.
Stage Two Recap:
· Heim brought his No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro down pit road at the stage break for four tires and fuel and a major wedge adjustment to compensate for the handling issues he experienced in Stage One.
· The Georgia native continued his run within the top-10 for the entirety of the middle stanza, crossing the stripe scored in 7th as the green-and-white checkered flag came out.
· Heim came over the radio at the stage break and said that his JBL Tundra was “still way too free.”
Final Stage Recap:
· At the stage break, Heim brought his JBL Tundra down pit road for a routine pit stop but made contact with the No. 16 while exiting his pit stall, causing damage to the right front.
· The damage from the incident forced the No. 51 team to make two more unscheduled pit stops during the stage break, sending Heim back out to restart the final stage in 29th.
· As the final stage progressed, Heim communicated that the damage made his JBL Tundra a “parachute down the straightaways”. Crew chief Mardy Lindley assured his driver that despite the damage, they were still posting top-five lap times with just under 50 laps remaining.
· Heim continued to work his way through the field and was scored in ninth when the caution flag flew with just five laps remaining.
· The talented teenager lined up for the overtime restart on the inside of the fourth row and was able to gain two spots on the restart, taking the checkered flag in seventh.
Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro for KBM
How did your race go?
“It was a long day for sure, I think we had a really good qualifying effort in our No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro. We really just had an up and down day. We made it up to fourth after we had some issues then we had the pit road incident and went all the way to the back then just shoved our way through the field there at the very end and ended up seventh, which is a lot better than I thought we were going to be at the time of the incident. Really proud to bring home a top 10, the Tundras are built in Texas so really proud to honor that as well.”
SpeedyCash.com 220 Recap
Stewart Friesen earned his third career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Christian Eckes, Ryan Preece, Carson Hocevar, and Ty Majeski rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were seven cautions for 36 laps and 17 lead changes among seven drivers, including Heim who led once for one lap.
How Corey Heim’s KBM Teammates Fared:
· John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished sixth.
· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished eighth.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
The No. 51 team gained two spots in the Owner’s Championship standings and now sit in ninth, 80 points behind the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 4 team in first.
Next Race
Owner-driver Kyle Busch will be back behind the wheel of the No. 51 Safelite Tundra next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for his fourth of five scheduled starts in 2022. Live coverage of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8:30 p.m. ET.
