Corey Heim edges teammate in thrilling 0.090s finish at Rockingham

Corey Heim’s Dominance at Rockingham

Corey Heim showcased his exceptional skills during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Rockingham, but it wasn’t an easy victory. Despite leading most of the race, he faced a tough challenge in the closing laps.

Heim initially struggled with his No. 1 truck, questioning if a tire was going down. As he navigated slower traffic, his teammate Kaden Honeycutt caught up, setting up an intense battle for the win. The two were side-by-side on the final lap, with Honeycutt even briefly taking the lead before Heim made a daring move into the final corner, barely holding onto the lead.

“I didn’t feel like I was pushing any harder than the previous run, so I didn’t feel like I did any more damage to the right front, but all of sudden with about four to go, I had to turn more right on the straightaway to keep it straight,” Heim explained. “It was clocked like 20 degrees to the right and it was chattering really bad in the corner. I was like ‘oh boy, here we go, we’re going to lose this one in the worst way possible.’ But we hung in there. Just had to use a couple of lapped car picks to defend. Respect to Kaden for racing clean. I did what I had to do there at the end.”

This win marked Heim’s 25th career NCTS victory. He previously won the first Triple Truck Challenge race at Darlington, earning a $50,000 bonus. Rockingham was the second, netting him an additional $100,000. If he wins the final Triple Truck Challenge race next weekend at Bristol, the prize money increases to $500,000 for sweeping all three races.

“Maybe I could have pinched Corey going off into Turn 3,” said Honeycutt in a post-race media scrum. “But at the same time, he was there, so I can only push myself so far before I crash myself, right? I think at the end of the day, that would have been a terrible look for us as an organization and I have a ton of respect for Corey. He’s done a lot for this organization, so I just wanted to make sure either one of us won, whether it was me or him.”

Race Highlights

Behind Heim and Honeycutt, the Front Row Motorsports duo of Layne Riggs and Chandler Smith finished third and fourth, respectively. However, Smith was later disqualified for failing post-race inspection. After the disqualification, Stewart Friesen moved up to fourth, followed by Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, Corey Lajoie, Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia, and another Jake Garcia.

Stage Breakdown

Stage 1

Tanner Gray took the lead from pole-sitter Garcia at the very start, but it wasn’t long until Heim passed them both. Andres Perez got into the wall early, damaging the right-rear of his truck and falling back through the pack. Heim went on to win Stage 1 over Majeski, Honeycutt, Riggs, Tan. Gray, Butcher, Garcia, Eatman, Ruggiero, and Lewis.

Stage 2

Ruggiero was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road, and Hocevar entered a closed pit so the No. 77 Spire team could work on some issues with his truck. Enfinger, who only took two fresh tires, actually moved into the lead on the restart with a helpful push from Majeski. It did not last long though, as Heim quickly regained control of the race.

Moments after the lead changed hands, the first natural caution of the race flew as Adam Andretti nosed his No. 5 truck into the inside wall on the backstretch. On the ensuing restart, Brenden Queen – who was the top-running Ram driver at the time – smacked the wall and fell to the back of the pack.

Heim swept the stages, winning Stage 2 over Majeski, Honeycutt, Riggs, Enfinger, Tan. Gray, Friesen, Hemric, Butcher, and Garcia.

Stage 3

Heim continued to dominate throughout the final stage, as Hocevar fell out of the race with mechanical issues. With just over 50 laps to go, a round of green-flag pit stops began. However, Heim waited a bit longer. It was a smart decision to wait as Michael Christopher Jr. got sent sideways, triggering a caution that trapped several trucks that had already pit.

The green flag waved with 28 laps to go, and Heim once again drove away. However, it did not last, as he reported a possible tire issue in the final five laps. Honeycutt ran him down and almost got to his outside with three laps to go. Honeycutt caught a slower truck at a bad time, but quickly ran Heim back down.

At the white flag, Honeycutt got to Heim’s outside and the two teammates were side-by-side for most of the lap. At the exit of Turn 2, the lapped track of Tanner Gray – a teammate to both Honeycutt and Heim – was directly in Honeycutt’s path. He shoved him ahead, and nearly cleared Heim before reaching Turn 3. However, Heim still had a fender there, so he drove it in deep and slid up in front of Honeycutt, who crossed the line glued to Heim’s back bumper. Just 0.090s separated the two drivers, with Honeycutt still searching for his first career win.

Final Standings

After the disqualification of Chandler Smith, every driver from Friesen on back will move up a position, while Smith will be credited with 36th place.