Corey Heim grabs a NASCAR Truck Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics on Thursday night.
BRISTOL, Tenn. – After stealing a victory last Saturday at Kansas Speedway, Christian Eckes got his pocket picked by Corey Heim on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Corey Heim Grabs a NASCAR Truck Series Victory at Bristol Motor Speedway
On lap 195 of 200 of the UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics, Heim forced his way beneath Eckes’ No. 19 Chevrolet—with the lapped truck of Eckes’ TRICON Garage teammate, Tanner Gray, to the outside—took the lead and claimed the victory by 0.218 seconds over his disappointed rival.
With his third NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory of the season, his first at Bristol and the fifth of his career, Heim, the regular-season champion, moved one step closer to another possible title. The win propelled him into the Championship 4 race, scheduled for Nov. 3 at Phoenix Raceway.
“This is insane,” said Heim, who led only the last six laps. “I felt like I’ve given so many away this year, to win one like that at the end is so special… Like I said, we’ve given so many away, and we finally got one back…
“Gosh, it’s just so awesome to know we’re in Phoenix.”
The NASCAR Truck Series Point Standings
Eckes seemed Phoenix-bound himself before Heim made the decisive pass. Eckes led 150 laps and swept the first two stages. The runner-up finish left him one point behind Heim in the Playoff standings but without a ticket to the Championship 4.
“I just think it’s ironic that the 15 (Tanner Gray) is three laps down and waited,” said Eckes, who felt Gray held him up and allowed Heim to close in. “Whatever. Good truck. I got really tight there at the end…
“That one stinks, for sure.”
Playoff Drivers Stumble at Bristol
If it’s any consolation to Eckes, mistakes and ill fortune that beset other drivers created a significant spread between those above the cut line for the Championship 4 and those below it.
Defending series champion Zane Smith was penalized for pitting outside his box on lap 116, was relegated to the rear of the fell, and fell a lap down to Eckes on lap 161. He finished 24th and heads for the next race—Sept. 30 at Talladega—in fifth place, 14 points behind Grant Enfinger (third on Friday) for the final Playoff-eligible position.
Contact between Heim’s Toyota and Ty Majeski’s Ford cut Majeski’s right front tire on lap 107, three laps before the end of Stage 2. Majeski was never a factor after that and finished 19th, leaving him 22 points behind Enfinger.
The UNOH 200 Results
Carson Hocevar ran fourth and enters the second Round of 8 race at Talladega 18 points above the cut line.
Tyler Gray, Rajah Caruth, Ben Rhodes, Chase Purdy, rookie Nick Sanchez, and Matt DiBenedetto completed the top ten.
Sanchez started at the back of the field because of a broken suspension part that prevented him from making a qualifying run. Though he salvaged the ninth-place result, he trails Enfinger by 22 points with two races left in the Round of 8.
Next Up
The NASCAR Truck Series races their second race in the Round of 8 in the Love’s RV Stop 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, September 30th at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage is on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM Radio.