Corey Heim and his pit crew claim another NASCAR Truck Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday night in the Ecosave 200
LAS VEGAS—Corey Heim made a mistake on pit road, but his crew picked up the slack when it counted.
Corey Heim Victory at Las Vegas
A lightning-fast stop under caution on lap 86 put Heim in the lead, and that was the impetus the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota needed to win Friday night’s Ecosave 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The stellar work of the pit crew allowed Heim to overcome a pit road speeding penalty he incurred at the end of the first stage on lap 31.
“First of all, the pit crew did such a good job of getting the truck up front,” said Heim, who won his second race of the season, his first at LVMS and the 13th of his career. “I made that mistake in Stage 1 when I sped on pit road and put us behind.”
In a race run in uncharacteristically cold weather and stopped twice for sudden rain showers, Heim took the lead for good on lap 101, passing Layne Riggs after the final restart following the fourth and last caution for Jack Wood’s accident in the fourth turn on lap 93.
Heim led a race-high 42 of 134 laps to 39 for Stage 2 winner Tyler Ankrum and beat runner-up Grant Enfinger to the finish line by 0.825 seconds.
“This wasn’t exactly what we wanted in terms of the weather being cold and whatnot,” Heim said. “It seems to be a lot better when it’s hot and greasy, and we’re sliding around…
“I was doing everything I can there. I think all of us were completely wide open at the end. I spent a lot of time looking at my mirror, and it worked out.”
The EcoSave 200 Results
Enfinger passed Tanner Gray for the second spot on lap 126 but couldn’t catch Heim over the final eight laps. Enfinger felt the battle with Gray might have cost him a chance to win.
“We got side by side and lost a little but right there,” Enfinger said. “And we probably went over our tire limit a little bit right there and that hurt us at the end.
“Corey was a lot better than us in the short run, and (crew chief) Jeff (Stankiewicz) really got this (No. 9 Chevrolet) really, really strolling on the long run. Our pit crew did an amazing job getting us from 11th to fifth (on the final stop). And when we were in the top five, we could race with those guys.”
Gray held third place at the finish, followed by reigning series champion and Stage 1 winner Ty Majeski and Riggs. Stewart Friesen, Rajah Caruth, Chandler Smith, Matt Crafton, and Ankrum completed the top ten.
There were 21 lead changes among 12 drivers, both race records. Rain interrupted the race at the end of the first two stages. Red-flag periods lasted 55 minutes, 51 seconds, and 19 minutes, 42 seconds, respectively.
The NASCAR Truck Series Point Standings
Ty Majeski holds a five-point lead over Corey Heim in the series point standings. Grant Enfinger, Chandler Smith, and Stewart Friesen complete the top five with 21 markers separating first and fifth place. Ben Rhodes, Tyler Ankrum, Giovanni Ruggiero, Daniel Hemric, and Tanner Gray complete the top ten.
Next Up
The NASCAR Truck Series heads east to Homestead Maimi Speedway for the Baptist Health 200 on Friday, March 21st. The race begins at 8 p.m. ET, and coverage is on FOX, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The defending winner is Grant Enfinger.