Truck Series: it's Heim time in Darlington
- Bailey Defoor
- Aug 30
- 4 min read
Written by Bailey Defoor
Corey Heim locks himself in the Round of 8 with his win in Darlington.
As it unfolded
Front Row Motorsports locked out the front row with Layne Riggs on the pole alongside Chandler Smith when they led the field to green. Smith took the lead after Riggs had a huge slide and had to check up.
On Lap 11, Riggs caught up when Smith grazed the wall and took damage. Smith hit the wall again after suffering a flat rear tyre, but was able to make it to pit road without bringing out the caution. Smith went behind the wall.
Kaden Honeycutt pitted on Lap 23 with a flat front tyre from sixth. Matt Mills and Matt Crafton also pitted after each made contact with the wall. Ty Majeski also started reporting a tyre issue on this lap but did not pit until Lap 40.
On Lap 29, Heim was on Riggs’s bumper and got underneath Riggs for the lead on Lap 31. Heim went on to win his third straight stage win.
Stage 1 Results:
No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 9 - Grant Enfinger (CR7 Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 19 - Daniel Hemric (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 17 - Giovanni Ruggiero (TRICON Garage)
No. 18 - Tyler Ankrum (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 77 - Corey LaJoie (Spire Motorsports)
No. 7 - Corey Day (Spire Motorsports)
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
All of the lead lap drivers pitted under the stage caution, and Heim came out ahead, followed by Grant Enfinger. Jake Garcia got penalised for an uncontrolled tyre on pit road. They led the way on Lap 54, and Enfinger struggled to get going. Heim went up to the lead as Riggs and Daniel Hemric passed Enfinger.
Hemric moved up to second and began battling with Heim for the lead on Lap 56. By Lap 60, Hemric fell back into the clutches of Riggs, who moved up and got to the outside of Heim for the lead on Lap 61. Riggs kept the lead, extending the gap to over a second and a half, before winning the stage.
Stage 2 Results:
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 9 - Grant Enfinger (CR7 Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 19 - Daniel Hemric (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 17 - Giovanni Ruggiero (TRICON Garage)
No. 77 - Corey LaJoie (Spire Motorsports)
No. 18 - Tyler Ankrum (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 1 - Trevor Bayne (TRICON Garage)
No. 7 - Corey Day (Spire Motorsports)
All of the lead lap drivers pitted, and Heim, Enfinger and Gio Ruggiero all got off pit road ahead of Riggs. Heim and Enfinger led the way once again on Lap 99. Enfinger had a better start but fell back to fifth as Heim cleared for the lead and Riggs and Hemric moved up.
On Lap 112, Riggs passed Heim while entering turn one for the lead. Riggs had a gap of over a second, but on Lap 128, Heim got around Riggs, who slowed with an issue. Kaden Honeycutt spun after contact with Andrés Pérez just as Heim took the lead, bringing out the first incident-related caution.
Most of the field pitted under caution. Heim got off pit road first, followed by Enfinger. Riggs slid into his pit box and had a long stop, dropping him to 19th.
Heim cleared Enfinger on the restart at Lap 134 as Enfinger and Hemric battled for second. Hemric secured second and began challenging Heim for the lead on Lap 139. With two laps to go, Ruggiero slowed on track with a flat tyre but made it to pit road without bringing out the caution.
Corey Heim secured his place in the next round of the playoffs with his win in Darlington, his eighth win of the year.
Provisional Results
No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 19 - Daniel Hemric (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 9 - Grant Enfinger (CR7 Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 98 - Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 1 - Trevor Bayne (TRICON Garage)
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 18 - Tyler Ankrum (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 56 - Timmy Hill (Hill Motorsports)
No. 7 - Corey Day (Spire Motorsports)
No. 13 - Jake Garcia (ThorSport Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 99 - Ben Rhodes (ThorSport Racing)
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 81 - Connor Mosack (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 91 - Jack Wood (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 20 - Stefan Parsons (Young's Motorsports)
No. 44 - Andrés Pérez (Niece Motorsports)
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 52 - Kaden Honeycutt (Halmar Friesen Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 26 - Dawson Sutton (Rackley W.A.R.)
No. 77 - Corey LaJoie (Spire Motorsports) +1 lap
No. 88 - Matt Crafton (ThorSport Racing) +1 lap
No. 17 - Giovanni Ruggiero (TRICON Garage) +1 lap
No. 76 - Spencer Boyd (Freedom Racing Enterprises) +2 laps
No. 5 - Toni Breidinger (TRICON Garage) +4 laps
No. 45 - Bayley Currey (Niece Motorsports) +7 laps
No. 33 - Mason Maggio (Reaume Brothers Racing) +19 laps
No. 02 - Nathan Byrd (Young's Motorsports) +34 laps
No. 74 - Caleb Costner (Mike Harmon Racing) [DNF]
No. 42 - Matt Mills (Niece Motorsports) [DNF]
No. 38 - Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports) [DNF] [PLAYOFFS] [FL]
No. 2 - Stephen Mallozzi (Reaume Brothers Racing) [DNF]
No. 22 - Clayton Green (Reaume Brothers Racing) [DNF]
We have a slight pause until the Craftsman Truck Series heads into the second race in the Round of 10. Tune in on Thursday, September 11, at 19:00 EST (Friday, September 12, 00:00 BST) at Bristol Motor Speedway. Be there or be square.
Provisional Playoff Picture
No. 11 - Corey Heim: [WIN]
No. 34 - Layne Riggs: +38
No. 19 - Daniel Hemric: +33
No. 9 - Grant Enfinger: +30
No. 18 - Tyler Ankrum: +22
No. 98 - Ty Majeski: +16
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth: +4
No. 13 - Jake Garcia: +2
Playoff Cut Line
No. 38 - Chandler Smith: -2
No. 02 - Kaden Honeycutt: -7
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