Trackin’ Trucks: Corey Heim Wins at Martinsville

 

Credit: Sean Gardner 


Corey Heim earned his first Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season, the third of his career on Friday night at Martinsville Speedway, leading 82 of the 124 laps that were run. The event was made official after a downpour brought the trucks to a halt halfway through the event. 


20-year-old Heim was in the leading position when the caution for rain came out and NASCAR brought the trucks down pit road. Moments later, the Long John Silver’s 200 was declared official and Heim the winner.


“Rain, rain, come on,‘‘ Heim said to his crew over the radio during the final red flag period.


“This race was cut short and that‘s definitely unfortunate, but this truck was fast all night,‘‘ Heim said. “I couldn‘t ask for a better group of guys.‘‘


The race may have been shorter due to rainy conditions, but Heim still had to work to maintain his position over veteran Kyle Busch. Heim had to power through four different re-starts to claim the first famous grandfather Martinsville clock of his career. 


Credit: Jared C. Tilton 


“We just didn‘t have a good enough short-run truck,‘‘ Busch said. “Being a little bit loose and free that we were, we were hoping that would pay off in the long run but never had a long run. The longest run of the race was on rain tires.


“It did not go our way today, unfortunately.”


Busch went on to claim second, defending champion Zane Smith finished third, and  Ty Majeski and Tanner Gray rounded out the top-five finishers. 


Ben Rhodes finished sixth, Matt DiBenedetto finished seventh, while Taylor Gray, William Sawalich, and Chase Purdy completed the top 10. 


A Look Ahead 


The Craftsman Truck Series has the next two weekends off before returning at Kansas Speedway. 


Majeski maintains the points lead over Smith by 26 points and 49 points over Rhodes.


Don’t miss the Trucks on Saturday, May 6th, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. 

Trackin’ Trucks: Corey Heim Wins at Martinsville  Trackin’ Trucks: Corey Heim Wins at Martinsville Reviewed by Courtney Horn on Saturday, April 15, 2023 Rating: 5