Corey Heim engineers last-lap pass to win Truck race at Darlington

Same guy. Different truck. Same result.

Driving the No. 5 TRICON Garage Toyota on a part-time basis, Corey Heim shocked race leader Ross Chastain with a last-lap pass and collected his second-straight victory at Darlington Raceway in Friday night's Buckle Up South Carolina 200.

Last year, the No.11 TRICON Tundra carried Heim to a record 12 victories and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.

This year, the No. 5 truck carried him to a two-overtime win ‌in his second series start of the season, as Heim is running a cobbled-together schedule of Truck Series, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Cup Series races.

Heim also collected the $50,000 ​Triple Truck Challenge bonus for ⁠the victory. Should he run again on April 3 at Rockingham Speedway, he would be eligible for a $100,000 prize available to a driver who wins ‌two races in "The Trip."

Corey Heim celebrates with the trophy. AFP

Heim's overtime victory on Friday night ‌was unlikely enough, and it boiled down to strategy. On Lap 145, with three laps left in regulation, Heim brought his Tundra to pit road for scuffed tires that were five laps fresher than those of Chastain and other frontrunners.

Restarting 15th on the first attempt at overtime, Heim gained six spots before the ninth caution for a wreck involving Jake Garcia, Tyler Ankrum, Corey LaJoie and Stewart Friesen.
Heim was ninth for the ‌final restart and used his tires to excellent advantage, making the pass for the win through Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap.

"I'm out of breath, for sure," said Heim, who led ⁠three times for 28 laps and picked up his 24th win in 91 Truck Series starts. "Man, we had a set of scuffs laying, and they were five laps fresher than everyone else's. It was worth a shot. I didn't think we could win from where we were at.

"I felt like I made all the right moves. I had it three-wide coming to the white (flag) and bombed on in there on Ross (into Turn 3). I was shocked he gave me the bottom like that with fresher tires."

Chastain, who led 35 laps and controlled both overtime restarts, thought he had the race won.

"I have no idea what just happened," said Chastain, who is running races in all three NASCAR series this weekend. "We did so much right... I think that's on us as a whole that we ​didn't catch that.

"Of course, I would have run the bottom if I thought he would have been close, but I thought I got a good restart. Bummer."

Kaden ‌Honeycutt, who won his first career pole earlier in the day, led a race- high 59 laps in the No. 11 TRICON Garage truck Heim drove last year. Honeycutt restarted second and chose the top lane for both overtimes but faded to fourth after the final restart.

"That last restart, the top lane wasn't preferred," Honeycutt said. "It was like that all night, obviously. The bottom was really good. I tried not ⁠to spin the tires as much as I possibly could...

"By the time the 5 (Heim) got by me and the 91 (third-place finisher Christian Eckes) was in front of him, I pretty much just committed to helping (Heim) and see if he could get up there and win the race. I don't know how in the world he did, but he did."

Connor Mosack finished fifth, followed Christopher Bell, Grant Enfinger, Gio Ruggiero, Daniel Hemric and William Sawalich.

Chandler ​Smith ran 17th but ‌left Darlington with a 33-point lead over second- place Honeycutt in the series standings.

Reuters