Corey Heim made his third and final start of the season in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday afternoon. In his previous two starts, Heim finished 23rd at Darlington and 18th at Watkins Glen.
Heim started the United Rentals 200 in the 28th-position but would eventually work his way into Top-5 by the third stage. Despite dealing with handling issues early in the race, the 19-year-old Toyota driver rebounded and earned a career high 11th-place finish.
Drew Dollar will wrap up the season in the No. 51 Tundra next week at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.
Stage One Recap:
- Heim began the United Rentals 200 in the 28th-position based on NASCAR’s performance matrix system.
- On Lap 21, Heim communicated that his No. 51 Tundra was “free on breaking” entering the turns.
- Heim’s No. 51 HYTE Tundra sustained left-rear quarter panel damage in the first stage but would be able to continue.
- As the green-and-white checkered flag flew to conclude the first stage, Heim gained nine spots and finished 19th.
Stage Two Recap:
- Heim brought the No. 51 HYTE Tundra to pit road as Crew Chief Mardy Lindley communicated that the team would “take a big swing at it” to correct the handling issues that Heim experienced in the first stage.
- The No. 51 team gained three spots on pit road to restart the second stage in 16th.
- Heim continued to show progress and move through the field as he finished the second stage in the 12th-position.
Final Stage Recap:
- Heim began the final stage of the United Rentals 200 in fifth place.
- The 19-year-old battled within the top-five for the majority of the final stage and was within 1.5 seconds of the leader with 24 laps to go as the caution came out.
- With just 15 laps remaining, Heim was involved in a seven-truck incident coming out of Turn 4.
- Despite sustaining damage from the incident, the No. 51 HYTE Tundra was able to continue but was involved in another incident with three laps to go on the front stretch as Heim got into the back of the No. 41, sending him around.
- Heim ultimately picked up a career best 11th-place finish in his final start of the season.
Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 HYTE Tundra for KBM
You had a solid day overall, just talk about how it went for you
“Yeah, we really did, you know the finish isn’t what we wanted but we were running within the Top-5 for most of the race there, and Mardy Lindley, KBM, and everyone really did a good job at dialing in my HYTE Tundra today. Really wish we had a better outcome; I think we would’ve easily finished Top-5 but it is what it is.”
United Rentals 200 Recap:
- Zane Smith picked up the third win of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career and earned a spot in the Championship 4. Austin Hill, Tanner Gray, Smith, and Matt Crafton rounded out the top-five finishers.
- There were 14 cautions for 89 laps. There were 10 lead changes among four drivers.
How Heim’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished fourth.
- John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished 39th.
Camping World Trucks Owner’s Championship Standings:
The No. 51 team was eliminated from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Owner’s Championship after the Round of 10 and currently sits in 10th-place behind ThorSport Racing No. 98.
Next Race:
Drew Dollar will close out the 2021 season in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway on Friday, Nov. 6. Live coverage of the event will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET.
