Heim opens Truck Series playoffs with eighth win of season at Darlington

Heim Dominates in Playoff Opener at Darlington

Darlington, SC – The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs commenced with a decisive performance from Corey Heim at Darlington Raceway, winning the Sober or Slammer 200. Heim took the lead after a critical restart on lap 134 and finished 0.766 seconds ahead of Daniel Hemric, securing his first victory at the historic track and his eighth win of the season—one shy of Greg Biffle’s record nine-victory season in 1999.

Heim’s successful strategy in the final stages followed a tense moment during Stage 2 when he detected a tire losing air. “Lucky it wasn’t a complete blowout – otherwise we would have been in trouble,” Heim remarked. He managed to pit just in time, finishing the stage in second place.

The race tempo changed dramatically with multiple incidents. Layne Riggs, who led with 71 laps before sustaining a right-front tire failure, ultimately finished 17th. Riggs’ collision with the wall paved the way for Heim to capitalize on the situation. “I put a little pressure on the No. 34 (Riggs), and he got into it,” Heim added.

Playoff competitors Grant Enfinger and Ty Majeski rounded out the top four, with Enfinger maintaining a steady race while Majeski overcame earlier tire issues. Trevor Bayne made a noteworthy return to NASCAR, finishing fifth, followed by rookie Tanner Gray and Playoff drivers Tyler Ankrum and Jake Garcia.

Chandler Smith’s race was cut short on lap 11 due to wall contact, leading to a 30th-place finish and leaving him two points behind Garcia for the final Round of 8 spot. Reflecting on the incident, Smith stated, “Made a mistake on my end today… Just got a little too greedy.”

As the field heads to Bristol for the next event, the Playoff standings have shifted, with Hemric boosting his position to 33 points above the cut line, while Honeycutt drops to 10th, seven points below it. Hemric emphasized the importance of maintaining this momentum: “We’ve been wanting so badly to have execution like that. That was our cleanest race of the season.”