By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Corey Heim a Truck Series championship contender? Not so much
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Remarkably, even though Corey Heim has competed in just three of the five NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races so far this season, he is tied for the series lead after back-to-back victories at Darlington Raceway and Rockingham Speedway.
Circumstances conspired to elevate Heim to the top of the standings. A “perfect” race at “The Rock,” with 76 points scored, certainly helped.
So did the disqualification of fourth-place finisher Chandler Smith for a ride-height infraction. Smith lost the 33 points that would have kept him 15 points ahead of Heim and Black’s Tire 200 runner-up Kaden Honeycutt, Heim’s TRICON Garage teammate.
Heim is the reigning series champion, having won a season-record 12 of last year’s 25 races. Competing in a limited number of events in all three of NASCAR’s national series this year, Heim is not defending his Truck Series title.
Inevitably, though, the subject came up after Friday’s victory left Heim tied for the series lead. Heim would need a waiver from NASCAR to run for the title, and that would present difficulties.
“I don’t know how all that works, honestly,” Heim said after Friday’s race. “I’d have to look into it. I figured we’d have a good points day, sweeping all three stages and everything. That’s pretty cool, but I’d have to figure out how that works and all the specifications and all the requirements to qualify.
“It’d be cool, but I have no plans on running the rest of the year, so we’d have a lot of figuring out to do at that point.”
Heim doesn’t need to strain his brain. TRICON has not applied for a waiver, and NASCAR granting a waiver for races missed because of scheduling choices borders on a pipe dream.
In addition, with the Chase championship format in place this year, a driver granted a waiver for a non-medical or family issue must start the Chase in last place, with 2,000 points. That’s a huge obstacle to overcome.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t diminish Heim’s ability to tie for the series lead after spotting the rest of the competition two races.
“Musical chairs” approach to season has challenges for Carson Kvapil, Rajah Caruth
Two JR Motorsports drivers competing for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship are doing so in a variety of different rides.
Carson Kvapil, currently fifth in the standings, has maintained that position behind the wheel of three different cars with three different crews—the Nos. 1 and 9 Chevrolets with JRM and the No. 91 of Mario Gosselin, which he drove to a 19th-place finish at the Circuit of The Americas road course in Austin, Texas.
“It’s hard,” Kvapil said of shuttling between cars. “Two teams are hard, but when there’s a third, and it’s almost kind of outside the organization, I don’t know what the word would be, but it’s different.
“It’s really hard to get into the rhythm of week-to-week racing with the same guys, going to the same trailer and doing the same things… It definitely does make it difficult, but I would say the positive side is that you get to experience three different teams, three different crew chiefs and three different deals in one year…
“But once you’re in the race car, it doesn’t really matter what car you’re in.”
In the first seven races of the season, Caruth has driven the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in four races and the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet in the other three. He is currently 10th in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings and has posted a best finish of eighth in each car.
“Personally, it takes an adjustment from a goal-setting perspective, or I guess from an expectation perspective,” Caruth said of the transition between the two cars. “Knowing that when I’m in that 32 that I’m going for base hits and it’s not best to put myself in a spot where I’ll throw away a (good) finish.
“When I’m in that car, a top 10 or a top 15 is a very solid day… In the 88, the opportunities to win are there, and I need to take advantage of them.”
Brent Crews now legal for NASCAR, not for adult beverages
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brent Crews celebrated his 18th birthday on March 30. That means he’s now eligible to compete in NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races on ovals longer than 1.25 miles.
“Me and some of buddies went to a Mexican restaurant,” Crews said. “The place was called Casa Azteca. All my friends went and my family. It was crazy. When it is your birthday, they have this big TV screen and it shows you and the whole group that you are with, and everyone was dancing.
“It was pretty cool. We all just hung out. It was a super chill birthday. It was great to have all of my family and my friends there.”
Asked whether he enjoyed a margarita during the celebration, Crews demurred emphatically.
“Not at 18,” he said. “My parents would… I would not be at the race track this weekend, I promise you that.”
