{"id":51755,"date":"2025-05-10T23:28:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T04:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=51755"},"modified":"2025-05-11T21:41:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T02:41:03","slug":"carson-hocevar-wins-rugged-nascar-truck-series-race-at-kansas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/10\/carson-hocevar-wins-rugged-nascar-truck-series-race-at-kansas\/","title":{"rendered":"Carson Hocevar wins rugged NASCAR Truck Series race at Kansas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Carson Hocevar, driver of the #7 Delaware Life Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway on May 10, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

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By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em> <\/p>\n

KANSAS CITY, Kan.\u2014Carson Hocevar survived last-lap contact from the Ford of Layne Riggs, bounced off the outside wall and half a lap later took the checkered flag to win Saturday night\u2019s Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway.<\/p>\n

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Carson Hocevar, driver of the #7 Delaware Life Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway on May 10, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The victory was Hocevar\u2019s first of the season in his second NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start this year, his first at the 1.5-mile track and the fifth of his career.<\/p>\n

But Hocevar had to keep the fast-closing truck of Riggs behind him. On the final lap, Riggs steered to the inside of Hocevar\u2019s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, got to the left rear quarter of the Silverado and slid up the track into Hocevar\u2019s truck.<\/p>\n

After the contact, both Hocevar and Riggs maintained control, and both scraped the outside wall before continuing toward the finish line. With William Byron looking on from what was then third place, Hocevar arrived 0.262 seconds ahead of Riggs, who appeared to have finished second at Kansas for the second straight time.<\/p>\n

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Carson Hocevar, driver of the #7 Delaware Life Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway on May 10, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

However, Riggs was disqualified after post-race inspection found a truck bed cover violation on his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, elevating Byron to second place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just hoping they would crash, but they didn\u2019t,\u201d said Byron, who fought a tight-handling No. 07 Spire truck as the final run progressed and finished 0.718 seconds behind the race winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just thought I\u2019d make it entertaining,\u201d Hocevar quipped after climbing from his truck for a frontstretch interview. \u201cThat 34 truck (Riggs) was super, super good. This truck was really good on the short runs\u2014I didn\u2019t think he would get to us for how far back he was, but he was super good.<\/p>\n

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Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite\/Foster Love Toyota, and Rajah Caruth, driver of the #71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway on May 10, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve been in a finish like that where it\u2019s been all out there. So credit to him. I know he was going for everything there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riggs and third-place finisher Corey Heim lost track position on the wrong side of a cycle of green-flag pit stops midway through the final stage. Riggs recovered to challenge for the lead, while Heim incurred a penalty for an improper restart to squander his chances at victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, I gave it my all,\u201d Riggs said. \u201cWe were really down bad with the track position there. In the third segment, we were about to take the lead, and we did a green-flag pit stop and that really hurt us\u2014had to come from 16th on that green-flag run to get all the way back to him.<\/p>\n

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Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite\/Foster Love Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway on May 10, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI got to him, got into him a little bit. We both hit the wall, and he won the race. I think he was mad at me. I think he flipped me off all the way down the frontstretch coming to the checkered. But how can you be mad when you win the race?\u201d<\/p>\n

With the disqualification, however, Riggs had ample reason to be disappointed.<\/p>\n

Heim led 52 of the first 53 laps and won the first stage but lost 15 positions on pit road under caution on Lap 53 when the rear tire changer\u2019s air gun broke. Heim charged back to fourth in the running order, but lost all his progress when the sixth caution, for Frankie Muniz\u2019s spin into the infield grass, interrupted the cycle of green-flag stops on Lap 97, trapped Heim a lap down and forced him to take a wave-around.<\/p>\n

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Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite\/Foster Love Toyota, and Carson Hocevar, driver of the #7 Delaware Life Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway on May 10, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)
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That\u2019s when Hocevar, who remained on the lead lap after pitting, gained control of the race, which featured seven cautions for 33 laps. Hocevar led three times for 75 laps.<\/p>\n

Heim did further damage to his own chances by changing lanes to the outside behind the truck of Toni Breidinger before the start\/finish line on a Lap 103 restart. Thwarted in his attempt to win a third straight race at Kansas, Heim charged back to third at the finish.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarted out with that pit gun breaking\u2014no fault to my pit crew there,\u201d Heim said. \u201cThey did an awesome job all night. It seemed like a situational kind of deal there and then caught on the exact wrong time on the green-flag cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad to take the wave and start from the back again and got out of line for a penalty on my part. A roller coaster kind of day today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rookie Gio Ruggiero ran fourth, followed by Stewart Friesen, Brandon Jones, pole winner Jake Garcia, Kaden Honeycutt, Grant Enfinger and Daniel Hemric.<\/p>\n

 Interview:<\/b><\/h3>\n