Crash Ends Heim’s $500K Bid at Bristol

Crash Ends Heim’s $500K Bid at BristolJonathan Bachman - Getty Images

A multi-truck crash with 70 laps remaining in Bristol Motor Speedway’s Tennessee Army National Guard 250 dashed Corey Heim’s hopes of collecting the third leg of the Triple Truck Challenge and a bonus totaling $500,000.

Heim won at Darlington, the first race in the Challenge, which paid a $50,000 bonus. He then collected $150,000 when he won at Rockingham, the second event in the bonus program. If he had claimed the victory at Bristol, he would have received $350,000 for winning all three races in the Triple Truck Challenge for a $500,000 total. Instead, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Chandler Smith, who finished second to winner Christopher Bell, received the $50,000 bonus.

Heim’s victory bid in Friday night’s 250-lap race ended while he and Christian Eckes were dueling for the lead on lap 180. Heim passed Eckes on the frontstretch. When Eckes moved up in turn one, he hadn’t cleared Heim and he clipped the Toyota driver, spinning him up the track and into the wall backward. Heim collected victory contenders Layne Riggs and TRICON Garage teammate Kaden Honeycutt who were in the outside lane. The race was halted for 11 minutes 51 seconds while the track was cleared.

After leaving the infield care center, Heim said he didn’t believe Eckes turned him intentionally.

“Obviously, I kind of sent him in (to the turn),” Heim said. “I think the lead was going to be super important to win the race, just having track position and control. They had a big mix up on who was starting the race as far as the control truck. I had an issue with my transmission sticking in gears.

“I had to pack a little bit of air in there to get him (Eckes) out of the way. I got him free. I think he was just trying to get behind me and then shipped me, which would have been totally fine, because I did it to him. He just misjudged it. I’ve been racing him for a long time, and I don’t think he would do that on purpose, so we are all good.”

Honeycutt was not as forgiving.

“Two guys history affecting everyone else’s race,” said an angry Honeycutt, who finished 31st. “We had 70-something laps to go, had plenty of time. We could have just raced. I know Corey (Heim) got into him a couple of times. That’s just dumb.”

Riggs finished 22nd, one lap down, in the 36-truck field.