Setting the Stage
After a few weeks off for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Chase Purdy was on pole for the Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway. Ty Majeski joined him on the front row with Ty Dillon, Rajah Caruth, and Connor Mosack rounding out the top five. Last year’s winner, Grant Enfinger, started 16th. The stage lengths were 30 laps for the first two stages and 74 laps for the final stage. The weather was cloudy, but overall a beautiful night for racing.
Clean Start
Drivers wasted no time fanning out as they dove into turn one. Purdy assumed the lead from the top row. Suddenly, Majeski got into the wall to bring out the first caution of the day on lap two. He went down the pits to get his truck fixed.
The race resumed on lap seven. They were three wide going into turn one and Zane Smith passed Purdy for the lead. The first four trucks threw jabs at each other as they jockeyed for position. Nick Sanchez wasted no time – he started in 31st and made up several positions early in the stage. Then, Heim pulled up beside Smith and they raced side by side for several laps. Heim made the pass for the lead over Smith.
Stewart Friesen got into the wall and had to make an unscheduled pit stop. Heim and Smith opened their gap over the rest of the field as they pulled away from Purdy in third. Heim came from eleventh to lead the last eighteen laps of the stage and win it. Kaden Honeycutt finished fifth in the stage. Christian Eckes won the race off the pits with Honeycutt in second. Unfortunately, Cam Waters had a tire roll across the pit lane.
Accidents Don’t Happen
Eckes took the lead on the restart and Honeycutt lost a spot while Smith took the lead back.
Heim passed Honeycutt for third. Brett Moffitt, who had speed early in the race, started in 17th, got into the top ten and looked to get into the top five.
The trucks fanned out around the track providing action. The top three trucks, Smith, Heim, and Eckes, pulled away from the fourth-place truck by over three seconds. Moffitt passed Sanchez for sixth. Smith, in the lead, caught up the back of the field and began lapping trucks.
After Smith took the lead, he did not look back as he got the stage win in front of Heim and Eckes. Eckes won the race off the pits and Smith got out in seventh.
In a scary turn of events, Lawless Alan ran into his right front tire changer on pit road. The crew member was sent to the infield care center and was evaluated and released.
Domination for Heim
Eckes and Heim restarted the race on the front row. Sanchez gave Eckes a great push on the restart. The trucks fanned out to four and five wide on the back stretch.
Sanchez took the lead from Eckes after starting 31st. Honeycutt moved into second place. He caught Heim as the top two trucks pulled away from the rest of the field. Taylor and Tanner Gray couldn’t get away from each other as they rode sixth and seventh.
Then, the green flag pit stops began with Heim being the first truck to pull in for four tires and fuel. With that, Honeycutt took the lead. Then, he surrendered the lead as he pulled into the pits. His pit crew had an issue getting a tire on which cost him some time. He came out of the pits and immediately battled Eckes for position on the track.
Heim complained of being free as he caught a line of lapped trucks. then, Tay. Gray’s truck started smoking as he had a right front tire go down. Fortunately, he was able to get it onto the pits, so no caution was thrown.
Dean Thompson passed Daniel Dye for 10th with twenty laps left in the race. Heim got through the traffic of lapped cars to take the white flag and the checkered flag as he won in Kansas!
Smith, Eckes, Honeycutt, and Moffitt rounded out the top 5.
Marvin’s Thoughts
While this race seemed boring, I believe it was a great showing for the talent of the drivers. With some truck races seemingly taking forever because of lack of talent cautions, this Kansas race was a good, clean race. At times, the Truck Series can be unenjoyable to watch. This race showed that they can keep the green flag out, even with every truck stopping for fuel and tires.
