NCTS Race Recap: EcoSave 250

The round of eight started in Charlotte with the EcoSave 250. Corey Heim started the round on the front row after being the fastest truck in qualifying. Layne Riggs joined him on the front row. Brent Crews and Grant Enfinger started the race on the second row. Kaden Honeycutt began the race in fifth. The stage lengths were 20 laps for the first two stages, with the final stage being 27 laps.

Chaos in Turn One

Corey Heim got a great launch at the drop of the green flag. Riggs made contact with Heim, which pushed Heim into the wall. Enfinger tried to get to the inside line but pushed Riggs into Heim. No caution was thrown. Brent Crews assumed the lead.

Heim and Riggs immediately made pit stops to repair their damage.

Ben Rhodes carried too much speed into turn five and drove into the wall. He sustained a lot of damage. The first caution was thrown on lap two after Rhodes limped his truck around the track and into the pits.

Gio Ruggiero joined Crews on the front row for the restart. Crews got a huge jump at the start and took the lead into turn one. The field made it through turn one clean.

Timmy Hill got turned around in the front stretch chicane. Dawson Sutton got into the back of Hill, which turned him.

Since the restart, Heim was clearly the fastest truck on the track and the biggest mover by far. The damage he sustained on lap one did not slow him down at all.

Crews cruised out to a huge lead over Ruggiero. Halfway through the stage, he had already put almost four seconds on the field.

Kaden Honeycutt, in third, was among the fastest trucks. Connor Zilisch followed Honeycutt around and continued to try to pass for the position. He was faster than Honeycutt but could not make the pass. He finally made the pass coming out of the infield portion of the track.

Pit Stops

With five to go in the stage, Crews had a six and a half second lead over Ruggiero. Chandler Smith got turned around in the front stretch chicane, but was able to get back around and continue.

Zilisch was the first truck to pit. He began the frenzy to flip the stage. Heim was also among those who pitted before the stage end. Crews pitted with two laps to go in the stage. He was in the lead when he started his pit stop, and fell to seventh after getting back on the track.

Honeycutt assumed the lead after the pit stops were made. Ty Majeski and Tyler Ankrum were in second and third. Honeycutt took the field to the green-white-checkered and won the stage!

Honeycutt with the Sweep

Crews and Zilisch brought the field back to green for stage two of the EcoSave 250. Crews took the lead going into turn one. The field fell in single file behind Crews out of the turn. Jake Garcia got turned around coming out of the infield section. He was able to keep it fired and continue, although he fell to the rear.

Kris Wright got turned around on lap eight of the stage. Jack Wood drove into turn five with more speed and used Wright to help him slow down. The field stayed green.

Heim passed Ruggiero to get back on the podium after his lap one trouble. Zilisch and Crews remained in front of him.

Ruggiero was the first truck to pit. Zilisch was next. That brought the wave of trucks down pit road. Crews and Heim pitted with two laps to go in the stage. That handed the lead back to Honeycutt. Honeycutt took the stage two win in the EcoSave 250! Enfinger and Rajah Caruth finished the stage in the top three.

After retiring his truck, Parker Kligerman got ready to get back into another truck. Will Rogers felt sick in his truck and needed a possible replacement.

Heim Time

Crews and Zilisch brought the field back to green. Crews took the lead into turn one. Zilisch did not give up and stayed at the rear bumper of Crews.

Josh Bilicki spun around in turn seven. He was running in fourth.

Heim, Zilisch, and Crews pulled away and led the rest of the field by over seven seconds. Heim was able to get around Zilisch with 18 to go in the race. He was then over three seconds back from Crews. He tried to cut down the lead but could not put a dent in it.

Matt Crafton got turned around by Bayley Currey in turn seven.

Crews caught some lapped traffic that slowed him severely. Heim shrank the lead from over three seconds to just over two seconds. Heim continued to gain ground on the leader.

Toni Breidinger stopped on the track, which brought out the fourth caution of the day.

Crews had to pit for fuel under the yellow, while Heim stayed out and assumed the lead.

Race to the Finish

Connor Mosack joined Heim on the front row for the restart.  Heim got the better launch and took the lead into turn one. Riggs was shoved out of the racing line coming to the green flag. Chandler Smith got underneath Mosack and took second. He then got turned around by Majeski in turn seven. Crews found his way back into the second after the beating and banging.

Heim scampered off to a huge lead over Crews. He took the white flag and then the checkered flag to win the EcoSave 250! That was his tenth win of the season! That win also locked him into the championship race at Phoenix.

Crews, Ruggiero, Caruth, and Zilisch rounded out the top five.

Marvin’s Minute:

NASCAR is the only thing that can stop the historic season of Corey Heim. Even if he does not win the championship, it will be the greatest season in truck series history. The fact that there is still a chance he won’t win it is the problem with NASCAR. Heim has impressed all season on ovals and even road courses. The series continues its playoffs on October 17th at Talladega Superspeedway!