The first two races of the Craftsman Truck Series Round of 8 are complete, and Corey Heim is sitting in a strong position to return to the Championship 4.
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The Tricon Garage driver doesn't yet have a win in this round of the playoffs; Grant Enfinger won at both Talladega Superspeedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway to solidify his spot in the Championship 4.
However, Heim is in the best position in terms of points considering that he is 49 points above the cutline.
Photo credit: NASCAR
Heim, who leads the series with six wins this season, kicked off the Round of 8 with an 11th-place finish at Talladega. He then finished fourth at Homestead on Saturday afternoon after starting from the pole. He also scored 23 combined stage points in the two races.
"Yeah, I mean overall, a good day for points and whatnot," Heim said after Saturday's race. "Obviously, the main goal is to get to Phoenix, so yeah, disappointing.
"We were so fast last year (here) and wanted to come back and redeem ourselves and win the race, of course. But, have no complaints as far as points go. Makes Martinsville a little bit easier, but still have to put together a decent day."
A 49-point cushion doesn't ensure that Heim will automatically move on to the Championship 4 after next weekend's elimination race at Martinsville Speedway. It just makes it harder for other drivers to track him down at a track known for beating and banging, especially if he stockpiles stage points early.
History indicates that Heim will do exactly that. He has made three Truck Series starts at the Virginia short track. He has finished 11th, first, and 10th. He scored 27 combined stage points in the last two races while winning two stages and leading 82 laps.
Getting back to Phoenix provides Heim with an opportunity to finish the job, so to speak.
The Tricon driver was fifth in last season's finale with 31 laps remaining in the race. He was ahead of the other Championship 4 drivers and in a position to win the title. However, fellow contender Carson Hocevar spun Heim into Stewart Friesen.
The driver of the No. 11 was able to continue in the race, but he was out of championship contention. He then spun Hocevar with three laps remaining, which sent the race into the first of four overtime attempts.
Ben Rhodes went on to win his second Truck Series championship in three seasons after these on-track incidents. NASCAR penalized Heim for wrecking Hocevar after the season ended.
While Heim heads to Martinsville Speedway in position to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 on points, a Tricon Garage teammate is in a worse position.
Taylor Gray had a mostly strong day at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He scored 12 stage points after starting on the front row, but he only finished 10th as drivers used a variety of pit strategies.
Some stopped under caution on Laps 79-80 and gambled on fuel mileage while others made green flag stops later in the final stage. Gray was one of the drivers who stopped under green flag conditions and worked through the field late with fresher tires.
Gray just ran out of time to gain more spots. Now he heads to Martinsville 24 points below the cutline.
"Obviously, didn't really get the points day we wanted," Gray said after the race. "And then, just, strategy got us there at the end. Still came out with a top-10.
"Can't thank my Tricon Garage guys enough for working their butts off all week long and preparing our Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Just have to go to Martinsville... we're in a must-win position, so try to go to Martinsville and be aggressive."
