LONG POND, Pa. – Corey Heim got a gift on Friday evening at Pocono Raceway, and in receiving it, extended a longstanding ARCA Menards Series streak at the Tricky Triangle.
Avoiding the chaos in front of him on a restart with 17 laps left in the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200, Heim swept to the lead after contact between Ty Gibbs and Chandler Smith broke their momentum.
From there, the Marietta, Ga., driver never looked back, holding off Gibbs’ advances early in the final run and driving away late to secure his third ARCA Menards Series win of the season.
Heim became the 30th different driver to win in the last 30 ARCA races at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track. It also ended a four-race losing streak where, Heim admitted, he’d been doubting himself lately.
“This win was as much for my team as it was for me,” said Heim, the driver of the No. 20 JBL Toyota Camry. “I think I started second-guessing myself when we got in that slump, but this JBL Camry was phenomenal today. I’ve got to dedicate this win to (crew chief) Shannon Rursch; he hit the balance perfectly for me on our last pit stop.
“I tried to do the best I could for feedback, and he hit it right on the dot,” Heim added. “I’m so happy to be here. The last restart … I just drove it straight, and once we got clear, I felt confident we could hold [the lead].”
The turning point in the race came following a crash between Jack Wood and Jason Kitzmiller on lap 59 of 80, which doubled as the final competition yellow of the day and allowed the frontrunners to come down pit road for their last round of service.
When racing was set to resume, Gibbs was the leader with Heim to his outside, while Smith lined up third and was positioned right on Gibbs’ rear bumper at the green flag.
Smith quickly dove to the apron of the race track, while Gibbs moved down in an attempt to block the No. 18 Toyota Camry – which was going for its fifth straight win at ARCA’s national level.
The duo made contact, which got Smith sideways and shot him across the frontstretch in front of the rest of the field. Somehow, Smith gathered his Venturini Motorsports-prepared Toyota up, but the damage he sustained from the incident with Gibbs forced him to pit road shortly after.
Meanwhile, Gibbs tried to stay to Heim’s inside as they raced toward turn one, but was unable to do so as he struggled with a left-rear tire rub for several laps. Heim was able to stay out front and eventually began building a gap between himself and his chief rival for the ARCA Menards Series championship.
Heim eventually pulled out to a 3.155-second victory over Gibbs in the end, his fourth career ARCA win.
It also broke a tie between he and Gibbs atop the ARCA Menards Series standings. Heim took the top spot by three points heading to Elko Speedway on July 10.
After starting from the pole, Gibbs led three times for a race-high 33 laps before his runner-up finish, which he was frustrated about afterward.
“We were just tight,“ Gibbs said. “Battling on the restarts, we got beat on those a couple times and I did some things on those that messed me up somewhat. Not having any teammates doesn’t really help too much, but I’m very thankful for this Joe Gibbs Racing team. We brought something a bit different and it just didn’t work out.
“I blocked [on the last restart] and he [Smith] ran into me,“ Gibbs added. “That’s part of racing. He just ran into me. That’s on him, I feel like.“
Drew Dollar, Heim’s Venturini Motorsports teammate, crossed the line third in the No. 15 Toyota but was more than 10 seconds back at the checkered flag.
Nick Sanchez was fourth in a Chevrolet and Thad Moffitt completed the top five in a Ford.
Kyle Sieg, Andy Jankowiak and NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Jade Buford were the remaining cars that finished on the lead lap, scored sixth through eighth, respectively.
Sean Corr and Ryan Huff closed the top 10, while Smith ended up two laps down in 12th place.
Between them, Gibbs and Heim have won all eight ARCA Menards Series races contested so far this season.
Sam Mayer, who made his return to the ARCA Menards Series ranks Friday ahead of his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut Sunday for JR Motorsports, saw his race come to an end after hitting a pinion from a drive shaft just before the lap-20 benchmark. That led to an expired engine and a 22nd-place result.
The finish:
1. 20-Corey Heim, 2. 18-Ty Gibbs, 3. 15-Drew Dollar, 4. 2-Nick Sanchez, 5. 46-Thad Moffitt, 6. 28-Kyle Sieg, 7. 73-Andy Jankowiak, 8. 11-Jade Buford, 9. 8-Sean Corr, 10. 36-Ryan Huff, 11. 50-Jett Noland, 12. 25-Chandler Smith, 13. 10-Ed Pompa, 14. 27-Tim Richmond, 15. 01-Stephanie Moyer, 16. 48-Brad Smith, 17. 97-Jason Kitzmiller, 18. 21-Jack Wood, 19. 06-Don Thompson, 20. 57-Bryan Dauzat, 21. 12-Nick Igdalsky, 22. 23-Sam Mayer, 23. 69-Scott Melton, 24. 30-Kris Wright, 25. 35-Greg Van Alst.