After a side-by-side exchange between Corey Heim and Zane Smith for the lead, Grant Enfinger took advantage of the conflict to win the Heart of America 200. The driver of the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevy drove to the bottom of the backstretch with 33 laps to go, passing both Smith and Heim and never looking back. The win locks Enfinger as the fifth driver into the Truck Series playoffs and marks the eighth career win for the 38-year-old truck veteran.
“It was a huge night for us,” said Enfinger. “From the drop of the green flag, we had a really good Chevy Silverado.”
In a race that saw 15 lead changes and nine different leaders, Enfinger led a race-high 65 of the 134 laps to secure his first victory at Kansas Speedway. When the checkered flag flew, Enfinger accumulated a 4.358-second lead.
“As soon as we got that last caution and we were on uneven tires, I knew it was going to be all track position. I got hung up trying to block the 38 (Smith) and kind of took a step back from there and lost track position.”
Corey Heim finished second, while defending Truck Series Champion and the Kansas fall winner Zane Smith finished third.
The race proved to be a war of attrition, with only 12 cars finishing on the lead lap and nine failing to finish the race. In total, the race produced seven cautions spanning a total of 40 laps.
One of the major incidents came on lap 72, involving rookie Rajah Caruth and veteran Ty Majeski. Battling hard inside the top 10, the rear of Caruth’s truck moved in front of the truck nose of Majeski, resulting in Caruth getting turned into the wall and ending his day prematurely. Majeski finished the race three laps down in 25th.
“I should have probably known better vs how he raced me the previous two to three laps,” said Ty Majeski. “But at the same time, I felt I had a truck capable of winning.”
The ensuing restart resulted in an even bigger crash entering turn one, involving several leaders, including Matt Dibenedetto, Chase Purdy, Dean Thompson, Christian Eckes, and Carson Hocevar. A scary moment occurred at the end of the wreck, with the No. 19 truck of Eckes taking the brunt of a broadside collision on the driver’s side caused by Purdy.
“Just aggression I guess, Eckes said. “He (DiBenedetto) blocked a little late and got loose, and I tried to go high, and I might have caught his rear quarter panel. Yeah, it sucks.”
All drivers involved in accidents during the race were able to walk away under their own power and were checked and released from the infield care center.
The race also featured the debut of ARCA Menards driver Toni Breidinger. After struggling at the start of the race when the green flag dropped, Breidinger clawed her way back to contention, resulting in a 15th place finish a lap down. The night also featured a strong finish for Hailie Deegan, who ended her night in 12th.
Other notable finishes included a fifth-place finish for Cup Series veteran Ross Chastain, a seventh-place finish from two-time Cup Champion Kyle Busch, and an 11th place finish for four-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton.