For the second time in six weeks, part-timer driver Corey Heim shocked the racing world by taking the checkers in NASCAR’s top series, winning the 30th running of the prestigious Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday in Speedway, Ind.
The No. 67 23XI Racing driver left his boss Denny Hamlin in a restart with 34 laps, stayed in front of fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell in the remainder and won for the second time in his first 15 career starts — a feat last done by racing great A.J. Foyt.
The 24-year-old Heim, who won at San Diego’s road course last month, beat Bell’s No. 20 by 0.287 seconds. Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe and Hamlin rounded out the top five.
In the second-ever In-Season Challenge finale, Ryan Blaney ran in the top 10 much of the day, but the Team Penske driver wrecked late and finished 26th, turning the $1 million payout over to 24th-place finisher Todd Gilliland in their head-to-head clash.
Pole winner Carson Hocevar led teammate Daniel Suarez in an all-Spire Motorsports front row to the green flag for the first of the scheduled 160 laps at auto racing’s most famous track.
After the field immediately lined up single file, Hocevar soon stretched his lead to nearly three seconds over Suarez in the first 10 circuits of Stage 1’s 50 laps around the iconic 2 1/2-mile facility.
With only six laps left in the segment, leader Kyle Larson, the 2024 Brickyard winner, blew a tire low in Turn 3, crashed out his No. 5 Chevrolet and became the first car to go to the garage.
Ty Gibbs, who officially made the Chase with his 12th-place run, won a one-lap shootout to close Stage 1, beating Heim, Michael McDowell, Hocevar and William Byron.
Chase Elliott became the second former Cup champ for Hendrick Motorsports to have problems when he smacked the wall and had a flat tire after he cut in front of and brushed against Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47.
Daniel Dye’s blown tire with four laps left in 50-lap Stage 2 set up a one-lap dash and ended the segment under caution with Ross Chastain leading Gilliland, Gibbs, Hamlin and Heim in collecting the top bonus points.
Leading Gilliland, Blaney saw his Challenge chances dashed on Lap 120 when John Hunter Nemechek spun Blaney’s No. 12 Ford on a restart.
–Field Level Media
