For the second week in a row, the Craftsman Truck Series kicks off a triple header weekend with the Kubota Tractor 200 from Kansas Speedway.
Also for the past two weeks, playoff spoiler Layne Riggs won the race.
Just 34 teams brought trucks to Kansas this week with several part time drivers including Frankie Muniz. With a field slated for 36 drivers, all of the drivers at the track will make the race tonight.
While they have not won any of the first two playoff races; Nick Sanchez, Christian Eckes, and Corey Heim have all earned a spot in the next round of the playoffs on points. This is the final race of round one in the playoffs; by the end of the night two drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs.
Two time Truck Series champion Todd Bodine returns; but this time he joins FOX Sports as a pit reporter.
The drivers have a 20 minute practice session before making a qualifying run.
After just three laps of practice, Corey Heim brings his truck down pit road with a flat tire and some damage to the truck. The crew takes the truck to the garage and Heim will not make a qualifying run.
At the end of practice, Nick Sanchez topped the board on speed and multiple lap times.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Justin Mondeik who posted a time of 31.923.
Jennifer Jo Cobb did not make a qualifying run.
Dawson Sutton is the first driver to break the 31 second mark with a time of 30.970 seconds around the mile and a half track.
With a time of 30.853 seconds, Ty Majeski puts his number 98 truck on the pole with Connor Mosack starting alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Kubota Tractor 200:
Ty Majeski
Connor Mosack
Christian Eckes
Ben Rhodes
Dawson Sutton
Kaden Honeycutt
Nick Sanchez
Stewart Friesen
Jake Garcia
Matt Mills
Dean Thompson
Daniel Dye
Layne Riggs
Tyler Ankrum
Chase Purdy
Rajah Caruth
Taylor Gray
Corey Day
Grant Enfinger
Bret Holmes
Tanner Gray
Bayley Currey
Brenden Queen
Lawless Alan
Marco Andretti
Matt Crafton
Justin Mondeik
Spencer Boyd
Conor Daly
Timmy Hill
Frankie Muniz
Nathan Byrd
Jennifer Jo Cobb
Corey Heim
Stages one and two of the race are just 30 laps each with stage three lasting 74 laps for a total of 134 laps around the mile and a half track. The drivers can run 50 to 55 laps on a single load of fuel.
Ty Majeski brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Connor Mosack alongside. Drivers spread out across the track wit Ty Majeski leading the way.
Christian Eckes comes up on the outside to battle Ty Majeski for the lead.
Lap two, the top five are Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, Connor Mosack, Nick Sanchez, and Ben Rhodes.
Rajah Caruth scrapes the wall but the track stays green.
Daniel Dye gets into the wall; the track stays green but is falling through the field.
Lap five, Christian Eckes takes the lead.
Connor Daly has to serve a pass through penalty for jumping the race start.
Three wide, several drivers are getting into the wall.
Lap eight, Christian Eckes and Ty Majeski continue ther battle for the lead; Nick Sanchez, Connor Mosack, and Stewart Friesen round out the top five.
The drivers practices and qualified in the heat of the afternoon but are racing under the lights.
Lap eleven, Corey Heim started the race in last place; he is now up to 12th.
Lap 14, Ty Majeski holds on to the lead with Christian Eckes in second; Nick Sanchez, Stewart Friesen, and Kaden Honeycutt round out the top five.
Daniel Dye makes an unscheduled trip down pit road after getting into the wall for a second time.
Lap 15, leader Ty Majeski has already begun lapping slower traffic.
Ben Rhodes is reporting a very loose condition – he says that the truck is so loose, he can barely drive it.
Lap 18, Nick Sanchez passes Christian Eckes for second.
Lap 22, Daniel Dye makes a second trip down pit road; this time for a flat tire.
With six laps remaining in stage one, Ty Majeski has pulled out to a near two second lead on Christian Eckes. There are 29 trucks on the lead lap.
Four to go in stage one, Corey Heim is in the top five.
Ty Majeski wins stage one for his sixth stage win of the season
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Ty Majeski
Christian Eckes
Corey Heim
Kaden Honeycutt
Layne Riggs
Nick Sanchez
Taylor Gray
Tanner Gray
Stewart Friesen
Connor Mosack
Drivers come down pit road for service and adjustments with Corey Heim winning the race off of pit road.
With his stage one win, Ty Majeski secures his spot in the next round of the playoffs.
Christian Eckes brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 38 with Corey Heim alongside. Eckes edges out for the lead as drivers three wide.
Ty Majeski and Corey Heim battle for second.
Lap 40, the top five are Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, Layne Riggs, and Nick Sanchez. There are 28 trucks on the lead lap.
Lap 41, Layne Riggs passes Ty Majeski for third. Riggs is the only driver in the top six not in the playoffs.
Lap 45, Christian Eckes has the lead with Corey Heim on his bumper in a battle for the lead.
Lap 46, Corey Heim passes Christian Eckes for the lead and begins pulling away.
Lap 50, Corey Heim has pulled out to a near one second lead with Layne Riggs in second; Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, and Nick Sanchez round out the top five.
Lap 52, Corey Heim has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Layne Riggs.
Five laps remain in stage two, Corey Heim has a near two second lead on Layne Riggs and is reporting a free condition in his truck.
Marco Andretti is off the track.
Four to go, Corey Heim’s lead is now over two seconds on Layne Riggs.
With a lead of over two and a half seconds, Corey Heim wins stage two for his eighth stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Corey Heim
Layne Riggs
Christian Eckes
Ty Majeski
Taylor gray
Nick Sanchez
Tanner Gray
Kaden Honeycutt
Bayley Currey
Rajah Caruth
Christian Eckes has set a record for the most stage points in a single year with 270 in 19 races – he has earned 17 stage points tonight.
Drivers come down pit road for service. A loose tire rolled into the grass across pit road. Corey Heim wins the race off of pit road.
The errant tire came from Brenden Queen’s pit stall. The tire bounced off the wall after the crew member failed to grab the tire. Queen will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Tyler Ankrum was also charged with an uncontrolled tire.
Dawson Sutton was caught speeding on pit road. Ankrum and Sutton will restart the race from the back of the field.
Taylor Gray had a slow stop on pit road. He has to make a second trip down pit road with a right rear tire issue.
Corey Heim brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 69 with Layne Riggs alongside. Heim gets out in front for the lead. Layne Riggs and Christian Eckes battle for second.
Corey Heim has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Christian Eckes; Nick Sanchez, Tanner Gray, and Layne Riggs round out the top five.
Lap 74, Daniel Dye is the only playoff driver not in the top 20; he is two laps down in 30th.
The caution flag comes out on lap 76 for a crash involving Corey Day and Matt Mills. This is the first caution flag of the day for an on track incident.
With 56 laps remaining in the race, the drivers are on the outside edge of being in their pit window to make it to the end of the race. Some of the drivers come down pit road, but the leaders stay out on the track.
Ben Rhodes continues to have handling issues with his truck.
Taylor Gray also received some damage to his truck and had to make an extended stop on pit road for repairs.
Corey Heim brings the field down for the green flag restart with Christian Eckes alongside on lap 84. Corey Heim and Christian Eckes battle for the lead. Layne Riggs and Nick Sanchez battle for third.
Corey Heim holds on to the lead with Christian Eckes in second; Nick Sanchez, Layne Riggs, and Bayley Currey round out the top five.
Corey Day and Matt Mills are out of the race.
Lap 88, Corey Heim has a very narrow lead on Layne Riggs; Christian Eckes, Bayley Currey, and Chase Purdy round out the top five.
Matt Crafton has to serve a pass through penalty after jumping the restart.
Lap 90, Layne Riggs is on Corey Heim’s bumper in a battle for the lead.
With 24 trucks on the lead lap, Corey Heim holds on to the lead with Layne Riggs looking to sweep the round – something a non-playoff driver has never done.
Jennifer Jo Cobb is off the track.
Lap 96, Corey Heim holds a tenth of a second lead on Layne Riggs; Christian Eckes, Bayley Currey, and Chase Purdy round out the top five. Nick Sanchez and Rajah Caruth battle for sixth.
Ty Majeski’s crew reports that they are two laps short of making it to the end of the race on fuel.
Lap 99, Nick Sanchez comes down pit road for service.
Lap 100, Corey Heim has pulled out to a third of a second lead on Layne Riggs; Christian Eckes, Bayley Currey, and Chase Purdy round out the top five.
Lap 102, Tanner Gray makes a green flag pit stop.
Lap 105, Layne Riggs and Grant Enfinger come down pit road. Riggs gives up second place to make his pit stop.
Lap 106, Corey Heim has a lead of over five seconds on Christian Eckes.
Jennifer Jo Cobb returns to the track 16 laps down.
Lap 108, leader Corey Heim comes down pit road for service as more drivers make green flag stops.
Christian Eckes takes the lead.
Corey Heim returns to the track in 13th place.
Rajah Caruth makes his pit stop on lap 111.
Jennifer Joe Cobb is off the track again.
Lap 113, Corey Heim re-enters the top 10.
With 22 laps remaining in the race the top five are Ty Majeski, Kaden Honeycutt, Dawson Sutton, Ben Rhodes, and Stewart Friesen. Corey Heim is in seventh.
Twenty to go, there are only 10 trucks on the lead lap.
With 18 to go, there are now 12 trucks on the lead lap with Corey Heim in sixth.
Seventeen to go, leader Ty Majeski has a near eight second lead on Kaden Honeycutt.
Corey Heim passes Stewart Friesen for fifth.
Fifteen to go, Ty Majeski has pulled out to a lead of over nine seconds on Kaden Honeycutt; Dawson Sutton, Ben Rhodes, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Ben Rhodes battles with Dawson Sutton for third. Sutton has taken over the driving duties from Ty Dillon. Dillon said that he is now Sutton’s mentor.
Ten to go, Corey Heim passes Ben Rhodes and Dawson Sutton for third.
Corey Heim passes Kaden Honeycutt for second; 10 seconds behind leader Ty Majeski.
Nine to go, Corey Heim has closed the gap on leader Ty Majeski to under nine seconds. Corey Heim is running the fastest laps on the track.
Seven to go, Corey Heim continues to close the gap on leader Ty Majeski.
Five to go, Lawless Alan’s truck is smoking. He is off the racing surface and makes it to pit road; the track stays green.
Four to go, Ty Majeski holds a five second lead on Corey Heim. But does Majeski have enough fuel?
Two to go, Corey Heim is still over three seconds back.
Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, and Ty Majeski are out of fuel.
Corey Heim takes the white flag.
From worst to first…it’s Heim Time again…Corey Heim wins the race for his sixth Truck Series win of the season.
Grant Enfinger moves on to the next round of the playoffs.
Ben Rhodes and Daniel Dye have been eliminated from the playoffs.
The unofficial results of the Kubota Tractor 200:
Corey Heim
Layne Riggs
Christian Eckes
Kaden Honeycutt
Dawson Sutton
Tanner Gray
Rajah Caruth
Bayley Currey
Grant Enfinger
Connor Mosack
Chase Purdy
Nick Sanchez
Dean Thompson
Tyler Ankrum
Ty Majeski
Bret Holmes
Conor Daly
Taylor Gray
Nathan Byrd
Brenden Queen
Jake Garcia
Ben Rhodes
Timmy Hill
Stewart Friesen
Matt Crafton
Justin Mondeik
Daniel Dye
Spencer Boyd
Frankie Muniz
Lawless Alan
Jennifer Jo Cobb
Corey Day
Matt Mills
Marco Andretti
The eight playoff drivers moving on are:
Corey Heim
Christian Eckes
Ty Majeski
Nick Sanchez
Rajah Caruth
Gran Enfinger
Tyler Ankrum
Taylor Gray