With just three weeks remaining in the 2024 NASCAR racing season, it is a very busy weekend for all of the teams at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Craftsman Truck Series gets the weekend started with practice and qualifying on Friday afternoon for a Saturday afternoon race that is the first of two races with the Baptist Health 200.
Just 34 teams brought trucks to south Florida for race number two in the round of eight. Grant Enfinger has already secured his spot in the championship four with his win at Talladega.
The drivers get a 20 minute practice session before making their qualifying runs where they will have one lap to make their best time around the track.
The top six spots in practice were all occupied by playoff drivers with Miami native Nick Sanchez leading the way.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Justin Mondeik who posted a time of 35.011 seconds around the mile and a half track.
Nathan Byrd is the second driver out and breaks the 35 second mark with a time of 34.405 seconds.
And the third driver out is Conner Jones who breaks the 34 second mark with a time of 33.630 seconds.
Five of the first 10 drivers out on the track to make a qualifying run have posted times in the 33 second range with two of them just missing the 32 second mark. In making qualifying runs, the drivers go out slowest to fastest.
Kaden Honeycutt has broken the 33 second markj with a time of 32.907 seconds.
With a time of 32.715 seconds, Corey Heim puts his number eleven truck on the pole with Taylor Gray starting alongside on the front row. The top five positions are all filled by playoff drivers.
Tanner Gray and Spencer Boyd did not make a qualifying run and will start the race from the back of the field. Gray made contact with the wall during practice.
The starting lineup for the Baptist Health 200:
Corey Heim
Taylor Gray
Rajah Caruth
Nick Sanchez
Ty Majeski
Kaden Honeycutt
Daniel Dye
Christian Eckes
Grant Enfinger
Connor Mosack
Bayley Currey
Stewart Friesen
Layne Riggs
Dawson Sutton
Tyler Ankrum
Connor Zilisch
Chase Purdy
Dean Thompson
Ben Rhodes
William Sawalich
Corey Day
Matt Crafton
Conner Jones
Matt Mills
Timmy Hill
Jake Garcia
Lawless Alan
Conor Daly
Nathan Byrd
Marco Andretti
Frankie Muniz
Justin Mondeik
Tanner Gray
Spencer Boyd
Layne Riggs was found to be four pounds light and had to add weight.
Layne Riggs and Matt Mills will be starting the race from the back of the field after crews made unapproved adjustments to the trucks.
Stages one and two of the race are 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.
On a hot Saturday afternoon, Corey Heim brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Taylor Gray starting alongside. The drivers spread out across the the track as soon as the green flag drops. Corey Heim takes the lead.
Lap two, the top five are Corey Heim, Taylor Gray, Christian Eckes, Kaden Honeycutt, and Connor Mosack.
Seven or the eight playoff drivers are in the top 10.
Lap five, after starting at the back of the field Matt Mills is up to 26th, Layne Riggs is up to 25th, and Tanner Gray is up to 19th.
Lap seven, Corey Heim has a lead of over half a second on Taylor Gray; Christian Eckes, Kaden Honeycutt, and Connor Mosack round out the top five.
Lap 10, Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray battle for second.
Lap eleven, Tanner Gray has entered to top 15.
Lap 13, Kaden Honeycutt passes Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray for second.
Lap 17, Corey Heim continues to lead the race with Kaden Honeycutt nearly a second behind; Taylor Gray, Christian Eckes, and Ty Majeski round out the top five.
Lap 20, Kaden Honeycutt has closed the gap on leader Corey Heim to half a second.
Tanner Gray has worked his way up to 13th.
Lap 24, Kaden Honeycutt continues to close the gap on leader Corey Heim and has begun to challenge for the spot.
Leaders are approaching slower traffic. Conor Daly goes a lap down.
Four laps remain in stage one, Corey Heim leads the race with Kaden Honeycutt on his bumper; Taylor Gray, Ty Majeski, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.
Since the race began, laps have slowed by three seconds due to tire wear.
Corey Heim wins stage one for his first stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Corey Heim
Kaden Honeycutt
Ty Majeski
Taylor Gray
Christian Eckes
Grant Enfinger
Connor Mosack
Nick Sanchez
Rajah Caruth
Dean Thompson
Drivers come down pit road for service with Corey Heim winning the race off of pit road with Taylor Gray out second and Kaden Honeycutt out third.
Nick Sanchez was caught speeding exiting pit road and will restart the race from the back of the field.
Corey Heim brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 39 with Taylor Gray alongside. Drivers get three wide in the field with Taylor Gray and Corey Heim in a battle for the lead. After a push from Christian Eckes, Taylor Gray takes the lead.
Lap 40, Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray battle for the lead with Eckes getting out front. Eckes has led at leasta lap in every race.
Lap 41, Corey Heim passes Taylor gray for second.
Lap 42, Corey Heim passes Christian Eckes for the lead; Taylor Gray, Ty Majeski, and Grant Enfinger round out the top five.
Lap 44, Rajah Caruth and Connor Mosack battle for sixth.
Lap 47, Corey Heim has a lead of over half a second on Christian Eckes; Taylor Gray, Grant Enfinger, and Ty Majeski round out the top five.
With nine laps remaining in stage two, leader Corey Heim is reporting a loose condition.
The top five are Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Grant Enfinger, Ty Majeski, and Taylor Gray.
After a speeding penalty, Nick Sanchez has entered the top 20 to put all of the playoff drivers in the top 20 with six of them in the top 10.
With four laps remaining in stage two, Grant Enfinger passes Christian Eckes for second; just a quarter of a second behind leader Corey Heim.
Three laps to go in stage two, Grant Enfinger passes Corey Heim for the lead.
Grant Enfinger wins stage two for his second stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Grant Enfinger
Corey Heim
Christian Eckes
Ty Majeski
Kaden Honeycutt
Taylor Gray
Daniel Dye
Connor Mosack
Rajah Caruth
Matt Crafton
Corey Day scrapes the wall at the end of stage two and comes down pit road early.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Grant Enfinger winning the race off of pit road with Taylor Gray in second and Corey Heim in third.
Connor Zilisch had to make a second trip down pit road after missing his pit stall on the first trip down.
Grant Enfinger brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Taylor Gray alongside on lap 68. Taylor Gray takes the lead after Grant Enfinger and Christian Eckes makes contact.
Grant Enfinger’s truck is smoking.
Lap 69, the top five are Taylor Gray, Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, ty Majeski, and Layne Riggs.
Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray battle for the lead. Lap 71, Christian Eckes takes the lead as Grant Enfinger makes an unscheduled trip down pit road.
Lap 73, Corey Heim passes Christian Eckes to retake the lead; Ty Majeski, Taylor gray, and Layne Riggs round out the top five.
Lap 74, Nick Sanchez has entered the top 10.
Lap 75, Matt Mills gets into the wall hard after some contact from behind from Conner Jones and the truck catches fire. He brings the car to the grass and stops. He is out of the truck.
NASCAR has penalized Conner Jones two laps for reckless driving and making intentional contact with Matt Mills.
The window for the drivers to make a pit stop is now open. Some of the drivers come down pit road for service; however, if a caution comes out later in the race, tire wear will be an issue.
Corey Heim brings the field down for the green flag restart with Christian Eckes alongside on lap 83. Drivers spread out three and four wide with Corey Heim getting out in front.
The top five are Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, Rajah Cartuth, and Daniel Dye.
Rajah Caruth and Christian Eckes make contact but the track stays green.
Lap 85, after coming down pit road for fresh tires, Layne Riggs is in second and on leader Corey Heim’s bumper.
Lap 86, Layne Riggs passes Corey Heim for the lead.
Lap 87, after having to come down pit road from contact with Christian Eckes; Grant Enfinger is back on the lead lap and just outside the top five in sixth.
Lap 89, Nick Sanchez passes Corey Heim for second; also on fresher tires.
Lap 90, Layne Riggs has a one second lead on Nick Sanchez; Corey Heim, Connor Mosack, and Ty Majeski round out the top five.
Lap 91, Grant Enfinger passes Ty Majeski for fifth.
Lap 94, Corey Heim and Connor Mosack battle for third.
Connor Mosack takes third and Grant Enfinger passes Corey Heim for fourth.
Lap 96, Lay riggs has a lead of less than half a second on Nick Sanchez; Connor Mosack, Grant Enfinger, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Lap 98, Grant Enfinger passes Connor Mosack for third.
Rajah Caruth makes a green flag pit stop for fresh tires and fuel.
Lap 99, Christian Eckes makes his green flag pit stop.
Lap 100, more drivers come down pit road for their green flag pit stops.
Lap 103, there are only 14 trucks on the lead lap.
Lap 105, the top five are Layne Riggs, Nick Sanchez, Grant Enfinger, Connor Mosack, and Tyler Ankrum.
Lap 108, Corey Heim passes leader Layne Riggs to unlap himself.
Lap 111, Nick Sanchez and Grant Enfinger battle for second.
Corey Heim is in eleventh with just 12 trucks on the lead lap.
Lap 113, Grant Enfinger and Layne Riggs battle for the lead. Enfinger takes the lead.
Lap 115, Christian Eckes unlaps himself with 20 laps remaining in the race.
Corey Heim has entered the top 10.
Lap 116, the top five are Grant Enfinger, Layne Riggs, Nick Sanchez, Connor Mosack, and Stewart Friesen.
Just 15 laps remain in the race; Grant Enfinger has a lead of over two seconds on Layne Riggs; Nick Sanchez, Connor Mosack, and Stewart Friesen round out the top five. Daniel Day has unlapped himself. Corey Heim is up to eighth place.
Rajah Caruth has unlapped himself to put 12 trucks on the lead lap.
Ten to go, Grant Enfinger has a near three second lead on Layne Riggs; Nick Sanchez, Connor Mosack, and Stewart Friesen round out the top five.
Taylor Gray has unlapped himself to put 14 trucks on the lead lap.
Seven to go, Grant Enfinger has a lead of over two seconds on Layne Riggs; Nick Sanchez, Connor Mosack, and Stewart Friesen round out the top five. Corey Heim is still mired in eighth place.
Five to go, Lay Riggs has closed the gap on leader Grant Enfinger to under two seconds.
Three to go, Grant Enfinger has increased his lead on Layne Riggs to over three seconds.
With just two laps to go, Layne Riggs is out of fuel.
Grant Enfinger takes the white flag.
Nick Sanchez is out of fuel.
Already in the championship four after a win at Talladega, Grant Enfinger wins the race back to back.
Stewart Friesen ran out of fuel just before the finish line.
The unofficial results of the Baptist Health 200:
Grant Enfinger
Ty Majeski
Connor Mosack
Corey Heim
Tyler Ankrum
Stewart Friesen
Daniel Dye
Rajah Caruth
Taylor Gray
Matt Crafton
Ben Rhodes
Nick Sanchez
Kaden Honeycutt
Dean Thompson
Corey Day
William Sawalich
Connor Zilisch
Dawson Sutton
Tanner Gray
Lawless Alan
Layne Riggs
Timmy Hill
Jake Garcia
Conner Jones
Chase Purdy
Spencer Boyd
Conor Daly
Nathan Byrd
Marco Andretti
Bayley Currey
Justin Mondeik
Frankie Muniz
Matt Mills