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The Craftsman Truck Series regular-season championship battle just took an unexpected turn. Tricon Garage has announced that points leader Corey Heim will miss the weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway due to an illness.
Tricon Garage made a statement on June 2, hours prior to the start of practice and qualifying at the Illinois track. The organization said that Jesse Love will move from the No. 1 Toyota to the No. 11 Toyota while replacing Heim on the entry list.
Meanwhile, Toni Breidinger will make her second start of the season while driving the No. 1 Toyota. Her first start took place at Kansas Speedway as she finished 15th. Now, she will take on another oval.
“Thank you, everyone, for the messages, as well as @TRICONGarage and @ToyotaRacing for the continued support,” Heim tweeted on June 2. “Really tough to come to terms with missing a race but I know it’s the right decision for my health. Excited to be back soon!”
Tricon Garage Will Push for Playoff Eligibility
GettyCorey Heim prepares for a race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
With Heim set to miss his first race of the 2023 Truck Series season, Tricon Garage will make an important move to push for his playoff eligibility. The organization will formally request a medical waiver from NASCAR.
The expectation is that the sanctioning body will approve this waiver request based on past precedent. There have been 30 waiver requests in NASCAR, 10 in the Truck Series, and all but three have been approved.
Per Seth Eggert of Kickin the Tires, the only exceptions were Grant Enfinger (no sponsor), Kaz Grala (no sponsor), and Spencer Gallagher (substance abuse policy suspension). Austin Wayne Self is the most recent Truck Series driver to receive a waiver after he missed multiple races in 2022 for the birth of his daughter.
Heim already had a secure spot in the playoffs. He won the spring race at Martinsville Speedway, and he took Tricon Garage to Victory Lane for the first time. If he receives his waiver, he will automatically be back in the playoffs.
Another Driver Can Take the Points Lead
GettyTruck Series drivers prepare for a race at Pocono Raceway.
The regular-season championship battle is already tight. Heim has a 26-point lead over ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski after the first 11 races of 2023, which means that he will potentially lose his spot atop the standings during this absence.
Unlike Heim, Majeski does not yet have a win in 2023 after celebrating two in 2022. However, he has been extremely consistent. He has eight top-10 finishes in 11 races — one fewer than Heim. He also has a series-leading six top-fives.
Majeski only has two races where he finished with fewer than 35 points. He only secured six at Darlington Raceway after a 31st-place finish and he left Kansas Speedway with 22 after a 25th-place finish.
World Wide Technology Raceway adds some intrigue to this discussion. Majeski only has three Truck Series starts at the 1.25-mile track in his career. He finished ninth in 2020 while driving for Niece Motorsports, but he crashed and finished 33rd in 2021 while driving for ThorSport Racing.
Majeski’s most recent start at WWT Raceway was in 2022. He started eighth overall after a strong qualifying effort, but he finished 22nd after securing three bonus points in the first stage.
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