Daryl Wolfe, EVP & Chief Revenue Officer, NASCAR, Tabata Gomez, Chief Marketing Officer, Stanley Black & Decker, and Doug Redpath, President of Hand Tools, Accessories and Storage for Stanley Black & Decker announce that CRAFTSMAN will return as the title sponsor of the NASCAR Truck Series beginning in 2023.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series held its fourth race of the season on Friday night with the Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tricon Garage driver Corey Heim, who previously won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, started on the pole for the second consecutive race at a 1.5-mile track.
At the start, Heim led the field to the green flag, but rookie Gio Ruggiero lost control entering Turn 1, slid up the track, and hit the outside wall, collecting two-time Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes in the process.
Following the early crash, the rest of Stages 1 and 2 remained incident-free, with Heim dominating both segments by securing the stage wins.
Despite showing strong early speed, defending series champion Ty Majeski encountered trouble. After finishing in the top five for both opening stages, he made contact with Niece Motorsports’ Kaden Honeycutt on pit road, sustaining left-front fender damage. Though he fought back to finish 11th, he never regained track position.
With 45 laps to go, 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, competing in all three NASCAR events of the weekend, spun out on his own, causing a flat tire. This sent him to the rear of the field for what turned out to be the final restart of the race.
Heim looked poised for victory until his Toyota Tundra lost power entering Turn 3 with 21 laps remaining. The issue recurred twice more in the final seven laps, leading to an intense battle as Front Row Motorsports’ Layne Riggs, Cup Series driver Ross Chastain, and Larson closed in on him.
Although Heim managed to stay ahead of Chastain, his truck lost power again with five laps left, allowing Riggs to take the lead. However, Riggs’ advantage was short-lived, as Larson, running a faster pace with fresher tires and expertly hugging the wall, caught him and made the decisive pass with two laps to go.
The race ended in disappointment for Heim, who led a race-high 78 laps but was unable to secure the win at Homestead for the second time in three seasons. Despite dominating early and sweeping both stages, he once again fell short of victory.
