It’s kind of poetic if you think about it.
Kyle Busch – the namesake of Kyle Busch Motorsports – having to make a last-lap pass on Corey Heim, the driver responsible for two of the organization’s recent victories, in order to secure a landmark 100th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win for KBM.
Though, for the majority of the race’s final stint, it looked as though Busch was going to be defeated by Corey Heim for the second time this year, as the TRICON Garage driver had figured out how to maintain his lead over the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
On the final lap of Saturday’s 150-mile contest, Busch made what he would later refer to as a “racey” move on Heim, the regular-season points leader, by veering to the inside at the entrance to the second corner, and getting inside of the No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
Unlike prior laps, the move stuck for the Las Vegas, Nevada native, who was able to get Heim into the second lane on late notice, completing the pass, and causing Heim to drift up the track slightly, eliminating any potential run on the exit of the corner.
Driving the No. 51 Zariz Transport Chevrolet Silverado, Busch crossed the start-finish line 0.604 seconds ahead of runner-up Corey Heim, who by the exit of the final corner, had his teammate Taylor Gray on his bumper.
Finishing in third for TRICON Garage, Gray was able to secure his first top-five finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in what was his 25th career start. Prior to Saturday, Gray had a career-best of sixth at Richmond in 2022.
Christopher Bell, driving a second entry for Hattori Racing Enterprises, was able to come home in fourth place, while Grant Enfinger secured another top-five run for his No. 23 team at GMS Racing.
Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, and Dean Thompson finished sixth, seventh, and eighth place in Saturday’s 60-lap event, after recording starting positions inside the top-30, a result of various issues in Friday’s single-truck qualifying.
Ben Rhodes, who also started at the rear of the field, came home in ninth, while Matt DiBenedetto continued his streak of top-10 results by finishing in 10th.
The battle for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs saw quite a few interesting wrinkles in Saturday’s event, starting with a crash inside the first five laps by Tanner Gray, who sat less than 25 points below the cutline.
While things remained calm for most of the afternoon, with DiBenedetto and Sanchez earning solid stage points for their respective teams, the Rev Racing driver would get caught up in an accident with Jake Garcia which relegated him to a 19th-place result.
Then, on a late-race restart, Stewart Friesen sustained heavy damage in a 12-truck accident on the back straightaway, which started when Carson Hocevar and Kaz Grala made contact at the exit of the first corner.
Leaving Pocono, with only one race left in the regular season, Matt Crafton currently holds a nine-point advantage over Stewart Friesen for the final spot in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs.
Nick Sanchez and Matt DiBenedetto are also in range, sitting 21 and 31 points above the cutline, respectively, heading into Richmond.
As for the regular-season championship, Corey Heim – despite missing Gateway – holds a 42-point advantage over Zane Smith, while Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes, and Grant Enfinger are all tied for third place.
Race Results: 2023 NCTS CRC Brakleen 150:
Race Results: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono
