Corey Heim and TRICON Garage continue to be the driver-team combination to beat for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, after a decisive qualifying run ahead of Friday’s 150-lap contest from Phoenix Raceway.
Heim, driving the No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra PRD Pro, put down a fantastic lap in Friday’s single-truck qualifying session to collect his fourth pole position of the year, with a lap of 26.344 seconds (136.65mph).
The Marietta, Georgia-native was the only driver in the Championship 4 that managed to qualify inside the top-five for Friday’s event at the one-mile facility, giving him a distinct advantage ahead of what is an already short event.
Heim ended up just under two-hundredths of a second quicker than second-place starter Ty Majeski, who has looked quick throughout all of practice and qualifying this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
Nick Sanchez posted a third-place qualifying effort in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Rev Racing, with Zane Smith fourth for Front Row Motorsports, and Chase Purdy rounding out the top five in the final race for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Ben Rhodes was the second-highest of the championship-eligible drivers in qualifying, coming back with a sixth-place result, with Jack Wood, Christian Eckes, Rajah Caruth, and ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love rounding out the top-10.
Carson Hocevar and Grant Enfinger, both of Chevrolet’s representatives in the Championship 4 this season, will have some work to do – and quickly – on Friday, with the drivers scheduled to start 13th and 17th, respectively.
With 38 drivers entered for Friday’s 150-mile contest from Arizona, two teams will have to drive back to North Carolina without getting to race, those being Spencer Boyd (#12 Young’s Motorsports) and Keith McGee (#33 Reaume Brothers Racing).
Qualifying Results: 2023 NASCAR Truck Series at Phoenix
Qualifying Results: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix
