Ty Gibbs Holds Off Championship Rival Corey Heim, Nick Sanchez For Eighth ARCA Victory of 2021 at Michigan

It’s the battle of Ty Gibbs and Corey Heim in the ARCA Menards Series and week after week they continue to find themselves at the top of the results page, and battling for the victory. Friday Evening at Michigan International Speedway was no different, as Ty Gibbs held off a hard charge from both Corey Heim and Nick Sanchez to win his eighth event of the season.

Gibbs led an incredible 99 of the race’s 100 laps en-route to the victory, establishing his position as the sixth driver to lead more than 1,000 laps in a single season in the ARCA Menards Series, building his total to 1,088 laps with six races to go in the 2021 season. Gibbs’ championship rival, Corey Heim, looked to be faster in the race’s closing stages, but had to settle for a runner-up finish, while REV Racing’s Nick Sanchez closed quickly from third. Sam Mayer and Kyle Sieg rounded out the event’s top-five finishers.

Greg Van Alst, Morgen Baird, Thad Moffitt, Jeffery MacZink and Brandon Varney rounded out the top-10, with Brad Smith being the last car to finish the race in 11th-place.

On the race’s first lap, Thad Moffitt and Drew Dollar made contact in turn three, which sent both of their entries into the outside wall in turn three. However, on lap 23, Moffitt turned the No. 15 of Dollar, sending him spinning up the track and into the outside wall, where he had a significant impact on the driver’s side with Tim Richmond’s No. 27. Both cars were destroyed, but both drivers were able to exit the vehicles under their own power.

Video: Thad Moffitt Retaliates Against Drew Dollar, Collects Tim Richmond in Nasty Driver’s Side Impact at Michigan

Exiting Michigan, the ARCA Menards Series has six races to go until the series crowns a champion at Kansas Speedway, with Ty Gibbs holding a seven-point advantage over Corey Heim, headed to Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 20, a track where Heim has found strength before, while Gibbs has faultered on the dirt.

ARCA Menards Series Point Standings After 14 of 20 Races:

1. Ty Gibbs 720pts
2. Corey Heim (-7)
3. Thad Moffitt (-109)
4. Nick Sanchez (-127)
5. Brad Smith (-333)
6. Drew Dollar (-368)
7. Kyle Sieg (-394)
8. DL Wilson (-415)
9. Tim Richmond (-467)
10. Taylor Gray (-487)
11. Jack Wood (-498)
12. Owen Smith (-506)
13. Tony Cosentino (-511)
14. Gracie Trotter (-514)
15. Jesse Love (-524)

Henry Ford Health Systems 200 at Michigan International Speedway Results:

1. No. 18 – Ty Gibbs
2. No. 20 – Corey Heim (-0.237 seconds)
3. No. 2 – Nick Sanchez (-0.883 seconds)
4. No. 23 – Sam Mayer (-3.942 seconds)
5. No. 28 – Kyle Sieg (-14.434 seconds)
6. No. 35 – Greg Van Alst (-16.688 seconds)
7. No. 10 – Morgen Baird (-21.180 seconds)
8. No. 46 – Thad Moffitt (-2 Laps)
9. No. 65 – Jeffery MacZink (-4 Laps)
10. No. 11 – Brandon Varney (-5 Laps)
11. No 48 – Brad Smith (-14 Laps)
12. No. 97 – Jason Kitzmiller (OUT)
13. No. 25 – Gracie Trotter (OUT)
14. No. 69 – Scott Melton (OUT)
15. No. 06 – Zachary Tinkle (OUT)
16. No. 02 – Connor Mosack (OUT)
17. No. 27 – Tim Richmond (OUT)
18. No. 15 – Drew Dollar (OUT)
19. No. 01 – Tony Cosentino (DNS)