Corey Heim captured his first Crown Jewel victory on Sunday, winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to become the second-youngest winner in the event’s history. The 24-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured the win just after his birthday, finishing ahead of a hard-charging Christopher Bell. Heim led a race-high 58 laps, a performance that came despite having zero prior experience at the historic track.
Heim’s path to victory lane was unconventional. Since the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at the smaller Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Heim had never competed at IMS. This weekend marked Heim’s debut on the 2.5-mile oval. His success on Sunday mirrored a feat from last month when Heim won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Coronado Naval Base.
Heim had to fight for every position in the final laps. Heim described the battle as “the hardest Heim has ever fought in Heim’s life,” noting that the car became loose in the dirty air. Heim focused on exit speed to keep the pack at bay. It was a physical and mental workout, but Heim managed to cross the finish line with the lead.
Related: Norris snatches Hungarian GP pole from Hamilton
The battle for the lead was intense in the final stage. A debris caution with 45 laps remaining set up a dramatic restart. Heim lined up on the bottom with Joey Logano’s Ford behind him. Denny Hamlin, Heim’s 23XI Racing team owner, started on the top. Hamlin had the advantage of a push from Christopher Bell, but Logano abandoned his run to help push the battle three-wide. This move helped Heim take the lead, leaving Hamlin to tumble back to fifth.
The drama didn’t end there. A multi-car accident involving John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Blaney, and Riley Herbst complicated the closing laps. Blaney, the 2023 champion, was competing in the In-Season Million Dollar Bracket challenge. He started 30th and worked his way forward, but the crash sent him back. He eventually finished 24th, while Todd Gilliland won the million-dollar bonus.
Chasing Consistency
Christopher Bell finished second, securing a “good second-place” according to his own assessment. Bell has now finished second six times this season, but this result offered a different feeling. “We’ve had a lot of bad second-place finishes, but this one’s a good one,” Bell said. Bell noted that starting buried in qualifying and executing a strategic pit strategy put Bell in position for the fight.
Related: Svelte Shooting Brake Honors Elegant 1970s Ferrari
Joey Logano followed up his win last weekend at North Wilkesboro with a third-place finish. He was followed by Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin. Hamlin remains without a Brickyard 400 win, though Hamlin extended Hamlin’s points lead over Tyler Reddick and Blaney.
The race was not without trouble for the Hendrick Motorsports team. For the third week in a row, none of its four drivers finished in the top-10. Kyle Larson’s day ended abruptly after inheriting the lead on lap 44. Larson suffered a flat tire seconds later, spun across the backstretch, and slammed into the wall in turn three.
