Heim, Smith handle NASCAR Truck speed charts in New Hampshire
LOUDON, N.H. — Corey Heim and Chandler Smith appear to be hard to beat heading into Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Heim won the pole after running the fastest time in practice Friday. Set to start alongside him on the front row is Smith who was third-fastest in practice and second to Heim on the 10-lap average.
After dismal finishes at Darlington and Bristol, Chandler Smith sits 24 points below the cutline. New Hampshire is the cutoff race so he will need to either win or maximum points and get a little help to make the second round.
Behind Smith on the starting grid are playoff drivers Ty Majeski and Layne Riggs, who start third and fourth. While Majeski isn’t locked into the next round, Riggs is with his win at Bristol.
Rounding out the top 10 are Tanner Gray, Matt Crafton, Brent Crews, Corey LaJoie, Jake Garcia and Tyler Ankrum in fifth through 10th.
Like Smith, Garcia is below the cutline heading into New Hampshire. Starting ahead of these four playoff drivers will give him a boost, however:
- Rajah Caruth 12th
- Daniel Hemric 13th
- Kaden Honeycutt 15th
- Grant Enfinger 16th
The Truck field will get the green flag at New Hampshire just after 12 p.m. ET Saturday. Here are the playoff standings heading into the race:
- Corey Heim WIN
- Layne Riggs WIN
- Daniel Hemric 2095 (+51 to cutline)
- Ty Majeski 2090 (+46)
- Grant Enfinger 2073 (+29)
- Tyler Ankrum 2073 (+29)
- Kaden Honeycutt 2062 (+18)
- Rajah Caruth 2058 (+14)
- Jake Garcia 2044 (-14)
- Chandler Smith 2034 (-24)
No matter what happens, Hemric could clinch a spot in the second round with a finish of 18th or better. Majeski could clinch with a finish of 13th or better.
If neither Garcia or Smith win, Enfinger and Ankrum could clinch with a finish of ninth or better.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com