Heim time in Daytona after Kligerman DQ
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Heim time ran slow but finally struck once officials finished post-race tech inspection in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage.
NASCAR officials disqualified Parker Kligerman, giving Corey Heim the win Friday night in the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Kligerman was the first to cross the start-finish line under the yellow and checkered flags but officials found his truck was too low in the rear.
“Well, it is my first time having this kind of scenario happening either way, so certainly glad to be on the right side of it. It sucks for Parker (Kligerman) and those guys. It seemed like they put themselves in a position at the right time to win the race, but obviously, there is another level to it after the race. Grateful to be in the spot to take advantage of that,” Heim said.
Heim led two of the 100 laps run, not including the final lap Kligerman led. Finishing behind was Gio Ruggiero, who rounded out a 1-2 finish for TRICON Garage.
“If you were to ask me before the race if I thought we were going to be able to make it work with I think two or three rookies on the team, I would have probably said no. I was pleasantly surprised the way Gio and William [Sawalich] handled themselves at the end of the race. They knew what they were doing there,” Heim said.
Ruggiero led three times for 11 laps — the third most of any driver — and took the lead with 12 laps to go. With teammates Heim and Tanner Gray pushing him, Ruggiero was in position to become just the sixth driver to win in their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut.
Then, seven laps later, Ruggiero fell to a surge forward by Bayley Currey who Grant Enfinger supplanted for a lap before Ben Rhodes took over.
Rhodes struggled to get a handle on his truck on the inside lane as the white flag waved, allowing Parker Kligerman to take control. As Kligerman pulled out to a bit of a lead, Johnny Sauter mounted a charge — but a bad bump from Layne Riggs to Rhodes caused Rhodes and Sauter to collide, causing Rhodes to spin and the field to wreck in turn four, ending the race under caution.
Kligerman finished in front but will drop to 36th with the disqualification, giving Heim the win.
Fresh From Florida 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona Results
- Corey Heim
- Gio Ruggiero
- Ty Majeski
- Grant Enfinger
- Justin Haley
- Chandler Smith
- Daniel Hemric
- Jason M. White
- William Sawalich
- Frankie Muniz
- Timmy Hill
- Jake Garcia
- Chandler Smith
- Andres Perez de Lara
- Mason Maggio
- Norm Benning
- Johnny Sauter
- Josh Reaume
- Spencer Boyd
- Ben Rhodes
- Bayley Currey
- Tanner Gray
- Stewart Friesen (-1 lap)
- Jack Wood (-1 lap; crashed on lap 83)
- Dawson Sutton (-2 laps; spun on lap 50)
- Michael McDowell (-2 laps; crashed on lap 83)
- Matt Crafton (-2 laps; won Stage 2, crashed on lap 83)
- Toni Breidinger (-4 laps; spun on lap 17, crashed on lap 83)
- Matt Mills (-5 laps)
- Rajah Caruth (OUT: Crash: 82 laps)
- Nathan Byrd (OUT: Crash, 82 laps)
- Connor Mosack (-21 laps after transmission issue before start)
- Clay Greenfield (OUT: Crash, 68 laps)
- Tyler Ankrum (OUT: Engine, 48 laps)
- Kaden Honeycutt (OUT: Crash, 3 laps)
- Parker Kligerman (DQ)
The race featured 30 lead changes among 12 drivers and eight cautions for 33 laps. The Daytona track record for most lead changes in a Truck race is 31, set in 2000 and 2021.
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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