Pit road mistake, restart violation take Corey Heim out of winning contention at Kansas

Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway was another one that got away for Corey Heim. 

After qualifying second and winning Stage 1, a slow pit stop shortly before the end of Stage 2 shuffled Heim back in the pack, relegating him to a 12th-place finish in Stage 2. 

Before what was supposed to be a green-flag pit cycle occurred on Lap 95, Heim was well within striking distance in fourth. However, a caution for a spinning Frankie Muniz shuffled up the field. Heim restarted 18th on Lap 103, and while the mountain to victory was a tall one, a win was still a possibility. 

Unfortunately, a restart violation for pulling out of line was the final nail in the coffin for Heim's hopes of winning his fourth race of the year. While he battled back for a fourth-place finish, Heim and the No. 11 team very well could've walked out of the Kansas Speedway with their third consecutive win at the 1.5-mile venue. 

"Obviously, the penalty on my part took us out of it at the end," Heim told Fox Sports. "It was really hard to judge which lane to follow there. I didn't know if the lane was moving up or down, (I) made the wrong call on my part and got penalized for it." 

Heim is still the Truck Series points leader nine races into the 2025 season and will have an excellent shot at redemption at North Wilkesboro Speedway — a track where he is the defending winner — on May 17.