In only the third NASCAR Truck race at Watkins Glen in the past 25 years, Corey Heim extended his commanding season, edging Daniel Hemric in a triple-overtime race to win the Mission 176 at The Glen. Driving equipment that was far from the class of the field, Heim’s bid was aided by crew chief Kevin Bellicourt’s Lap 11 gamble to keep the No. 11 Toyota on track during a caution, a move that proved decisive in putting him in contention late.
Advertisement
And while on the final restart, it looked like Hemric might snatch the lead from the #11 driver as the #17 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver clung to Heim’s bumper through the last lap, carrying momentum into Turn 6 as he dove low in a bid for the lead, but the move didn’t stick. The duo charged toward Turn 7 nearly even, but then Hemric was forced to tuck back in line and settle for second.
Throughout the overtime restarts, Heim worked to control the pace, while Hemric raced him clean. The Tricon Garage driver admitted he found himself in an awkward spot on the last re-fire into Turn 1, and he credited Hemric for keeping it respectful in the closing corners.
“We were definitely working hard to time the restarts right as the control card to get clear. The last one, I think he (Hemric) kind of knew what I was trying to do and try to get as early as possible to throw them off a little bit, but he did a good job sticking with me and crossed me over into one.”
“I was in a really bad aero spot, and really got a lot of respect for him for not sticking it through there and not wiping me out because he certainly could have. Daniel’s always been a really clean racer, and I enjoy racing around him. So props to him for that…”
“To have a guy like that to race around and know that you can race hard with him and he’s not going to put yourself, put himself in a bad spot … I think that’s a really gratifying feeling as a racer and being around a guy that does it the right way, I think that’s really cool,” he further added.
As you might expect, Corey Heim appreciated Daniel Hemric racing him clean for the win. Mentioned how when he had Hemric in a bad aero spot there were other drivers who wouldn’t have cared and wiped him out.
“To have a guy like that to race around and know that you can race hard… pic.twitter.com/gxa24sLLNJ
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) August 9, 2025
The race had begun with Heim moving from the pole to win Stage 1. But pit strategy and a pair of cautions reshuffled the order in Stage 2, handing Ben Rhodes the Stage 2 win and 10 points.
In the final stage, as the leaders fought for track position, Toni Breidinger’s truck erupted in flames with 13 laps to go, bringing out the caution with Christopher Bell leading and Andres Perez second, both questionable on fuel.
With nine laps left, Bell pulled away from Perez, while William Sawalich held P3, and Heim advanced to P4. Four laps from the finish, Bell remained out front as Heim moved to second after Perez and Sawalich made contact in the chicane. Moments later, Rhodes lost a left-rear tire and pounded the outside wall, triggering another caution.
Overtime saw Bell and Heim battle into Turn 1, with Heim taking the lead. Perez and Dawson Sutton then hit the tire barrier, prompting a second overtime. Under that caution, Bell’s truck ran dry, handing Hemric the front row alongside Gio Ruggiero.
A third overtime followed when Grant Enfinger and Connor Mosack crashed in the chicane. On the final restart, Hemric mounted one last charge, but Heim held firm to get the sixth win for Tricon Garage.