What’s Happening?

This weekend to close out the month of May and kickstart the month of June, the NASCAR circuit headed to Music City, looking to put on a show at the Nashville Superspeedway. This 1.33-mile-long intermediate is unique in the fact that its surface, like its sister track, Dover, is concrete. Taking to the track first were the truckers of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. There were a lot of storylines heading into the race tonight. Could Layne Riggs keep his nose clean and finally break through? He’s made some controversial moves in the last couple of weeks. It was interesting to see how he raced and how the other drivers raced him tonight. Also, could Corey Heim keep up the momentum he built in his number 11 Tricon Garage entry?

Let’s break all of that down and more. Here are 3 key takeaways from the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Fast Notes:

• Starting the race from the pole was points leader Corey Heim. This came after qualifying was scrapped due to weather in the area. It rained throughout the day, putting a damper on on-track activity. However, the truckers didn’t start tonight’s race completely green. They were able to get a little bit of practice after the midday showers ceased. The race also went off without a hitch, the radar during race time reading all clear.
• There were two double dippers entered in today’s race. Starting off, 2-time Nashville winner, Kyle Busch, was making his fourth start of the year for Spire Motorsports. This weekend, he was driving the number 07 Chevy and he started tonight’s race just outside the top 10. On the radio during parade laps, Busch didn’t seem as confident in his or his team’s abilities as he had in years past. It sounded like he had a chip on his shoulder here tonight.
• The other double dipper in tonight’s race was William Sawalisch who will also be running tomorrow night’s Xfinity Series race for Joe Gibbs Racing. Tonight, he was driving the number 1 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage.

Rajah Caruth Breaks Through

Ultimately, there were three drivers in the mix to win this race here tonight. Predictably, Corey Heim was one of those drivers. However, he wasn’t the clear-cut favorite tonight like he has been more often than not all season long. Tonight, he had to share the spotlight with two other drivers. First was the winner of the opening stage, Layne Riggs. In fact, arguably, Riggs had the fastest truck. However, a slip-up on pit road got him trapped back in traffic and he simply ran out of time in the closing laps of the race.

In the end, Riggs’ loss was Rajah Caruth’s gain. During the last pit stop, Caruth won the race off pit road. He ran the final laps of the race relatively uncontested. Heim and Riggs were there to challenge him in the closing laps but Rajah was able to buckle down and hold them off to score his second career win.; For the second year in a row, Caruth will be in the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs.

Muniz’s Confidence is at an All-Time Low

For as long as actor-turned racecar driver can remember, he wanted to be a NASCAR driver. In 2001, during the initial run of his hit television sitcom Malcolm in the Middle he got to meet his racing hero Dale Earnhardt. In 2023, his dream of being a full-time racer was finally realized when he was tapped by Reaume Brothers Racing to drive the number 30 Ford in the ARCA Menards Series. He performed modestly in the car, scoring 10 top 10s in the car including a top 5 at Michigan. He finished the season 4th in the season-long standings. After that, he took the next logical step.

He dropped back down to part-time for the 2024 season, running select races in the ARCA, Trucks, and Xfinity Series, respectively. For 2025, he returned to full-time racing while also making a return to acting. To say that 2025 hasn’t been great for Muniz behind would be a massive understatement. Other than a 10th-place run at Daytona, Muniz has struggled to find his footing thus far in the number 33 Ford F-150. So far, he has a best finish of 23rd, which he scored at Rockingham, and he has an average finish of 25th and some change.

Things started out rocky here today in the Music City. As soon as the green flag dropped, Muniz’s 33 truck started spilling out oil and smoke. He radioed in to his team, saying that his oil pressure had dropped down to zero. As a result of this issue, oil was put down all over the racetrack, causing hairy driving conditions for other drivers and a lengthy caution for cleanup.

You can see in the clip below the amount of oil on the back of the 33 truck. On the radio after being pushed back to the garage, Muniz sounded completely defeated. He has put his heart and soul into racing only for diminishing returns, at least when it comes to 2025. He said simply, “I don’t know what to do with my life”.

Kaden Honeycutt is on the Cusp

Perhaps one of the more impressive drivers in 2025 has been Kaden Honeycutt in the Neice Motorsports number 45 Chevy. In 11 starts this year, his first full-time season, Honeycutt has earned 7 top 10s, including a season-best 3rd place finish last week at Charlotte. For the first time in his career, Honeycutt had race-winning speed last week and was looking to capitalize on that momentum in Nashville tonight under the lights.

Again, Honeycutt rose to the occasion, performing admirably in that 45 truck. He started tonight’s race in the top 10 and, by the halfway point of the second stage, he found himself in third and battling for the lead. He spent nearly all race long racing inside the top 5 but, deep into the final run of the race, he faded down to 6th. Still, showing this kind of speed, it’s only a matter of time before he finally seals the deal.

Layne Riggs May Be Corey Heim’s Greatest Challenger

Despite what we all expected, Corey Heim wasn’t quite as dominant tonight as he has been in recent weeks. There were two drivers who were able to hang with the 11 tonight and even pass him to lead some laps. The driver who has shown speed almost all year long and has also has been riding a wave of momentum lately is Layne Riggs in the number 34 Love’s Ford for Front Row Motorsports. At Kansas earlier this spring, Riggs crossed the line in 2nd. Unfortunately for him and his crew, the team failed most-race inspection by modifying a part concerning the bed of the truck.

But luckily for them, they were able to bounce back the following week at North Wilkesboro. This time, the 34 truck finished 2nd and were able to keep the spot, the points, and the prize money. He followed up that stellar performance with a 4th-place finish at Charlotte. All the while, he was knocking on the door of his 3rd career victory.

Tonight, Riggs and his team proved to be racing at a championship level. In the first stage, he was able to pass Corey Heim for the race lead, scoring the stage victory. In the second stage, he finished 2nd. Late in the going, it was clear that the 34 truck was the fastest truck on the track. However, during the stage break between the second and final stages, a slip-up on pit road cost him a lot of time. He was subsequently mired back in traffic. And, as the laps wound down, he just didn’t have enough time to catch the race leaders. All that in mind, no one has really been able to consistently hang with Corey Heim all season long. With Riggs’ latest speed displayed, he might be the only or one of the only legitimate championship threats to Heim.

Conclusion

That does it for truck racing in Nashville. What did you think of that race, Dainly Downforce readers? Are you happy for Rajah Caruth? What did you think of Kyle Busch’s performance? Are you happy that, for tonight, Heim Time is on pause? Let us know! And be sure to keep it right here all weekend long as racing in Music City continues tomorrow night with the NASCAR Xfinity Series.