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Corey Heim had a chance to win his first Xfinity Series race Saturday. However, on the final lap, while Heim went for the lead, Chandler Smith, a Toyota teammate, stayed back, looking as if he had been left high and dry by Heim.
Chandler Smith’s 2024 season started well. Two wins early on locked the Toyota driver into the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.
However, the summer months were inconsistent for Smith, who lost his points lead. Chandler, however, entered Atlanta on a back-to-back top-ten finish streak.
At Atlanta, Smith found himself in a late battle with Austin Hill. Hill had RCR-affiliated team Big Machine Racing and Park Kligerman at the front with him, and fortunately for Smith, he had TRD teammate Corey Heim with him as well.
On the next-to-last lap coming off turn four, Heim had a run better than that of Hill, Kligerman, or Smith. Seeing he had a chance to win, Heim got behind Hill rather than pushing his Toyota teammate Smith.
Heim’s run came to an unfortunate end after Hill, on his way to winning his second race at Atlanta this season, forced Heim into the wall in turn two.
However, should Heim have helped Smith?
While Heim didn’t help Chandler, Smith still finished fourth, with Heim in fifth. However, Heim’s push to Hill was a key factor in the Chevrolet driver walking away with the win.
This move is reminiscent of the drama surrounding Parker Retzlaff and Chevrolet at Daytona in August. Retzlaff allegedly caught heat from Chevrolet for not helping Kyle Busch during the run to the checkered flag despite not being direct teammates.
Heim is not a member of Joe Gibbs Racing nor a full-time member of the Xfinity Series. Heim was racing for Sam Hunt Racing, a lower-end Toyota Team in the Xfinity Series.
Heim’s move didn’t help either driver. In fact, it helped the three Chevrolets of Allmendinger, Kligerman, and Hill run off with little to no challenge to Chevrolet.
While we don’t know if Heim helping Smith would have changed anything, it could have factored one, if not both, Toyota drivers into winning contention.
While not reportedly as bad as Retlzaff’s, Heim’s drama is very similar. Heim and Sam Hunt Racing, like Retzlaff and Beard Motorsports, are smaller teams with less backing than JGR.
Seeing Heims unsponsored Toyota at the front of the field was all but a blunt reminder of the tough spot that Heim found himself in on that final lap. Despite being TRD’s most statistically promising developmental driver, it looks as if his prospects past the Xfinity Series are limited.
While less-proven drivers, like Joe Graf Jr. and Taylor Gray, get the occasional outing with JGR in the Xfinity Series, Heim gets part-time starts with SHR. In fact, 23XI and Legacy Motor Club have shown more regard to Heim than JGR, with Heim getting a one-off Cup Series start with 23XI this season while also filling in for Erik Jones twice at Legacy in 2024.
Fans feel as if this has bled over into this finish. Many wondered if Heim would see punishment from TRD or if, due to his relationship with JGR, Heim even cared about that aspect of the finish.
However, as Corey told NBC Sports after the race, this was a strictly racing move.
“At the end of the day, the move was going to be made on a straightaway, not in the middle of the corner, so if you wanted me to push him by, I mean, I feel like if he just dropped back and… you know dropped to my bumper out of four on the straightaway and, you know, had ourselves both an opportunity to win the race I would have gladly pushed him. But, I mean, he had no run or no momentum, so why go to the bottom at that point.” — Corey Heim, via NBC Sports
If Corey had a chance to help Chandler late in the race, he probably would have, as it would have benefitted all. However, Heim, the only one of the two with a run on Hill late in the race, made the only move he thought he had.
The “whether or not” of the finish still doesn’t matter. No TRD driver won or had a chance to win after the fact. Furthermore, it cost neither driver much, as Smith is already in the Playoffs, and Heim doesn’t compete full-time in the series.
What this situation does tell fans, however, is that manufacturer and team relationships will be a major topic of discussion in NASCAR’s future. Smaller teams will have to make tough decisions like this, but will their larger counterparts approve?
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