Video: Tristan McKee, 15, reflects on ARCA Menards win at Watkins Glen
Tristan McKee, 15, talks about his win in the General Tire 100 at The Glen, an ARCA Menards Series race, Aug. 8, 2025 at Watkins Glen International.
A roller-coaster finish to the Mission 176 at The Glen concluded the same way several races have this year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — with Corey Heim taking the checkered flag.
Heim, 23, went three overtimes for his sixth victory in 17 races this season Friday, Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen International. The Georgia native denied multiple overtake bids from runner-up Daniel Hemric over the two-lap third overtime that wrapped up an 81-lap race that was scheduled for 72.
The first two overtimes were cut short by crashes behind the leaders, cautions No. 8 and 9 of the day, before clean racing brought out the white flag signaling the final lap.
Heim, driver of the No. 11 Mobil 1 Toyota, led 44 of 81 laps and secured his fourth consecutive road-course victory, including two this year. It was his 17th career Truck Series win.
Gio Ruggiero finished third, Christopher Bell fourth and Tyler Ankrum fifth.
Watkins Glen hosted its first Truck Series race since 2021 and third in the last 25 years.
Bell led from lap 42 until lap 71 before he was overtaken by Heim off the restart of the first overtime. Bell ended up needing to pit for fuel before battling back for fourth.
Bell, the 2017 Truck Series champion and now a regular in the Cup Series, filled in this weekend in the No. 52 Toyota for Stewart Friesen. Friesen fractured his pelvis and right leg during a dirt modified crash July 28 at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec, Canada.
Heim’s fuel window was running short late, but he had enough to withstand Hemric’s charge and get to the finish line. Margin of victory was .202 of a second.
Heim started from the pole and won the first 20-lap stage, but he got caught up in traffic following a pit stop and had to work his way into position to make a run at Bell.
“I got behind on that last stage,” Heim said. “I was scratching and clawing trying to get back through the field. I had my brakes pretty much go out completely on me. I was beating them up trying to get back through the field. Blew the Bus Stop, made a lot of mistakes myself.
“We’ve had a lot of them get away from us this year by cautions or whatever else, failures. We finally had one go our way and had some opportunities to finish it off, then a couple more at the end for good measure.”
Hemric maneuvered side-by-side with Heim multiple times over the final two laps but couldn’t get past him.
“That’s going to hurt for a while,” Hemric said. “I’ve got, what, six days until the next race? This is going to be on my mind until then probably.”
Chris Buescher, defending winner of the Go Bowling at The Glen Cup Series race, finished 22nd in his Truck Series debut.
Frankie Muniz, star of the 2000s sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle,” placed 27th and two-time WGI Cup winner Kyle Busch ended up last in the 36-truck field.
Ben Rhodes took the second 20-lap stage.
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
