After a chaotic round at Texas Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads north up Interstate 35 to Kansas Speedway. There, they will race the Heart of Health Care 200, and here are all the details for Saturday’s Truck Series race.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Heart Of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway Preview
Last May in Kansas, it was also Heim-Time. Corey Heim led a race-high 79 laps en route to his second of six wins in 2024. Can Heim earn back-to-back wins for the first time in 2025? Or will the field steal one from him again?
Race Preview:
The Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway is a 201-mile, 134-lap race around the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway. Stage cautions will appear on laps 30 and 60, with the checkered flag on lap 134. A total of 782,900 dollars is available in the prize purse. The Goodyear tires being used are the same as those that ran last week in Texas and earlier in the season in Las Vegas.
The Track: Kansas Speedway
With its groundbreaking in 1991 and opening in 2001, Kansas Speedway is in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built as part of an effort between NASCAR and its International Speedway Corporation to break into the Midwest region with the Cup Series. Since its opening, it has hosted NASCAR, IndyCar, and even IMSA on its infield road course. Its 1.5-mile track has 17 degrees of banking at the bottom of the racetrack, and it increases to 20 degrees at the wall. The front stretch is 10 degrees, and the back is 5 degrees.
The Craftsman Truck Series has raced 29 times at Kansas Speedway. The late Ricky Hendrick won the first truck race at Kansas. Kyle Busch and Matt Crafton are tied for the most wins here, both with three. Stewart Friesen holds the lap record with a 30.518-second lap, set in 2018.
Truck Series Points Standings:
Here are the point standings for the Truck Series following last week’s race:
1. Corey Heim: 368
2. Chandler Smith: 322
3. Daniel Hemric: 288
4. Tyler Ankrum: 286
5. Ty Majeski: 262
6. Grant Enfinger: 250
7. Jake Garcia: 244
8. Layne Riggs: 242
9. Kaden Honeycutt: 220
10. Ben Rhodes: 215
READ MORE: Corey Heim Holds off All Challengers in Truck Series Win at Texas
Drivers To Watch:
There are some drivers from Xfinity and Cup joining the field for Saturday’s race. Brandon Jones continues his stint in the #1 for TRICON Garage. William Byron will pilot the #07 for Spire Motorsports with Hendrickcars.com sponsoring. Carson Hocevar will drive the #7 Chevy for Spire. Luke Baldwin, son of Rick Ware Racing’s competition director Tommy Baldwin, will pilot the #66 for Thorsport.
Another week, another prediction of Corey Heim. Heim is fast enough that he could legitimately win every race in the regular season. If every race ran green to the finish and that #11 Tundra stays running, Heim is the guy you expect to win it.
Kaden Honeycutt was very impressive in both Kansas races in 2024. He finished fourth in both races last year. Last year, he was only part-time for Niece Motorsports, but this year he is racing full-time. Honeycutt has four top tens so far in 2025. I think Honeycutt is a pick for a driver who can have a solid run.
Layne Riggs ran second to Heim in the fall race at Kansas. I believe that Riggs can be the challenger to Corey Heim to give fans that great rivalry in the series. Riggs ran second to Larson at Homestead and fifth to Heim at Vegas. If the #34 team can get everything right, a solid qualifying spot, clean first two stages, I think he can be battling for the win at Kansas.
READ MORE: Kyle Larson Rallies Late to Win Truck Series Race at Homestead
With two Cup drivers in the field, It is hard not to pick them as a winner. It would be quite a sight to see William Byron take the Hendrick Cars Chevy to victory lane, the same place Ricky Hendrick won the first Truck race here.
How to Watch the Craftsman Truck Series at Kansas:
Saturday, May 10th
- Practice:
- 2:00 PM Eastern
- Practice will be televised on Fox Sports 2
- Qualifying:
- 3:10 PM Eastern
- Coverage continues on FS2
- The Heart of Health Care 200:
- 7:30 PM Eastern
- Coverage will be on Fox Sports 1 and on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Stay tuned in with Last Word on Motorsports for all the news from Kansas Speedway and the Craftsman Truck Series
Main Photo: Logan Riely, Getty Images
Recording Date: 5/4/2024
