MADISON, Ill. – Chad Bryant Racing (CBR) development driver Corey Heim heads to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway this weekend looking to return to top-five status in Saturday night’s Day to Day Coffee 150.
Last weekend at Madison (Wisc.) International Speedway, Heim had a solid No. 22 Speedway Children’s Charities Ford Fusion but found himself being taken out by another competitor halfway through the race and left the team with a 10th place finish.
Eager to rebound and deliver Chad Bryant Racing’s third ARCA Menards Series win of the year, Heim is ready for business.
“I’m still pretty frustrated about last weekend at Madison to be honest,” said Heim. “These Chad Bryant Racing pour their guts out to put competitive cars on the track and for us to be taken out by someone is tasteless.
“But by the time the garage opens at Gateway this weekend, I need to put Madison behind me and focus on making my Gateway debut as positive as possible.”
To help the 16-year-old prepare for his WWTR debut, Heim’s Chad Bryant Racing team led by veteran crew chief Paul Andrews participated in a private test at the 1.25-mile track last week and even though their test was shortened by weather, Heim was appreciative of the track time.
“I think our test went great last week, added Heim. “We unloaded with a great car and got better with each and every run. I think we’ve got a great price for this weekend’s race. Gateway is a very unique track as it is, I’ve never raced on something like it. Both corners are completely different, and you have to downshift in turns one and two, which I’ve never done before. I think a good goal for us this weekend will be a top-five.”
Despite being in and out of the No. 22 seat and sharing it with teammate Ty Majeski, the Marietta, Ga. native says his relationship with Andrews continues to improve and he doesn’t believe it will be long before he’s in Victory Lane.
“My relationship with Paul only continues to get stronger with every race,” added Heim. “After Chicagoland next week, I’ll be in the car for the rest of the season besides Kansas. I think to be in the seat that often will be important for me to get in that position to win my first ARCA race.
“This is the first race on a speedway-like track for me and I think a top-five is a good goal for the Chad Bryant Racing team. The biggest thing I’ve learned in ARCA so far is how to drive a heavy car with a lot of horsepower. Late models are light and sleek, while ARCA cars are heavy with a lot of horsepower.
“It’s been a big learning curve for me, but I think we’ve made a lot of progress since the beginning of the season. I’m very excited to get under way at Gateway this weekend with my team, I think we’ve got a good shot to run up front and compete for the win.”
Andrews a former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship crew chief concurs with his young driver.
“Gateway will be our sixth race together – but like Corey said we are improving,” Andrews mentioned. “We weren’t happy with our car last weekend. We were off a little bit to start the race and when Corey was on a charge to get to the front, we got taken out.
“This weekend at Gateway, I think we’ll be in better shape, especially since Corey was able to test and get some laps under his belt. Hopefully, we can put ourselves in a good position to put Chad Bryant Racing back in the winners’ circle on Saturday night.”
For more on Corey Heim, please like him on Facebook (Corey Heim Racing) and follow him on Instagram (@corey.heim) and Twitter (@coreyheim3).
For more on Chad Bryant Racing, please like them on Facebook (Chad Bryant Racing) and follow them on Twitter (@ChadBryantRace). Also, visit the new ChadBryantRacing.com.
The Day to Day Coffee 150 (120 laps | 150 miles) is the 11th of 20 races on the 2019 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. Practice begins Sat., June 22 with a 50-minute practice session from 11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. A final 55-minute practice has been slated from 1:30 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying is set for later in the day at 4:30 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 6:45 p.m. The event will be televised live on MAVTV. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the day’s festivities. All times are local (Central).