The addition of Lime Rock Park to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule doubtless was welcome news to series leader Corey Heim.
With proven ability to succeed at any type of race track, Heim has claimed two of his 15 victories on road courses—from the pole at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2023 and from the second starting position at Circuit of the Americas last year.
Heim will try for a third road course victory when the series visits the 1.478-mile circuit in the northwest corner of Connecticut for Saturday’s Liuna 150 (1 p.m. ET on FOX, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Though the runaway series leader has won the last two road course races, there’s a statistic that argues against his potential success on Saturday. No Truck Series driver has ever won three straight.
History isn’t the only obstacle. Sportscar standout Jordan Taylor, a four-time IMSA WeatherTech champion with extensive experience at Lime Rock, will make his Truck Series debut in the Liuna 150.
“I think everything will be different,” Taylor said. “The truck will be much heavier with less downforce, less braking capabilities and much higher tire degradation.
“Sportscars have been using paddle shifters for the last 10 or 15 years, so going back to the old-school H-pattern shifter with the ‘heel-toe’ technique will take some laps to get used to.”
If Taylor isn’t used to the heavier trucks, Australian Cam Waters certainly is accustomed to full-bodied cars, having won 18 times in the V8 Supercars Series in his native country. Driving the No. 66 ThorSport Racing Ford, Waters is making his first Truck Series start of the year and third overall.
–NASCAR Wire Service–