Heim v Gibbs, Corey Heim wins at Watkins Glen

The ARCA Menards Series went road course racing at Watkins Glen International for the Clean Harbor 100, as Ty Gibbs comes in as the pole sitter and the points leader, leading by just a few over Corey Heim. Many drivers who are racing in the Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup Series also competed in this race such as Brandon Jones, Chase Briscoe, Austin Wayne Self, Tyler Ankrum, Austin Hill, Kris Wright, Carson Hocevar, and Riley Herbst. This race is the seventh race of the Sioux Chief Showdown, out of the ten scheduled. The race had 41 laps with a race break around lap 21.

Ty Gibbs got a good start with Heim settling into second. Riley Herbst was also a hard charger early on, picking off the likes of Drew Dollar and Kyle Sieg. Around lap eight, going into turn one, Sam Mayer got around Corey Heim for second place. On lap 11, Sam Mayer went sideways through the bus stop and spun through the grass. There was no caution but Sam was able to keep going. Chase Briscoe had caught up to Ty Gibbs by lap 15, Gibbs now being challenged by the Cup Series rookie. Sam Mayer had to go down pit road after being issued a pass-through penalty for cutting the bus stop. Then by lap 17, Chase Briscoe took the lead from Gibbs. On the same lap, Dale Quarterley got into Drew Dollar and went into the wall, ending Quarterley’s day. ARCA decided to make this the race break as well.

Chase Briscoe continued to lead after the restart. With 17 to go, Briscoe suddenly had issues and went to pit road. With that, Ty Gibbs and Corey Heim battled each other side by side, giving Heim the lead going into the bus stop. Keep in mind, going into this race, Heim and Gibbs won 11 of the 12 races this season. As for Briscoe, he had mechanical issues with an axle. Briscoe would end up going behind the wall afterward. With six to go, Arnout Kok in the #10 went spinning as he was running in 17th, he would keep going as Kris Wright went spinning too, who was running in sixth. He was able to get back going before the caution was waved. Good news for the leader Heim, as Austin Hill battled Ty Gibbs for second and got it coming to two to go. However, with two laps to go, Drew Dollar goes spinning and was stuck in the sand for a moment, trying to get his car refired. The white flag was in the air for Corey Heim, still, no caution, and Corey Heim would go on to score the win at Watkins Glen. Heim got his fifth win this season. The race had three lead changes among three different leaders and one caution.

Ty Gibbs now had a two-point lead over Corey Heim after this race, Thad Moffitt is third in the standings, 97 points back.

Clean Harbor 100 Top 10:

1. Corey Heim
2. Austin Hill
3. Ty Gibbs
4. Carson Hocevar
5. Brandon Jones
6. Riley Herbst
7. Taylor Gray
8. Nick Sanchez
9. Austin Wayne Self
10. Jack Wood