2026 Black's Tire 200 Recap — Heim Dominant at Rockingham, Honeycutt Blocked at the Line
Friday, April 3, 2026
The Short Version
Corey Heim won the Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham by 0.090 seconds over Kaden Honeycutt, surviving a side-by-side final lap that ended when Honeycutt got trapped behind Tanner Gray on the backstretch. Heim swept both stages — the 13th time in Truck Series history a driver has done that, breaking a tie with Kyle Busch for the all-time record. Layne Riggs held on for third. No pit stops for the entire field.
What Happened
Tanner Gray started on the front row inside and led early. Jake Garcia set the pace for two laps off the outside before Gray cleared and went on to lead the first 12 laps of the race — more than he’d led in total through 2026 entering Friday. Corey Heim worked through traffic methodically, passed Ty Majeski for second on lap 16, and was gone.
By Stage 1, it was Heim’s race to manage. He won the stage with Majeski, Honeycutt, Riggs, and Gray completing the top five. Stage 2 ended the same way — Heim first, Majeski second, Honeycutt third. It was his 13th career stage sweep in the Truck Series, one more than Kyle Busch had ever done.
The Stage 2 restart at lap 55 produced the most drama before the final lap. Grant Enfinger launched from the inside and briefly cleared Heim for the lead by turn 2. Heim got it back three laps later, diving inside entering turn 3.
Chandler Smith added a wrinkle to the final stage — he’d started at the rear for unapproved adjustments, took two tires during the last stage break, and was working his way forward through lap traffic as the leaders cycled. He got to fourth by the finish.
With no pit stops and no late cautions after lap 166, the final run came down to attrition and position. Honeycutt had the speed to challenge Heim — they were side by side entering the final lap, with the top-two separated by 0.122 mph in best speed. But Gray, running laps down, was on the backstretch and blocked Honeycutt’s lane. Heim cleared, ran to the checkered, won by 0.090 seconds.
The Defining Moment
The backstretch on lap 200. Heim and Honeycutt ran nose-to-nose to that point — then Gray was there. Honeycutt had nowhere to go. Heim had the lane and the margin and won his fifth race of 2026.
The One That Got Away
Honeycutt crossed second by nine hundredths of a second. He had the truck to win this race. His best speed (147.233 mph) was 0.122 mph behind Heim’s — close enough that on a clean final lap, the result was genuinely in play. The backstretch block didn’t decide the race outright, but it decided the last lap.
Numbers That Matter
- Winner: Corey Heim — No. 1 Toyota
- Margin of Victory: 0.090 seconds
- Cautions: 4 for 28 laps
- Lead Changes: 6 among 4 leaders
- Stage 1: Corey Heim | Stage 2: Corey Heim
- Laps led: Heim — 178 | Gray — 17 | Enfinger — 4 | Garcia — 1
- Fastest lap: Corey Heim — 147.355 mph, lap 174
Take
Heim’s dominance this year has reached a point where the question isn’t whether he’ll win — it’s whether anyone can manufacture a situation to beat him late. He led 178 of 200 laps. He swept stages for the 13th time in his career, more than any driver in Truck Series history. The only moment that looked like trouble was a restart on lap 55 where Enfinger briefly got by him, and Heim reclaimed the lead three laps later.
The historical context on the stage sweep record matters. Kyle Busch held that mark for years. Heim is 24 years old with five wins in the first five races of 2026. The comparison isn’t unfair — it’s just where the data points.
Honeycutt is the other story from Rockingham. He’s finished 2nd behind Heim twice in the last two races (Darlington, now Rockingham). The speed is real. The results keep being close-but-not-there. At some point the breaks go his way.
Notes
- Carson Hocevar ran invitational (No. 77 Chevrolet) — went to pit road on lap 48 before pits opened for a potential engine issue, returned, went behind the wall on lap 118 with handling trouble, finished 35th
- No pit stops recorded for any driver — full race on one run at Rockingham’s 1.017-mile oval
- Adam Andretti (No. 5 Toyota) — completed only 58 laps, finished 36th
- Andres Perez De Lara: 33rd, completed 187 laps