ARCA Menards rewind: What we learned at Pocono

www.arcaracing.com June 29, 2021

When Ty Gibbs won the ARCA Menards Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course earlier this month, he assumed he had taken the championship points lead from Corey Heim. It wasn’t until Gibbs climbed out of his car that he realized his rival still had a one-point lead in the standings.

Still, Gibbs understandably felt confident, suggesting after his fifth win through seven races in 2021 that his overtaking Heim was all but inevitable.

In Friday’s General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at Pocono Raceway, Gibbs learned jumping Heim in the title chase might be tougher than he thought.

Heim, 18, won his third race of the season Friday at Pocono and extended his points lead to three with Gibbs finishing second.

Heim’s steadiness leads our takeaways from the eighth race of the 2021 ARCA Menards Series season.

POCONO: Race Recap | Highlights | Photos

Corey Heim
Cory Heim, driver of the No. 20 JBL Toyota, celebrates winning the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 for the ARCA Menards Series at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on June 25, 2021. (Mitchell Leff/ARCA Racing)

Corey Heim’s consistency

Heim and Gibbs are still the only two drivers who have won ARCA Menards Series races this season. Gibbs has more victories (five), but Heim has steadiness on his side.

The driver of the No. 20 JBL Toyota for Venturini Motorsports has a top-10 finish in all eight races this season, with his worst result being a seventh-place run at Mid-Ohio after a pair of penalties took him out of contention for the win.

He has finished third or better in each of the other seven races. His average finish is 2.4, easily the best among series regulars.

This is why Gibbs has had and likely will continue to have a tough time catching and passing Heim in the standings despite his relative dominance in 2021. Even when Gibbs is winning, Heim is right there behind him collecting valuable points.

Friday’s race at Pocono was the perfect example. Gibbs appeared to be the driver to beat until he and Chandler Smith collided on a restart with 17 laps to go. As Gibbs collected his car, there was Heim taking advantage and cruising into the lead.

Gibbs attempted to catch Heim in the closing laps, a feat that proved impossible with the damage the No. 18 Pristine Auction Toyota sustained in the incident with Smith. Heim’s car was clean, another testament to his smooth, consistent style.

Ultimately, Gibbs should still feel good about his chances to win the 2021 title. After all, he has led 558 of the 815 laps he has run through eight of 20 races.

But the Pocono race gives Heim a reason to feel equally confident about his chances to do so himself.

RELATED: Updated ARCA Menards Series Points

Saves for days

For a handful of drivers, Friday’s race at Pocono ended prematurely when they were taken out by accidents. Many more would have suffered the same fate if not for a few incredible saves.

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring of the bunch was the save fans voted the Reese’s Sweet Move of the Race from Pocono: Smith’s unreal correction after his collision with Gibbs.

Restarting third behind the leader, Smith got a good jump on Gibbs and attempted to pass him low the same way he had earlier in the race. Gibbs tried to block, but the two made contact and drifted to the bottom of the track. The force of their eventual separation sent Smith flying back toward the field.

There is no telling how many cars Smith would have collected had he not made such an incredible save.

The other two Reese’s Sweet Move of the Race nominees from Pocono came from the same near-miss category. Stephanie Moyer finished second in the voting thanks to her ability to avoid a spinning Jack Wood. Right behind her, Tim Richmond pulled off a similarly evasive move.

Earlier in the race, Ryan Huff did an amazing job slowing his car to the point where he was able to avoid a spinning Bryan Dauzat.

Another incredible save was that of Thad Moffitt after he made contact with Wood in Turn 1 at Pocono.

Moffitt had the car sideways for several seconds and somehow avoided a spin. The save made possible his eventual fifth-place finish.

This collection of saves at Pocono serves as an example of the driving talent among ARCA Menards Series competitors.

Notes

  • Heim’s fourth career ARCA Menards Series victory places him in a tie for 79th on the all-time wins list. Others with four wins include Curtis Turner, Jesse Baird, LaMarr Marshall, Bill Green, Ben Hess, Bob Hill, Mark Gibson, Kerry Earnhardt, Ryan Newman, Steven Wallace, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed, Andrew Ranger, Dalton Sargeant, Zane Smith and Sheldon Creed.
  • Gibbs at Pocono fell one position short of joining Harold Smith, Jack Bowsher and Tim Steele as the only drivers who have won five consecutive ARCA Menards Series races.
  • The top five drivers in ARCA Menards Series points all finished in the top five at Pocono. Three finished in their points position, with Heim first, Gibbs second and Nick Sanchez fourth. Drew Dollar and Moffitt flipped their points positions in the race, with Dollar third at the finish and Moffitt fifth.
  • Rookie Andy Jankowiak finished seventh at Pocono, his fourth top-10 finish in four starts.
  • Jason Kitzmiller and Jack Wood both led laps for the first time in their ARCA Menards Series careers at Pocono. The two got caught up in an accident later in the race and finished 17th and 18th, respectively.
  • Jade Buford at Pocono made his ARCA Menards Series debut driving for Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team. He finished eighth.