Last year, North Wilkesboro gave us one of the wildest moments of the NASCAR Cup Series when Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. squared off, not on the track, but off it. Tempers boiled after Stenhouse Jr. believed Busch had wrecked him intentionally early in the race. After the early exit, he waited for Busch by his hauler, only to land a right hook to his face, which led to a big brawl. Busch didn’t flinch. He said, “If he wants to get in my face, that’s fine. He’s been a pain in the a– for years.”
Stenhouse didn’t hold back either. “I’ve had enough of his crap. I’m done letting it slide. I told him I’d see him after.” The clash wasn’t just about racing lines or broken bumpers. It was years of frustration exploding in one shove-and-swing saga that had fans buzzing all week. North Wilkesboro was no longer just a throwback; it was a pressure cooker. That post-race brawl reminded NASCAR Nation that rivalries aren’t dead. They’re just waiting for the right spark. And that night, the spark came from two veterans who didn’t need words to tell their story, just fists. It also cost Stenhouse Jr 75,000 dollars and his father a lifetime ban.
It is just not possible to rewrite a similar script, but the Truck Series race delivered just that. This time, Toyota’s up-and-coming driver, Corey Heim, was on the receiving end, whereas Xfinity Series outcast Chandler Smith was the one who took the cake after a dramatic overtime finish led to flared tempers and post-race exchanges.
Chandler Smith concedes to Corey Heim!
On Saturday at the Window World 250, Chandler Smith took the checkered flag. But it wasn’t a clean pass. It wasn’t a commanding drive. It was a case of being in the right place at the wrong time for everyone else. On the final lap of overtime, Smith was third when his teammate, Layne Riggs, made contact with race leader Corey Heim going into Turn 2. Heim spun. Smith stayed low and slipped through the wreckage to steal the win.
Smith had started in the back and clawed forward. He was right on the bumper of the #11 truck before the caution flew. It could’ve been a thrilling end to the race as both Heim and Smith were committed to the battle. But, it after a somewhat controversial finish, thanks to Riggs’ antics, and Smith conceded that he wasn’t on par with the #11 team. “I didn’t think we were as good as the 11. We had a tire advantage, and he still checked out. That last restart, I did everything but the right thing. My teammate, Layne Riggs, executed perfectly, and we came out on the right end of the stick,” Smith said post-race. He gave props to Heim, saying, “They had a really fast truck today.” The humility in his voice said it all. Smith won, but he knew who really deserved it.
He did the most important thing right, and that is get the win! pic.twitter.com/QjMa0W5HEY
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) May 17, 2025
Notably, Denny Hamlin‘s protégé Corey Heim had the fastest truck all day. He led 162 of 255 laps and held the lead with older tires when the green flag waved for the overtime restart. Riggs was behind him, Smith on the inside. Heim cleared both. But coming out of Turn 4, Riggs dived low, got inside, and bumped Heim up the track. Heim spun, and Smith pounced. The Tricon Garage driver didn’t mince words after the race. “Just scum racing on his part,” he said of Riggs.
“He did it to me earlier in the race and didn’t learn his lesson. I’ve raced him clean for years. I just continuously get used up by him,” he further added. On pit road, Heim confronted Riggs face to face. “You’re racing like a f—— idiot. Calm down or else someone’s going to take care of you,” he told him. Heim walked off before Riggs could respond. Riggs, for his part, didn’t back down either. “I feel like he got really loose into Turn 3 and opened the bottom up, and I went for it. I slid him up the track but left him a lane. It’s North Wilkesboro on the last lap. I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.
The Front Row Motorsports driver made clear he wasn’t racing for friends. “If I’ve got a reputation for going for wins, I’m not going to regret that.” The history between Heim and Riggs goes back to their Late Model days. Heim even referenced it, saying, “It’s been the same thing since Late Models.” For him, Riggs is a repeat offender. For Riggs, it’s just hard racing. But there’s no doubt who the loser was on Saturday, Corey Heim. He dominated the race, stayed out when others pitted, managed worn tires to perfection, and still walked away with nothing but a 17th-place finish.
The rest of the field scrambled through the smoke. Tyler Ankrum snuck into third. Daniel Hemric and Grant Enfinger followed in fourth and fifth. Ty Majeski, Gio Ruggiero, Kaden Honeycutt, Kyle Busch, and Sammy Smith rounded out the top ten. Busch, in his second Truck start of the year, was fast but got tagged twice for pit road speeding and never recovered. Notably, in his previous start at Atlanta, he had dominated the track for a win.
NASCAR Truck Series Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro results:
Fin
Truck
Driver
Laps
Status
1
38
Chandler Smith (x)
255
Running
2
34
Layne Riggs
255
Running
3
18
Tyler Ankrum
255
Running
4
19
Daniel Hemric
255
Running
5
9
Grant Enfinger (S2)
255
Running
6
98
Ty Majeski
255
Running
7
17
Gio Ruggiero #
255
Running
8
45
Kaden Honeycutt
255
Running
9
07
Kyle Busch (i)
255
Running
10
7
Sammy Smith (i)
255
Running
11
15
Tanner Gray
255
Running
12
13
Jake Garcia
255
Running
13
66
Luke Baldwin
255
Running
14
52
Stewart Friesen
255
Running
15
71
Rajah Caruth
255
Running
16
81
Connor Mosack #
255
Running
17
11
Corey Heim (S1)
255
Running
18
88
Matt Crafton
254
Running
19
75
Patrick Emerling
254
Running
20
91
Jack Wood
254
Running
21
5
Toni Breidinger #
254
Running
22
1
Brent Crews
254
Running
23
99
Ben Rhodes
254
Running
24
77
Andres Perez de Lara #
253
Running
25
42
Matt Mills
253
Running
26
26
Dawson Sutton #
253
Running
27
44
Conner Jones
251
Running
28
76
Spencer Boyd
251
Running
29
33
Frankie Muniz #
248
Running
30
02
Jayson Alexander
242
Running
31
22
Tyler Tomassi
209
Out
32
67
Ryan Roulette
153
Out
33
2
Derek White
96
Out
34
6
Norm Benning
62
Out
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