BRISTOL, Tenn: While Kyle Larson dominated Saturday afternoon’s SciAps 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sam Hunt Racing quietly delivered one of its strongest outings, placing both entries inside the top-10 for the third time in team history.
The Mooresville, N.C.-based team fielded two entries in Thunder Valley — with rookie Dean Thompson behind the wheel of the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota Supra and Truck Series standout Corey Heim piloting the part-time No. 24 Toyota Supra.
During Saturday morning’s qualifying session, Heim and Thompson earned back-to-back starting spots, with Heim rolling off 16th and Thompson 17th.
Thompson made early headlines in Stage 1 following contact with Sheldon Creed in Turns 3 and 4, which triggered a frightening crash involving Dash 4 Cash contender Brennan Poole. Poole could not avoid Creed’s stalled No. 00 Ford Mustang, resulting in heavy damage to both cars.
Thompson immediately took responsibility for the incident, apologizing for the initial contact. The No. 26 team quickly regrouped, refocused, and set their sights on salvaging a strong result.
A four-lap dash to conclude Stage 1 saw Heim hold steady in 12th while Thompson followed close behind in 15th.
Momentum continued to build in Stage 2. Heim broke into the top-10 and earned two owner points with a ninth-place result in the stage, while Thompson remained competitive in 12th.
By Lap 200, both Sam Hunt Racing cars had cracked the top-10. A mid-stage caution prompted the No. 24 team to bring Heim to pit road for tires, fuel, a chassis adjustment, and a windshield tear-off. Heim restarted 13th, while Thompson advanced into sixth.
During the final green-flag run, Heim methodically worked his way back into the top-10 with 30 laps to go.
Thompson, running strong inside the top-10, began to battle a fading balance of his race car. Despite an impressive charge early in the stage, he slipped from sixth to 10th by the checkered flag.
In just his third NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the season, Heim picked up two more spots in the closing laps to finish eighth — marking the third time in team history that Sam Hunt Racing placed two cars inside the top-10 in the same race.
“Overall, I feel like it was a pretty good day for us,” said Heim after the race. “Could never really get past that top-10 to top-five barrier, per say, but really proud of all the adjustments over the pit stops.
Heim praised his No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing team not only for their performance on Saturday but also for the progress they’ve made since earlier season outings at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“We made a lot of improvements really overall since our first two races at Sam Hunt Racing in 2025,” added Heim. “Really proud of my guys on this Upper Deck Supra. Thankful for Toyota and everything they do.”
Thompson secured his second top-10 finish in the last three NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
Earlier this month, the Anaheim, Calif. native posted a season-best sixth-place result at Martinsville Speedway, and followed it up two races later with a solid 10th-place run in the 300-lap showdown at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.”
“I feel like I we’ve got good momentum with the Thompson Pipe Group Supra team,” offered Dean. “We’ve been getting better. Good, solid day.”
With momentum on his side, Thompson eagerly awaits next weekend’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway. Confident in the speed and progress of his Sam Hunt Racing team, he believes they can contend for another strong finish and keep building on their upward trajectory.
“I’m looking forward to Rockingham because we’ve tested there, so it is finally a track that I’ve been at in this car,” added Thompson, who sits 18th in the Xfinity Series championship standings. “It is not super new. I feel like it will even out the playing field for me. Looking forward to that.”
