In a heart-stopping finish that had fans on their feet, Carson Hocevar bounced off the outside wall after last-lap contact with Layne Riggs but managed to maintain control to win Saturday night’s Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway.

The victory marked Hocevar’s first win of the 2025 season in just his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start this year. It was also his first triumph at the 1.5-mile Kansas track and the fifth checkered flag of his career.

The race climaxed with a nail-biting final lap as Riggs closed rapidly on Hocevar’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Making a desperate move for the win, Riggs steered to the inside of Hocevar, got to the left-rear quarter of the Silverado, and slid up the track, making contact with the leader.

Both trucks bounced off the outside wall following the contact but remarkably maintained control. With William Byron watching the drama unfold from third position, Hocevar crossed the finish line 0.262 seconds ahead of Riggs.

“I just thought I’d make it entertaining,” Hocevar quipped after climbing from his truck. “That 34 truck was super, super good. This truck was really good on the short runs — I didn’t think he would get to us for how far back he was, but he was super good.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in a finish like that where it’s been all out there. So credit to him. I know he was going for everything there.”

What initially appeared to be a second consecutive runner-up finish at Kansas for Riggs took a dramatic turn in post-race inspection. Officials discovered a truck bed cover violation on his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, resulting in a disqualification that elevated Byron to second place.

Before learning of the disqualification, Riggs had been philosophical about the intense battle with Hocevar: “Man, I gave it my all. We were really down bad with the track position there. In the third segment, we were about to take the lead, and we did a green-flag pit stop and that really hurt us — had to come from 16th on that green-flag run to get all the way back to him.”

Byron, who finished 0.718 seconds behind Hocevar, admitted he had been hoping for a different outcome from the leaders’ battle: “I was just hoping they would crash, but they didn’t.” The NASCAR Cup Series regular fought a tight-handling No. 07 Spire truck as the final run progressed.

The 200-mile event featured seven cautions for 33 laps and saw several contenders face significant challenges. Corey Heim, who led 52 of the first 53 laps and won the first stage, saw his hopes for a third consecutive Kansas victory diminished by a broken air gun during a pit stop that cost him 15 positions.

Heim’s troubles compounded when the sixth caution for Frankie Muniz’s spin interrupted the cycle of green-flag pit stops, trapping him a lap down. A restart violation further damaged his chances, though he ultimately recovered to finish third.

“Started out with that pit gun breaking — no fault to my pit crew there,” Heim explained. “They did an awesome job all night. It seemed like a situational kind of deal there and then caught on the exact wrong time on the green-flag cycle. Had to take the wave and start from the back again and got out of line for a penalty on my part. A roller coaster kind of day today.”

Despite the last-lap dramatics, Hocevar’s victory came after a commanding performance where he led three times for a race-high 75 laps. He gained control of the race following the caution period that trapped several competitors a lap down.

The win solidifies Hocevar’s position as one of the series’ top talents, demonstrating both speed and composure under pressure on one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks.

Rookie Gio Ruggiero finished fourth, followed by Stewart Friesen to round out the top five. Brandon Jones, pole winner Jake Garcia, Kaden Honeycutt, Grant Enfinger, and Daniel Hemric completed the top ten.

As the Craftsman Truck Series season continues to unfold, Hocevar’s dramatic Kansas victory will likely be remembered as one of the most exciting finishes of the year—a testament to the unpredictable and thrilling nature of NASCAR’s truck competition.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images