Your 2025 NASCAR Truck Series Champion: Corey Heim
- Bailey Defoor
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Written by Bailey Defoor
Corey Heim capped off a record-breaking season by dominating in Phoenix despite two red flags and two hectic overtime restarts.
As it unfolded
Layne Riggs qualified on the pole but had to serve a drive-through penalty for failing multiple inspections, while the Championship 4 qualifying further back. Kaden Honeycutt, the highest of the contenders, rolled off fifth, Heim in sixth, Ty Majeski in eighth and Tyler Ankrum in 21st.
On the opening lap, Dawson Sutton went wide and hit the outside wall, bringing out the first caution. Daniel Hemric also received some damage.
They went back to racing on the sixth lap, led by Rajah Caruth and Chandler Smith. Smith pulled ahead of Caruth into the first corner. Heim was also flying on this restart, going from fifth to challenging for the lead by Lap 15. Heim went side by side with Smith and took the lead on Lap 22. This made Heim the first NASCAR National Series driver to lead every race in a season.
Smith pitted on Lap 27, reporting vibrations. The rest of the stage finished under the green flag.
Stage 1 Results:
No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 1 - Brent Crews (TRICON Garage)
No. 98 - Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports)
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 77 - Corey LaJoie (Spire Motorsports)
No. 52 - Kaden Honeycutt (Halmar Friesen Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 7 - Stefan Parsons (Spire Motorsports)
No. 13 - Jake Garcia (ThorSport Racing)
No. 17 - Giovanni Ruggiero (TRICON Garage)
Rajah Caruth made up four spots on pit road, and Heim lost one spot. They left the way back to green on Lap 55, and Heim immediately retook the lead and built a gap.
Honeycutt passed Tanner Gray for fifth in the first turn while Majeski moved up to second on Laps 58 and 59, respectively. On Lap 67, Honeycutt moved up to fourth after passing Caruth and began chasing down Brent Crews.
Heim and Majeski continued running first and second, and in last year’s race, they ran 1-2 for 119 laps.
Stage 2 Results:
No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 98 - Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 1 - Brent Crews (TRICON Garage)
No. 52 - Kaden Honeycutt (Halmar Friesen Racing) [PLAYOFFS]
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports)
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 13 - Jake Garcia (ThorSport Racing)
No. 7 - Stefan Parsons (Spire Motorsports)
No. 17 - Giovanni Ruggiero (TRICON Garage)
In the round of pit stops, Heim spun his wheels on exit, and Majeski came out on top. On Lap 100, Majeski led from the outside and briefly pulled ahead off the second turn, but Heim charged back off the fourth turn for the lead.
The second incident-related caution came on Lap 112 when Clayton Green spun at the second turn. All lead lap drivers except the Championship 4, Crews, Gray, Jake Garcia, and Cole Butcher pitted.
At the restart on Lap 119, Heim and Crews led the way, but Crews plummeted through the field. Gio Ruggiero, Andrés Pérez, Bayley Currey and Ben Rhodes collided while exiting the fourth turn while running in 16th. It was a big hit for Pérez and the inside wall, so the race was red-flagged.
Gray, Ankrum and Butcher pitted once the red flag was changed to a caution.
On Lap 124, they went back to racing with Heim pulling away with the lead as Riggs and Honeycutt challenged Majeski for second. Riggs came out ahead and started chasing down Heim, and moved into the lead on Lap 127.
Connor Mosack started smoking on Lap 146 and one lap later, he hit the outside wall. This caution sent the race into overtime. The Heim, Majeski and Honeycutt all pitted for tyres, and Majeski came out in the lead as Heim fell six places. Stefan Parsons and Butcher stayed out and made up the front row for the first overtime restart.
It was seven wide at the front with Heim surging from 10th to second behind Majeski when a crash involving Grant Enfinger, Butcher, Ankrum and Gray called for another red flag. The order was Majeski, Heim and Honeycutt.
Majeski on the outside and Heim on the inside led the way for the second overtime restart. Majeski got the initial jump before Heim came back on the inside and cleared to sweep Phoenix and the championship!
Provisional Result
No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage) [PLAYOFFS] [FL]
No. 98 - Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing) [ELIMINATED]
No. 52 - Kaden Honeycutt (Halmar Friesen Racing) [ELIMINATED]
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports)
No. 13 - Jake Garcia (ThorSport Racing)
No. 77 - Corey LaJoie (Spire Motorsports)
No. 38 - Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 41 - Tyler Reif (Niece Motorsports)
No. 91 - Jack Wood (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 42 - Matt Mills (Niece Motorsports)
No. 7 - Stefan Parsons (Spire Motorsports)
No. 88 - Matt Crafton (ThorSport Racing)
No. 18 - Tyler Ankrum (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [ELIMINATED]
No. 02 - Nathan Byrd (Young's Motorsports)
No. 66 - Luke Baldwin (ThorSport Racing) +1 lap
No. 76 - Spencer Boyd (Freedom Racing Enterprises) +2 laps
No. 35 - Greg Van Alst (Greg Van Alst Motorsports) +2 laps
No. 33 - Frankie Muniz (Reaume Brothers Racing) +2 laps
No. 2 - Clayton Green (Reaume Brothers Racing) +3 laps
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage) +4 laps
No. 74 - Caleb Costner (Mike Harmon Racing) +4 laps
No. 62 - Cole Butcher (Halmar Friesen Racing) +7 laps
No. 9 - Grant Enfinger (CR7 Motorsports) +8 laps
No. 5 - Toni Breidinger (TRICON Garage) +8 laps
No. 81 - Connor Mosack (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [DNF]
No. 45 - Bayley Currey (Niece Motorsports) [DNF]
No. 1 - Brent Crews (TRICON Garage) [DNF]
No. 99 - Ben Rhodes (ThorSport Racing) [DNF]
No. 44 - Andrés Pérez (Niece Motorsports) [DNF]
No. 17 - Giovanni Ruggiero (TRICON Garage) [DNF]
No. 22 - Mason Maggio (Reaume Brothers Racing) [DNF]
No. 19 - Daniel Hemric (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) [DNF]
No. 26 - Dawson Sutton (Rackley W.A.R.) [DNF]
This was the last race of the 2025 season, but be sure to tune in for the season opener at Daytona Speedway on February 13. Be there or be square.
