It’s been out-of-this-world what Corey Heim has managed to accomplish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this year, and following a record-extending 11th victory in Friday’s Slim Jim 200 at Martinsville, all that remains is the title.
The 23-year-old driver from Marietta, Georgia, pulled his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro into Victory Lane once again in the NASCAR Truck Series, after making a late-race pass on TRICON Garage teammate Brent Crews for the victory.
“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions yet,” Heim told FOX Sports after being asked about who is going to win this year’s championship. “We’ve got a big race next week, and like we talked about, I wanted the momentum going to Phoenix to keep all of our guys with our heads held high, and we know what they’re working on going to Phoenix.”
RACE RESULTS: 2025 NASCAR Truck Series Slim Jim 200 at Martinsville
Heim started Friday’s 200-lap contest from the fourth position — his worst qualifying result since Michigan in June — but kept his cool at the front of the pack, and managed to put his TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra out front at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2.
In the final stage of the event, Heim had some more work to do, with several trucks staying on the racetrack with older tires to try and gain track position, and potentially sneak themselves a victory — and with that, a chance to make the Championship 4.
“I feel like it was definitely a rocky race there again, behind on track position, but we wanted to capitalize on our day and make the most of it,” Heim added. “Really didn’t think we had the truck we had in the Spring, but once we got out front, it really showed we had something to work with here.”
Heim was able to defend against a pack of hungry drivers in NASCAR Overtime, including Kaden Honeycutt, who was fighting for his life to advance into the Championship 4 while driving for Halmar Friesen Racing in the No. 52 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
Layne Riggs looked to have an incredible Ford F-150 all night long, but got behind in the final stage, and had to settle for a third-place finish. It wasn’t pretty, though, as the Front Row Motorsports driver had to tussle with Brent Crews in the final set of corners to get that position.
Crews would have to settle for fourth, losing out on another potential victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after getting passed late by his TRICON Garage teammate, Corey Heim. Corey LaJoie rebounded from a mid-race struggle to round out the top-five.
Chandler Smith brought home a sixth-place result in his No. 38 Ford F-150, while Ty Majeski was seventh, Tanner Gray eighth, Tyler Ankrum ninth, and Brenden Queen rounding out the top-10.
While Corey Heim continuing to just dismantle the record books was the headliner for Friday’s event at Martinsville, the alternate plotline had to be the battle to see who will go against Heim at Phoenix Raceway.
It was an absolute BRAWL throughout the top-10 to decide who would face Corey Heim at Phoenix Raceway for the championship, and the battle did not disappoint.
With a last-lap move by Layne Riggs, the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports driver ended up tied with Kaden Honeycutt for the final spot in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs Championship 4. Honeycutt, courtesy of a second-place finish on Friday, would advance, eliminating Riggs, the closest competitor to the No. 11 all season.
Tyler Ankrum and Ty Majeski, who both looked to be in trouble at times throughout the event in terms of the cutoff line, each finished a single point above the cutline, allowing them to advance to the Championship 4.
Corey Heim, Tyler Ankrum, Kaden Honeycutt, and Ty Majeski will fight it out for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, October 31, at 7:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.
