It takes a lot to get Corey Heim riled up. At NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Media Day on Thursday, Heim was even-keeled as always. And for good reason, he’s been here and attempted to do this before. Last year, in fact, he nearly took the race win and championship, until things got nutty at the end of the Championship Race last season.
Heim has followed up his three-win campaign in 2023 with an explosive six-win season as he heads into the season finale on Friday evening with a shot at the championship again.
RELATED NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship 4 Stories
Grant Enfinger Thankful for Unconventional Path Back to Championship 4
Ty Majeski, Tight-Knit No. 98 ThorSport Team Primed for Strong Showing in Championship Race
Christian Eckes Ready to Deliver Championship for McAnally in ‘Emotional’ Final Race with Team
Heim carries a lot of confidence into the race based on how he has performed this season in general, and with how well his trucks have run at tracks like Phoenix.
“I feel good about it,” The TRICON Garage driver said of his chances to win the championship. “I feel like throughout the year, we’ve done well at similar styles of race tracks like Gateway and maybe a (North) Wilkesboro or something like that, closer to a mile-long race track with fresher pavement. Anything can happen, and the points are reset so, I’ve got to beat these three guys to my left, but I feel really good about it. We’ve been good all year and can’t wait to keep it going.”
While Heim attempting to right last season’s wrong, which kept him from winning the championship will be a hot storyline for us all to follow, the driver says he doesn’t focus on last year, he is only looking forward to this weekend.
“I feel like any new opportunity and new race, is a new chance for me to go out and improve myself and win,” Heim explained. “I don’t feel like this is any different. I don’t flash back to last year as a redemption for any means, but I’m as motivated as anyone in the room to go and win the championship.”
While he won’t be thinking back to last year, last year’s Championship 4 appearance did help the driver gain experience, the valuable experience he will be able to draw from on Friday evening when the chips are on the table.
“I certainly learned a lot from last year – circumstantially and how to handle myself in tough situations. I feel like every race I’ve grown as a driver, and I feel like I’ve done that every year at TRICON since I’ve started out with those guys,” Heim said. “Last year was my maiden full-time voyage and I learned a lot on the way to points race and how to put myself in position, now that I have the full season under my belt and can run it back, I can improve on that from last year and I feel even better about it.”
Part of the reason Heim feels so good about it is due in part to his team being as calm, cool, and collected as he is. The driver credits his crew chief for helping the team find their zen heading into a fierce championship fight.
“I feel like we just do such a good job at staying consistent. My crew chief Scott Zipadelli has such a level head. He does a really good job of being a leader and keeping us all with level heads with the team,” Heim stated. “We never really have our highs and lows. I feel like, from an emotional standpoint, we are always really consistent.
“We keep a level head going into any race weekend, and this one will be the same. Everyone is dialed in and focused. They’ve worked their butts off these last seven-to-10 days getting this Phoenix truck ready and put a lot of work in this weekend as well. Super thankful for those guys and everything they do and wouldn’t be here without them.”
Heim would go on to pace NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice following Media Day on Thursday (Full Practice Results Click Here), in preparation for Friday night’s championship race. Before heading onto the track for the first time with his No. 11 truck, the Georgia native admitted that while he looked unflappable in his media session, he’ll have butterflies while lining up on the grid for qualifying on Friday afternoon.
“You are always going to be nervous. I think – right now – I’m pretty calm ready to go, but I think when you strap in and get ready for qualifying, that is when you first start kind of feeling it,” Heim said. “If anyone tells you they are not nervous, they are definitely lying.”
Heim has had an incredible season, and it has culminated in a second consecutive Championship 4 appearance. Will Friday night be ‘Heim Time’ for the seventh time this season?
Qualifying, which will set the starting lineup for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race will take place on Friday, November 8 at 4:00 PM ET. That session can be watched on FS2 and streamed on the FOX Sports App with a valid cable subscription login.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race is set for Friday, November 8. That race will be televised on FS1 with coverage kicking off at 8:00 PM ET. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the live radio call of the event.
