TGR StaffOn a crisp November night at Phoenix Raceway, when engines cooled and victory lane lights glowed, 23-year-old Corey Heim clinched his first full-season title in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. What looked like the culmination of a flashy season was in fact something more: a statement of durability, precision, and modern “doing it right”.
Corey Heim: The Take-No-Prisoners Season
Backed by TRICON Garage and driving the No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Heim ran away with the title in style. According to the official release, he collected 12 wins, setting a Truck Series single-season record, and added 19 top-fives and 21 top-10 finishes. His lap-leading numbers? Over 1,500 laps led in the season. Cited stats show 1,625 laps led.
Along the way he became regular-season champion for the second time, then when the playoffs came he simply had too much momentum. His wins came across the spectrum: Daytona, Las Vegas, Texas, Charlotte, Lime Rock Park (the road-course debut), Watkins Glen, Richmond, Darlington, New Hampshire, the Charlotte Roval and Phoenix. The breadth of victory tracks is striking.
Heim’s campaign wasn’t just about raw pace. He set season records for stage points (65) and stage wins (23) and accounted for all but two of Toyota’s wins in the Truck Series this year. In other words: when the No. 11 bore down, the rest of the field was watching.
Corie Heim: NASCAR Mastery
There’s a deeper narrative at work, one that echoes the smart-money era of motorsport. This wasn’t just a talented driver doing good; it was a young man in a mature program executing flawlessly in his third full-time season with TRICON. Corey Heim had already won Rookie of the Year honors (2022), then built up the résumé: regular-season title in 2023, six wins and a runner-up points finish in 2024. This was the season where it all came together.
The significance for the brand also counts. Toyota, in the Truck Series since 2004, not only earned its 10th drivers’ championship this season, but its 14th manufacturers’ title. Heim now holds 23 Truck Series wins in his still-young career, putting him second all-time in Toyota’s Truck history behind the great Kyle Busch (56). The message: they’re building a string of dominance.
Pick one: the win at the first-ever Truck race at Lime Rock Park in June. He led 99 of 100 laps. That kind of textbook execution across track form and road-course chops separated him from the rest. Then the regular-season finale at Richmond: Heim grabbed the pole, led 76 laps, and locked in the regular-season crown. And finally Phoenix: the finale is always pressure. But this time, Heim and the No. 11 Toyota showed up not to survive but to dominate.
“I just am so grateful to be where I’m at. So thankful for the TRICON Garage, Toyota taking a chance on me years ago, Safelite, Mobil 1, Yahoo, Celsius, for every bit of their support. I was so stressed out ever since we went to the ROVAL. I’ve been, like, so terrible to talk to as a person, so stressed out. This is just such a relief, to say the least. So thankful for everybody. There’s so many names I could go through, Trevor (Bayne, Competition Mentor, TRD) and Blake (Koch, Competition Mentor, TRD) for all my prep work, 23XI for everything they do for me on the development side. There’s such a long list. Thankful for everybody involved,“ said Corey Heim, No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra, TRICON Garage.
When you look at the Truck Series historically, many champions rose via bursts of speed or clutch runs. What Corey Heim did felt different, a sustained run of dominance across types of tracks. If the Truck Series is a proving ground, Heim proved he belongs not just among its best but that he belongs to the next chapter of NASCAR talent.
What does this mean for the future? The Cup Series beckons. Corey Heim already made four Cup starts this year under his development deal with 23XI Racing. The expectation: the timing is ripe to graduate. His Truck Series mastery gives him the credential, now the next step is translating that into the premier tier. Industry observers are watching.
He really deserves it