Corey Heim Grabs Fifth Pole of the Craftsman Truck Series Season at Richmond

Here we are again, folks. Another race weekend, another Corey Heim pole position. At this point, you’d think the guy has some sort of magnetic attraction to the front row, and honestly, after watching him dominate qualifying at Richmond Raceway on Friday afternoon. It makes fans wonder if there’s something in the water at TRICON Garage. Heim wheeled his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra to a blistering lap time of 23.095 seconds at 116.908 mph, leaving the rest of the field wondering what the heck just happened.

Corey Heim’s Qualifying Dominance Continues to Baffle Everyone

When Corey Heim rolled into Richmond, nobody was exactly shocked when he ended up on pole. The kid has been an absolute menace in qualifying this year, and Richmond was just another notch on his belt. But here’s where it gets interesting and slightly infuriating for his competitors. Heim himself admitted that Richmond “hasn’t been my best race track in the past.”

The guy sounds almost apologetic about being fast. “It hasn’t been my best race track,” he says, right after posting the fastest qualifying time of the day. That’s like LeBron James saying basketball isn’t really his sport right after dropping 40 points. Come on, man.

However, to give credit where credit’s due, Heim knows what he’s working with. He was quick to praise the collaboration between 23XI Racing’s Cup Series preparation and his own Truck Series team. “With all the Cup side preparation of 23XI and those guys, and Blake and Trevor and my daily prep on the Truck side as well… just put a lot of work into this place,” Heim explained.

Translation? While everyone else was probably playing video games, Corey Heim and his crew were burning the midnight oil trying to figure out how to go fast at a track that supposedly doesn’t suit him. Spoiler alert: they figured it out.

The Competition Tries And Fails to Keep Up

Behind Corey Heim, Ty Majeski managed to keep things respectable with a lap of 23.177 seconds at 116.495 mph. A solid effort that would’ve been pole-worthy on most other days. But not today, kids. Not when Corey Heim decides to show up and remind everyone why he’s already locked up the regular-season championship.

Layne Riggs, Grant Enfinger, and Sammy Smith rounded out the top five, which is all well and good, but let’s be honest. They were all playing for second place the moment Corey Heim unloaded his truck. The rest of the top ten included Chandler Smith, Matt Crafton, Jake Garcia, Christian Eckes, and Daniel Hemric, all of whom probably went back to their haulers, scratching their heads and wondering what they need to do to beat this guy.

The Regular Season Finale Drama Nobody Asked For

Tonight’s eero 250 isn’t just another race. It’s the regular season finale, which means playoff spots are on the line. And while Corey Heim has already sewn up the regular season title because, of course, he has, there are still drivers desperately clawing for those final playoff positions.

Enter Kaden Honeycutt, who finds himself in quite the pickle. Honeycutt was recently “released” by Niece Motorsports, but he’s landed on his feet by taking over the No. 52 Toyota for the injured Stewart Friesen. Talk about a plot twist nobody saw coming. Honeycutt qualified 11th and needs just three measly points to secure his playoff spot.

Three points! That’s like asking for a participation trophy, but hey, pressure is pressure. Meanwhile, the rest of the field is probably wondering how they ended up in this situation where a guy who admittedly struggles at Richmond is starting from pole position for the biggest race of their season. Life’s funny like that.

Why Corey Heim’s Success Is Both Impressive and Mildly Annoying

Look, there’s no denying that Corey Heim is talented. The guy has six wins this season, five poles, and has already clinched the regular-season championship. Those aren’t flukes. That’s sustained excellence. There’s something almost clinical about the way he goes about his business that makes you want to root against him just a little bit.

He’s like that college student who claimed they didn’t study for the exam and then aced it, while everyone else failed miserably. You know the type. Heim sits there talking about how Richmond isn’t his strong suit, all while posting the fastest lap of the day. It’s the kind of humble-bragging that makes your eye twitch.

Yet, here’s what really gets under people’s skin. Heim’s success isn’t just luck or natural talent, though he’s got plenty of both. He mentioned the collaboration between different teams, the preparation, the attention to detail, all the boring stuff that separates winners from wannabes.”Really hard to tell what the track is going to do when the sun goes down,” Corey Heim noted.

This displays the kind of strategic thinking that has him sitting pretty at the top of the points standings. “I feel like everyone kind of fights that with the temperature change and no sun beating down on the racetrack anymore.” See? There he goes again, being all thoughtful and analytical while everyone else is probably just hoping to survive the first turn.

The Real Challenge: Converting Pole to Victory

Now, here’s where things get interesting for our reluctant Richmond specialist. Qualifying is one thing, but 250 laps of racing is a completely different animal. Heim knows this, which is why he’s not getting too carried away with his front-row starting position.”Gonna do the best we can to maintain that track position,” Heim said.

“It’s always a tough task to get up front, so staying up front is going to be the next task for us to do tonight.” And therein lies the rub. Richmond Raceway isn’t exactly known for being kind to leaders. The track has a way of humbling even the most dominant drivers, and with playoff implications on the line, you can bet that everyone behind Heim is going to be throwing everything they’ve got at him.

The race format doesn’t make things any easier, with stage breaks scheduled for laps 70, 140, and the checkered flag at lap 250. That’s plenty of opportunities for strategy to come into play, and plenty of chances for things to go sideways for our pole-sitter.

Final Thoughts

The eero 250 is set to go green tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, and if you’re not planning to watch, you’re missing out on what could be the most dramatic regular-season finale in recent memory. Will Corey Heim convert his pole position into another victory? Will Kaden Honeycutt secure those crucial three points for his playoff berth? Will another driver find the key ingredient to beating the No. 11 team? Stay tuned.