Corey Heim Once Again Proves Why He’s the Best in the Craftsman Truck Series

Corey Heim has proven once again why he’s the best in the Craftsman Truck Series after his win at the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte. The win marks the 15th of Heim’s career and the fourth of the 2025 season. It was down to the wire on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the 22-year-old fought for dominance over Cup Series driver Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing.

Heim closed all gaps in front and behind him, leaving no room for any competition to prevail on the track at Friday’s race. The Tricon Garage superstar swept stages 1 and 2 of the race, leading 98 of 134 laps. Though Chastain tested him during the final stage of the race in an attempt to cruise ahead of him to lead the field, Heim wasn’t having it.

Corey Heim held strong until he reached the checkered flag, beating Ross Chastain by 6.229 seconds. Heim broke a new record, notching the most significant margin of victory in the history of the Craftsman Truck Series. Heim has had quite a 2025 season, and it may be one of his most successful thus far, apart from wins at Daytona, Las Vegas, and Texas.

Corey Heim’s Early Season Woes

At the start of the 2025 season, Corey Heim didn’t find himself as lucky on the track after his win at the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona. This is surprising, considering he has accumulated a total of 752 laps led over 11 races. Yet, he’s unhappy with some of his performances this year, particularly at the North Wilkesboro Window World 250. He held strong for several laps and was locked in a dead heat with Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Layne Riggs.

Until he unexpectedly spun out during the final lap of the race, handing the top spot to Riggs, or so he thought. Chandler Smith, who trailed behind, was able to breeze past Riggs (P2) at the last second of the final lap to reach the checkered flag. Heim undoubtedly walked away disappointed, but he knew redemption was awaiting him.

He views his downfalls as part of the learning curve that has led to his four wins this season. The one that sticks out the most for Corey Heim, however, was at Homestead-Miami when his No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro experienced electrical issues, causing him to spin out on the race’s final lap. Post-victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Heim spoke to the media, capitalizing on the 2025 season’s frustrations.

“I feel like we’ve had various amounts of things that have taken us out of the race. Most of them being circumstantial things like Homestead, we had that electrical issue, and had that spin last week on the last lap,” Corey Heim said of his 2025 losses.

“Just kind of a mixed bag of things. I think the frustration would have been more built up for me if it were something more consistent,” Heim explained. “But it just seems like inevitably something is going to go wrong throughout the day. And I feel like I’ve done a really good job myself, and also with my team, not letting that get to our heads,” He concluded.

Is a Full-Time Cup Series Run Up Next?

Corey Heim has proved that he has what it takes to bounce back from anything and doesn’t get bent out of shape if things don’t go his way. Based on his triumphs this season, it’s highly questionable why he hasn’t already been approached for a full-time Cup spot. He’s proved that he’s stronger and faster than veteran drivers like Ross Chastain, so it’s just a matter of time before he moves to the top.

Post-Charlotte, Chastain spoke about his run in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, though he was unable to hold off Heim in the final moments of the race. He noted that Niece Motorsports, including himself and teammate Kaden Honeycutt, had stellar finishes across the board, and there wasn’t much more they could ask for.

“Best in class, for sure,” Chastain said of his race in a post-race interview on FS1. “Heck of an effort for Niece Motorsports across the board for three of the top-seven, and Kaden right there on my back bumper. That’s what we look for. We look for competition across all three trucks for Al Niece, and Al is super happy to get a ton of points and just to have fast trucks,” Chastain lamented of the Charlotte race.