Corey Heim enters the NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs riding high after securing a pivotal win at Richmond, eager to take his momentum and the TRICON Garage team’s improvements deep into the postseason. As he prepares for the championship run, Heim is focusing on overcoming recurring challenges and leveraging experience for a strong showing, making the Corey Heim NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs campaign a central storyline this season.
Preparation Sets the Tone for Heim and TRICON Garage
On Tuesday, Corey Heim, driving the No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD PRO for TRICON Garage, addressed the media during the NASCAR Truck Series Playoff Media Day. Heim reflected candidly on how this Playoff run differs from his previous attempts, highlighting a renewed sense of readiness within his team. Over the offseason, Heim and his No. 11 group, with support from TRICON and Toyota, analyzed their struggles from last year—particularly racing packages that hadn’t worked and pit road issues—and focused on addressing persistent problems.
“Really not a ton for me. I think the main thing for us is that we’ve really connected a lot of the dots on maybe the prior struggles we’ve had so far and got a lot of things to improve in the Playoffs still regardless as far as keeping that going or keeping the momentum going. I feel like for me, there was some struggle areas last year that kind of lingered throughout the year and we never quite got past that. But we were able to hone in on that in the offseason and sort of clear those up as far as maybe some packages that we brought to specific race tracks that didn’t work, and maybe some pit road stuff. My personal development as far as my driving style at some places. I feel like just within my 11 team and within TRICON and Toyota, we’ve done a great job of just honing in on the things that maybe didn’t work throughout the year and lingered and just kind of fixing that for 2025 and hoping to extend that into the Playoffs as well.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Strategic Thinking and Tough Playoff Opponents
When asked about potential hurdles for his team, Heim emphasized the unpredictable and demanding nature of certain Playoff races, specifically those included in the critical Round of 8. The dynamic, high-stakes environment of the Playoff rounds, particularly at tracks such as Talladega and Martinsville, is not lost on the TRICON Garage camp.
“Yeah, I mean for the most part every race is a challenge. It’s never a layup by any means anywhere you go, especially if you look at the last round, you’ve got a lot of challenging races within the Round of 8. Talladega is kind of the one that sticks out like a sore thumb to everybody. It’s just such an unpredictable race. As far as the speed we’ve brought to the race track, I think most, if not all the Playoff tracks fit that for us but as far as strategizing – especially Talladega but also Martinsville, the Roval – that whole Round of 8. Strategizing that and also just planning for kind of what our plan of attack is for those last few races is going to be big. Of course, we’ve got the whole Round of 10 to get through as well, but that round specifically stands out to me as something that we need to really think about and how to attack that and make sure we’re in the right spot at the right time.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Adapting to New Tracks and Tapping Expert Insights
Heim recognizes the need for adaptability with limited prior experience at some key venues. He acknowledged working closely with drivers from 23XI Racing and studying their performances on challenging circuits like Watkins Glen and Lime Rock to help shape his own approach, especially for the Roval which begins the Round of 8.
“As far as who I lean on, I don’t know if I have anyone specific in mind off the top of my head, but I feel like the road course stuff on my side has been really good as far as preparation this year and just understanding kind of what I need to do to attack the race track in a certain way. I’ve only run a TA2 race there one time in like I think it was 2021 on a different layout so I’ve got a very rough and slim idea of what I need to be successful at that track specifically. But I work with the 23XI people a lot on their side, trying to gauge where their Cup guys are making time on specific race tracks such as Watkins Glen. Lime Rock of course we were by ourselves, but I worked with them on Lime Rock a little bit too actually. But as far as just overall preparation and development, it’s going to be tough to do for sure just with the lack of experience for me at that place. But Lime Rock, I had never been there either and it was a pretty successful day for me so just trying to take the same mindset into that.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Opening Round Obstacles and the Loudon Challenge
The Playoff’s first round brings its own trials. Heim pointed out that tracks like Loudon, which hasn’t been on the NASCAR Truck Series calendar for six years, could trouble even the most prepared teams due to the shared inexperience among drivers and crews. Having raced at Loudon in Xfinity for Sam Hunt Racing gives him a modest advantage, which he hopes to translate into performance.
“That’s a good question. Loudon is tough because we haven’t been there – or the Trucks haven’t been there in about six years. I was fortunate to race there last year in Xfinity for Sam Hunt Racing. Loudon is just a tough one being an anomaly just as far as lack of experience, lack of laps there for most of the truck field including drivers and teams. That will be tough for the Round of 10 for sure. But kind of like you mentioned, the Round of 8 is definitely the ones that stand out more. The Round of 10 is kind of your standard race tracks, places that we’ve been for the most part other than Loudon. But I mean, as far as similarities, we go to a lot of tracks similar to Loudon too so it shouldn’t be anything too crazy I wouldn’t think.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Keeping Momentum in Spite of the Points Lead
Sitting 62 points above the Playoff cutline would allow most drivers some comfort, but Heim maintains a sharp focus. He insists the structure of the Playoffs can swiftly erase any advantage, and preparation remains central for TRICON Garage to avoid possible missteps.
“In a way yeah, but I think with the Playoff format and the way that everything is structured, things can turn sideways pretty quick so I feel like you can never get too comfortable or to the point where – especially as far as my team goes. If they think that we just need to smooth sail through the round and no problem and maybe have a lack of effort – not that they will at all – they prepare very well. But if they were to hypothetically and we have a part failure or something with a DNF, you find yourself in a bad spot pretty quick. I feel like our mindset as far as our 11 crew and the organization with TRICON is to prepare to the best of our ability in the same way that we have for most of the races this year and just to really hone in on everything and if not elevate everything to make sure that we cannot have any failures or anything crazy like that. And also, just continue to bring the speed that we have throughout the year.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Phoenix Raceway: Final Showdown and Driving Preferences
The Playoffs end at Phoenix, a track Heim describes as serviceable but not his favorite, referencing the difficulty passing and the unique chaos of restarts. His direct assessment shows both realism and the pragmatic side of focusing on results over preference at season’s end.
“Phoenix is alright. It’s not the greatest quality of racing by any means. I feel like it’s really easy to get stuck in traffic and whatnot, but it’s okay. There’s definitely better race tracks out there in my opinion, but the restarts are definitely crazy and that’s about it. The restarts are crazy and then it’s kind of straightforward from there. Yeah, it’s okay.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Personal Growth Fuels Playoff Ambitions
Reflecting on his driving evolution, Heim attributes his confidence and racecraft gains to continuous collaboration with TRICON Garage, as well as accumulating valuable experience since joining the organization in 2023. The consistent lineup on his No. 11 crew has fostered a sense of comfort and trust that Heim believes will make a significant difference this postseason.
“I think for the most part, yeah, for the most part I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable in understanding what I need out of my truck on a regular basis. I feel like in 2023 — I had the 16-race part time schedule in 2022 with KBM and then leading up with TRICON in 2023, I think a lot of us were kind of unsure with where our equipment was with TRICON being a new – I wouldn’t say a new organization by any means but with a new manufacturer and kind of rebranded stuff – a lot of uncertainty as far as where we were. We ended up being really good, and I was also developing myself and maybe not super confident in the adjustments I needed to put me over the edge from being a top five truck to being a winning truck in the same weekend. Just things like that. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more confident in myself and comfortable in my equipment. Any extra reps and seat time is super important, and I feel like with these two seasons in my back pocket, it’s really helped me just find that comfort with my crew and also have basically the same roster of people on this 11 team for the last two years so everyone is just more comfortable with each other and more confident.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Racing Environment: Lessons From 2023 to the Present
Discussing the evolving nature of competition, Heim observed that while past seasons involved instances of haphazard aggression and controversial penalties, the current year’s competition feels more deliberate and strategic. His introspective comments point to both a maturing driving style across the series and in his own approach.
“I feel like if anything its better. I’ve had my run ins with people this year, but nothing super egregious. I feel like in 2023, there was a lot of maybe penalties that should’ve been handed out and penalties that were handed out. I’m looking at myself here in the mirror and that’s one of them. I’m not excused from the craziness of that year by any means, but I feel like overall the aggression is more coordinated, I guess. I feel like it’s more worth it for these guys rather than just doing crazy stuff at inopportune times during the race. It seems like the aggression is kind of honed in to the right place at the right time, if that makes sense? In my opinion, it’s definitely better.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
Double Duty at Richmond Yields Valuable Experience
Running additional races on certain weekends, such as at Richmond, has also paid off for Heim. Competing in both Truck and Cup Series events not only boosted his performance but also allowed him to better prepare and ultimately achieve victory, reinforcing the benefit of gaining extra track time.
“Yeah, it definitely helps especially at a place like Richmond that I’ve never thought is the best race track for myself personally. Any extra laps and any extra preparation I can do, especially on the Cup side, with the extra data and the extra people they have to prepare for these races, I think it’s really helps at a place that I might not be the best at. But really anywhere, anywhere I can get the extra laps on a given weekend and prepare on the Cup side with those guys definitely helps a lot. Definitely paid dividends in the Truck race for me. I feel like I’ve never run amazing at Richmond and we were able to win the race so that was definitely an improvement for our 11 group. The Cup race certainly didn’t go the greatest, but I did feel like I learned a lot from the preparation side and definitely made myself better as a driver as Richmond.”
—Corey Heim, Driver
What’s Next: Significance of Heim’s Drive for the Title
As the Playoffs progress, Corey Heim, alongside TRICON Garage and its Toyota partners, stands as a formidable contender. His candid evaluations, dedicated preparation, and willingness to adapt set the stage for a tense run toward the championship. With challenging tracks, unpredictable races, and fierce competition ahead, Heim’s journey through the Corey Heim NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs will be closely watched by fans and rivals alike. The stakes remain high and the determination evident, both on and off the track, as Heim pursues postseason glory.
