Corey Heim, the favorite to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title after a dominant regular season, faces heightened competition as the playoffs begin on August 30 at Darlington Raceway. With the Corey Heim Truck Series Playoffs launching, rivals prepare to challenge the Regular Season Champion, setting up a high-stakes race for the championship.
Rival Drivers Ready to Challenge Heim’s Lead
The playoff field consists of 10 championship-eligible drivers, including Chandler Smith, Daniel Hemric, Layne Riggs, Tyler Ankrum, defending champ Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, Kaden Honeycutt, and Jake Garcia, all determined to seize the title. The drivers addressed the media in Daytona Beach, Florida, emphasizing their readiness for the seven-race showdown. Heim’s competition acknowledges his impressive track record this year but claims that with the playoffs starting at Darlington, the pursuit of the trophy is wide open.
Heim’s Dominance in the Regular Season
At just 23, Heim has set the pace in 2025, driving the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota. He led 1,125 laps—an improvement of nearly 900 over anyone else in the series—and claimed seven race victories along with 12 top-five finishes during the 18-race regular season. This performance solidified Heim’s leadership, earning him the Regular Season Champion title for a second straight year.
“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,”
—Corey Heim, Regular Season Champion
Adapting and Improving for Playoff Success
While Heim has been a favorite before, finishing third in 2023 and as runner-up in 2024, he is determined to convert regular season dominance into championship victory this year. Over the offseason, Heim and his Tricon Garage team focused on resolving weaknesses that had previously hampered playoff performance, from pit road execution to track-specific setups.
“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, Regular Season Champion
Competitors Respect Heim—but Stay Ambitious
Heim’s series-leading statistics have not gone unnoticed among his peers. His extraordinary lap leadership, streak of victories, and points advantage highlight the challenge his competitors face. Chandler Smith of Front Row Motorsports, himself a two-time winner and third in points, acknowledged Heim’s current supremacy:
“The 11 truck is in his own zip code most weekends,”
—Chandler Smith, Driver for Front Row Motorsports
Despite the praise, every contender insists on pushing hard in the postseason. Layne Riggs, the points runner-up, expressed his determination and approach to the upcoming rounds:
“Of course, there’s a lot of pressure, but I feel like I’m ready for it,”
—Layne Riggs, Driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. He added,
“No Hail Marys in the playoffs, that’s the goal for us.”
—Layne Riggs, Driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
What’s at Stake as the Playoff Round Begins
The seven-race Corey Heim Truck Series Playoffs commence at Darlington Raceway, where every title hopeful will try to dethrone the regular season’s dominant force. As competitors like Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, and others gear up, every detail—from team strategy to individual execution—will be critical. Heim’s consistency and improvements set the stage for a dramatic playoff run, but in this championship battle, every contender seeks their moment to rise.
With the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs underway, all eyes are on whether Heim’s remarkable regular season will continue into postseason glory, or if one of his persistent rivals will seize the coveted title in one of motorsport’s most unpredictable contests.
