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AVONDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 31: Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, speaks to the media after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on October 31, 2025 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Corey Heim defended his seven-wide pass that helped secure the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series<\/a> championship at Phoenix Raceway<\/a>. The Tricon Garage driver<\/a> swept Stage 1 and Stage 2, led 100 of 161 laps, and finished second to Ty Majeski in the final overtime, a result strong enough to clinch his first series title.<\/p>\n The move that defined the race came during the final restart, when Heim charged from 10th to second by diving low through the dogleg as the field fanned out seven-wide.<\/p>\n Reflecting on his path to the title, Heim pointed to lessons from the previous season and the team\u2019s overall progression.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, I thought it was our year. We had the momentum. And for lack of a better word, we kind of got our teeth kicked in,\u201d Heim said<\/a>. \u201cAnd this year we came back, and, I mean, broke just about every record you possibly could.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement underscored how his team\u2019s adjustments throughout 2025 translated into consistent results and ultimately a championship-winning campaign.<\/p>\n Corey Heim Responds to Restart Criticism<\/p>\n Following the race, questions arose regarding Heim\u2019s positioning during the final restart. Some viewers debated whether his spacing at the line followed NASCAR\u2019s restart procedures. Heim addressed the topic in his post-race interview.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, people are going to talk about anything they possibly can and put an asterisk on it,\u201d Heim said<\/a>. \u201cWe kind of kicked their ass this year, and we put ourselves in position, and I did everything it took to be in the right spot at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n Heim also explained that his approach on the restart was influenced by the tire conditions of the race leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019ve got a guy who stayed out with 50-lap tires, if you don\u2019t give yourself a gap, then you\u2019re screwed,\u201d Heim said. \u201cIf I start on the guy\u2019s bumper, NASCAR has rules on how much you can get away with, and I didn\u2019t abuse that. I listened to them and did everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Late-Race Strategy and Final Restart<\/p>\n The championship was decided during a caution that came out on Lap 150. During that caution, Heim\u2019s No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota team made a pit stop for four fresh tires. That decision placed him 10th for the restart on the inside lane. Majeski\u2019s team, led by crew chief Joe Shear Jr., took two tires to maintain track position.<\/p>\n When the field came to the green flag for the first overtime attempt, Heim used his new tires to advance quickly. As the trucks entered the dogleg, the field spread seven-wide heading into Turn 1. Heim drove to the bottom of the track and exited Turn 2 in second place, directly behind Majeski.<\/p>\n Fan Reactions<\/p>\n Reactions to Heim\u2019s restart and seven-wide pass were mixed among fans.<\/p>\n Jacob commented<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019ve seen that called a penalty multiple times. It should\u2019ve been a penalty. Fake champions.\u201d William wrote<\/a>, \u201cThat was just smart racing from Heim. If he starts too close and a car up front checks up, he gets caught up in their crash. Didn\u2019t look egregious to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Another fan said, \u201cSaying \u2018how much you can get away with\u2019 is basically admitting guilt in my book.\u201d James added<\/a>, \u201cAnd has no full-time ride for next season, such a shame, dude\u2019s probably more talented than half the Xfinity and Cup field.\u201d<\/p>\n Corey Heim\u2019s performance at Phoenix Raceway officially secured his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship<\/a>, closing a season<\/a> that featured 12 wins, 19 top-five finishes, and 21 top-tens in 25 starts.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Image AVONDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 31: Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, speaks to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255160,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-255159","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}