NASCAR
Corey Heim Tames Michigan for 26th Career Truck Series Win
BROOKLYN, MI. – Pitting for four tires with about 30 laps left, Corey Heim came to life to capture a maiden Truck Series Michigan victory. Less than a week after announcing plans to run full-time with 23XI Racing in 2027, it’s Heim Time for the 26th time. Only leading the final 15 laps, Heim hung on for a third win of his part-time 2026 campaign.
Two favorites quickly emerged in this race – Cup Series stars Christopher Bell and Michigan’s own Carson Hocevar. This duo swapped the lead among themselves multiple times, with Bell taking both Stages.
Most leaders hit pit road under caution late after Ty Majeski wrecked, setting up a 33-lap dash to the finish. Hocevar soon regained the point on two fresh tires, but Corey Heim began charging from 11th on four new tires. This proved to be the winning advantage, as Heim motored by Hocevar with 15 laps left. The TRICON Garage No. 1 had teammate help from Kaden Honeycutt, who finished a close second just ahead of Hocevar.
“We discussed it pre race that we were going to race it out in the end and that’s what we did,” Heim said. “He tried to get to my right rear there which would have probably won the race and I had to protect it.”
“Props to Kaden there and to Christopher Bell, I don’t know where he ended up but he was strong all day. The last couple laps there at the end, were pretty awesome. That was a lot of fun, I had a blast.”
Rounding out the Michigan top-five behind Hocevar were Front Row teammates Layne Riggs and Chandler Smith. The rest of the top-10 were: Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jake Garcia, Connor Mosack, and Tyler Ankrum. YouTube superstar-turned-racer Cleetus McFarland also came home 25th after spinning once. By finishing fourth, Riggs maintains his championship lead at 26 points over runner-up Honeycutt.
Michigan is now the 22nd different track for Heim to win on, second-most all time in Trucks only behind Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. (31). Heim’s part-time 2026 Truck season now has a three-for-five winning record.
Following six-straight weeks of racing, the Craftsman Truck Series will take next week off. Truckers will return in two weeks for a maiden showing at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. The inaugural race around the 3.4-mile Qualcomm Circuit will be a show unlike anything ever seen before in Trucks. The green flag will fly Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo credits to Brett Farmer/Getty Images
