NASCAR
How Many Wins Could Corey Heim Have Earned in 2025?
By all measures, Corey Heim saw a nearly flawless 2025 in the Craftsman Truck Series. Surpassing all-time records for wins, laps led, races led, stage wins, top-fives, and average finish, very little seemed to go wrong for Heim in his championship season. That being said, the TRICON Garage No. 11 Toyota did see a few races escape their grasp. As scary as it may be to imagine, they could have seen even higher levels of dominance. Here’s a look back on the few near-misses that would have added onto Heim’s mammoth 12-win season.
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Rolling into Homestead-Miami Speedway in March, Heim was not the center of attention. That honor instead went to Cup Series star Kyle Larson, who was chasing a rare triple-threat weekend sweep at his favorite track. Despite the eventual Cup champion being in the field and fast, Heim’s 11 was leading in the closing laps. If not for a rare engine failure, Heim would have taken this win with ease and put to rest Larson’s weekend sweep. Alas, Heim backslid late to finish third under the lights in South Florida.
Martinsville Speedway
Seemingly a track and trophy tailor-made for Heim Time, the 11 was well on his way to another dominant win and Grandfather Clock at Martinsville in the spring. The TRICON Garage Toyota swept both stages, leading 149 of the opening 166 laps. Heim’s march to this win was dealt a bad hand, however, when he spun in turn one following contact from Kaden Honeycutt. Minimal damage suffered by Heim saw him rebound to finish sixth. The spring race may not have been Heim Time, but it would strike again soon. Heim would get Martinsville redemption in October, taking home a second career Grandfather Clock.
Kansas Speedway
Heim has called Kansas Speedway one of his favorite tracks on the circuit, so surely the No. 11 was in contention here again. Heim led 52 laps in the spring after starting fourth, chasing a third-straight Heartland win. This trifecta would not be in the cards, however, with Heim taking the checkers in fourth. A post-race disqualification from runner-up Layne Riggs moved the 11 up to third, but still far short of his past rival Carson Hocevar’s win.
North Wilkesboro Speedway
All-Star Race weekend at historic North Wilkesboro Speedway was another prime showing for Heim. At one point holding a six-second lead, the 11 had its tail in the wind around Wilkes County. A last-lap dive-bomb move gone wrong, however, took out both Heim and Layne Riggs. This paved the way for Riggs’ teammate Chandler Smith to steal the win, with only one lap led all day. Heim was none too happy with Riggs after the checkers, and confronted him on pit road to show displeasure. This rare 17th-place result was one of very few blemishes on Heim’s excellent 2025 run.
Nashville Superspeedway
One of only two second-place results for Heim all season long came at Nashville in May. A week after taking a fourth checkered flag of the year at Charlotte, the No. 11 led the way again and looked dominant in Tennessee. A clutch pit stop by Rajah Caruth’s No. 71 crew gave the Spire Motorsports driver the lead to start Stage 3, however. This entire final run went green, never allowing Heim to close in enough to regain lost ground. This proved to be Caruth’s lone win of 2025, propelling him into Playoff contention where he ultimately finished sixth in points.
Michigan International Speedway
A week after the Nashville disappointment, Heim looked to get back on track at Michigan. Heim would sweep both stages with relative ease, and looked to be gearing up for another max-points afternoon. In shades of Homestead though, an odd mechanical gremlin forced the Toyota Tundra to randomly shut off at speed. This momentary issue only cost Heim a few spots, however. On a late restart though, Heim would be heavily involved in a massive wreck at the front of the field, and suffer major damage. The No. 11 would limp home that day in 18th, after leading 29 laps.
Pocono Raceway
Capping off a rare three-race blip for Heim would be misfortunes at Pocono. Lining up as the leader heading into the final restart, driver 11 felt a flat tire on his truck. This led to an untimely pit stop, and gave up all track position. While Layne Riggs came out on top this day, Heim would only must a 23rd-place result. Pocono would tie Atlanta as Heim’s worst result of 2025, and came after leading 48 of 80 laps around The Tricky Triangle.
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Looking to erase his three-race summer malaise, Heim looked dominant early from the pole at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July. 11th-place starter and title rival Layne Riggs would get by Heim, however, on lap 21 and hardly relinquished top spot the rest of the night. The Front Row Motorsports Ford used that night was their Bristol-winning Truck from last year, widely regarded as best in their fleet. Heim would have to settle for third at the bullring, losing second late to Corey Day. Little did anyone know at the time, but third would be Heim’s worst result for the remainder of 2025.
Talladega Superspeedway
Already a superspeedway winner in 2025 after Daytona, Heim looked to sweep both behemoth tracks at Talladega in October. The No. 11 would line up third in overtime, right on the bumper of rookie teammate Gio Ruggiero. Had it been anyone else in Heim’s windshield, he likely makes a stronger effort to duel it out for this win. Nevertheless, the 11 played wingman in Alabama and pushed his teenaged counterpart to a maiden NASCAR victory. Talladega’s runner-up result was sandwiched between two other Round of 8 wins, giving Heim peak momentum for the title finale. Had Heim grabbed this checkered flag as well, he would have closed out 2025 with an insane five-straight wins.
12 victories through a 25-race season is an impressive winning percentage of 48%. Had a few fluke errors or other small factors fell differently, this already lights-out season could have possibly approached 20 wins. We may very well never see sustained year-long greatness in a single series at this level again. The absolute amount of domination and control exerted by the 11 team should be revered in NASCAR history books. What the future holds for Heim and this team both remain up in the air. Despite this, they are rightfully being celebrated now as top team from the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series campaign.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
