Nobody anticipated that the NASCAR awards ceremony would be such a tear-jerker. With all three NASCAR champions announced and speeches rolling off their tongues, it was 2025 Truck Series Champion Corey Heim’s words that made his old man shed a few emotional tears. The Georgia native couldn’t have ended his year any better.

Apart from his 12 trophies in a single-season haul and the impressive record mark of leading at least one lap in every single race, Heim’s hard work and performance are what led him to this very moment. And the 23-year-old couldn’t help but devote his speech to his father, Ray Heim.

Corey Heim’s father tears up amid championship speech

Speaking in the star-studded hall, searching for his father, he said, “Before I was with Toyota, before any of this, it was just me and my dad. Where are you at, dad? Raise your hand. There you are. Just me and my dad. My dad was my agent, he’s my sponsor, and he’s my number one fan. I’ve raced hundreds of times in my life, and I can count on one hand how many races he’s missed. It’s pretty impressive. He’s been there for every high and every low. Thank you, dad, for your unconditional support and belief in me from day one. Thank you.”

And those words set his old man off. Ray Heim didn’t hold back on shedding some tears as he raised a toast to his son. The duo sacrificed everything to get to this level.

In his early days, Ray Heim was a late-model racer at Lanier National Speedway, earning multiple top finishes. Off the track, he worked in the gambling industry, once funding Corey’s budding racing career by selling slot machine monitors to cover entry costs, a testament to the resourcefulness often required in grassroots motorsports.

The turning point came when Corey was just five years old. That Christmas, Ray surprised him with a go-kart, sparking a lifelong passion that would soon take him across the country. It began as weekend outings to local racetracks that evolved into a defining father-son partnership that shaped the 23-year-old’s discipline and drive.

Ray’s pride in his son’s growth is unstable. He said, “Since Corey started picking it up, there’s been nothing better to see. He is so dedicated to becoming a better driver. He takes every racing experience and builds on it.”  That same spirit of persistence has carried Corey from his humble quarter midget beginnings to clinching his first-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.

The Georgia native displayed one of his most dominant performances at the Phoenix Raceway. After falling to 10th following a late caution, he made a bold move in overtime to overtake Ty Majeski and cross the finish line 1st, completing a dominant campaign and locking up the championship. But the 23-year-old cannot kick his feet up just yet, with the next steps in his NASCAR career being uncertain.

Corey Heim sounds off on his NASCAR Cup racing future

Corey Heim might have won the winner-takes-all finale in commanding fashion, but his stellar season hasn’t translated into clarity about his future. Despite a record-breaking campaign, the 23XI Racing development driver’s next step remains uncertain. Ahead of the NASCAR awards ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona, Heim told Bob Pockrass that he’s choosing to stay patient and trust his team’s judgment.

Heim said, “I mean, I’ve always kept faith in the people around me that they can kind of figure out how to put me in the best position to succeed, and I feel like next year—I mean, I’ll probably have influence over it a little bit, I guess, but for the most part it’s just kind of trusting them that they know what they’re doing.” 

Having already made 7 Cup Series starts split between Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, Heim insists he is focused on the present. He added, “I look at it more of the sense that every race in the Cup Series is a privilege to be a part of, and it’s a good experience for me regardless of whether I’m full-time or not in ’27. I’m kind of an eyes-forward, week-by-week kind of guy, so I’m just kind of focusing on the task at hand.”

However, the 23-year-old’s uncertain future has been compounded by the ongoing turbulence at 23XI Racing amidst the lawsuit battle. 23XI Racing, along with Front Row Motorsports, is set to face NASCAR in court this December over an antitrust lawsuit challenging the sport’s charter system and what they call monopolistic control. With the trial’s outcome unclear, even Hamlin has acknowledged that the legal battle has made planning Heim’s next move increasingly difficult.