“You’re racing like a f—— idiot,” said Corey Heim in a post-race confrontation at North Wilkesboro Speedway. When you lose a race on the final lap, it’s hard to not feel the anger, and that’s exactly what happened last weekend.  Tempers were flaring at North Wilkesboro Speedway. In a dramatic turn of events at the 2025 Window World 250, Chandler Smith snatched the lead on the final lap after a duel between Heim and Riggs left the former stranded on the track. 

The Tricon Garage driver issued a clear warning to Layne Riggs, going on to say, “Calm down or else someone’s going to take care of you.” It wasn’t just an empty threat, the Tricon Garage driver meant business after feeling robbed at North Wilkesboro. Having led 162 of 255 laps despite being on older tires, the Georgia native held strong until Riggs slid up the track and spun him out.

The frustration was clear. “We got side-by-side on the frontstretch. I dove it in there on the bottom and tried to kind of slide job him. Didn’t make it happen. It’s disappointing … A lot of drama at short track racing. I’m out for me and my team. I want what’s best for us,” Heim said.

Despite Corey Heim’s heartbreak at North Wilkesboro, Denny Hamlin went on to back his 23XI Racing prodigy, who recently made a one-off Cup Series appearance in Kansas. Having secured three Truck Series wins already, could the No. 11 driver bounce back to Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway?

Sharing his thoughts on the incident on the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin said, “You understand from Heim’s side, right? The kid is far more superior than his peers and performance right now. Frankly, if he was going up against better competition, he would win more races. He’s really just got taken out by circumstances, mechanicals, green light checkers or things like that. I think the frustration comes from there’s not an effort to actually try and pass anymore.”

Hamlin’s not wrong. Heim has three wins to his name already this season, including the race at Daytona. And besides those races, he has three top-five finishes, two top-ten finishes, and only two finishes outside the top 15. And those two races weren’t exactly his fault. At Atlanta, Heim ran out of gas right before the end of Stage 2, and despite running third up until that point, he never made it back up the pack. Last weekend, it was because of the last lap contact with Riggs. When Heim took the outside line against Riggs, contact meant the Championship favorite spun out and tumbled down the order.

Expressing strong support towards the 22-year-old, Denny Hamlin went on to say, “I think a lot of it is essentially Corey and these guys’ heads that they can’t beat him. They can’t beat him straight up. So they’re taking every opportunity to get as close to him as they can. They’re wrecking him. That’s the only short way I can put it.” There’s some truth to those words. Heim has already won at Daytona, Las Vegas, and Texas Motor Speedway this season.

Going by his performances, it’s not surprising that Heim is first in the drivers’ standings. 10 races have already passed, and the Georgia native has led 654 laps. However, despite the many positives, finishing 17th at North Wilkesboro would have hurt, and Denny Hamlin summed it up perfectly by saying, “These are race wins, right?. These are trophies being taken off the shelf. These are accomplishments. He’s not going to be in the Truck Series forever.” The 44-year-old will know a thing or two about missed opportunities, having missed out on the elusive Bill France Cup for nearly two decades despite coming agonizingly close on several occasions.

Kevin Harvick wants to see Heim in the Cup Series

Corey Heim has been one of NASCAR’s top prospects for a couple of seasons now. The Georgia native may not have a Truck Series title to his name yet, but he has come close on several occasions, finishing second last year. At 22, he has plenty of experience to make the transition into a Cup car, beyond the odd appearance for Legacy Motor Club or 23XI Racing. But why hasn’t Toyota pulled the trigger yet and put him in a formidable team?

That’s a question Kevin Harvick also asked recently in his Happy Hour podcast. The 2014 Cup Series winner said, “We’ve been talking about Corey Heim. I have no idea why he’s still in the Truck Series. I know he has nowhere to go, but somebody better find somewhere for him to go. They better find somewhere for him to go in a much bigger capacity than, you know, the eight, 10, 12 races that might be possible in that Cup car next year.”

If Toyota doesn’t take swift action, it’s well within the realm of possibility that Chevy or Ford may swoop in and poach the racer. It’s clear that Denny Hamlin isn’t the only one who rates Heim highly, with Harvick also saying, “He’s the total package. We don’t see these kids come in and do that good in a Cup car very often.” Could a full-time seat at NASCAR’s highest level be on the cards in 2026? Time will tell. But the time is right for Heim to make that transition once and for all.