If I ask you, what does it take to become a NASCAR champion? Chances are the answers will be the same: talent, skill, race craft, consistency…the usual ones. And they are not wrong. However, there’s one more thing that’s just as important, and often overlooked: sponsorship. Without it, even the fastest drivers can find themselves on the sidelines. And that’s exactly the situation a championship contender now finds himself in, as a lack of backing threatens to derail his title hopes before they even truly begin.

Winning isn’t enough without backing in NASCAR

“I really only have couple of more scheduled, and it sounds like the wins will help propel sponsors to come on board. We’re working on couple more races. Not exactly sure when or where yet, but I don’t think that championship is in my future unless something changes overnight, which it could.”

That brutally honest admission from Corey Heim says everything about the reality of modern NASCAR. Even as the reigning Truck Series champion, Heim isn’t fighting competitors right now. Instead, he’s fighting for funding. After a dominant 2025 campaign that saw him rack up 12 wins and the title, Heim has opted into a part-time schedule across all three NASCAR divisions this year.

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And when he does show up, the results speak for themselves. In just three starts so far in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he’s finished fifth at Atlanta and followed it up with back-to-back wins at Darlington and Rockingham, earning 76 points last weekend alone. Remarkably, that’s been enough to put him at the top of the standings.

But here’s the catch! Corey Heim might not even get a shot at the championship he’s leading. NASCAR’s playoff rules require full-season participation, and without a waiver, Heim’s part-time status leaves him ineligible. And unlike injuries or suspensions, sponsorship limitations don’t qualify for exceptions.

It’s a harsh reality: you can win races, lead the standings, and still be out of the title fight. Now, for Corey Heim, the path forward is painfully clear. He needs more sponsors to run more races, or else, there’s no championship for the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series Champion.

Corey Heim’s situation sparks debate

While Corey Heim continues to deliver on track, his situation has reignited a bigger debate around NASCAR’s playoff system and whether it’s time for change. As you know, despite leading the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings with just three starts, Heim remains ineligible for the playoffs due to NASCAR’s strict full-season participation rule. And that’s something even Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t entirely on board with.

“The question I think is should there be the eligibility restriction? Now that we have the points system that we have, should we open it back up?” Dale Jr said on Tuesday’s Dale Jr. Download podcast. “… Right now, drivers have to declare for a series and maybe we don’t do that anymore. We just say, ‘Yeah, you don’t have to declare. If you have enough starts, if you have enough points, if you make the playoffs, you make the playoffs.’”

That sentiment was echoed on PRN’s Fast Talk podcast, where host Doug Rice didn’t hold back.

“Corey Heim, I don’t know in what universe that you live, Brad [co-host], that a guy that had unprecedented success last year is having a piecemeal a deal together, it’s unfathomable to me,” said Rice.

Co-host Brad Gillie pointed to Heim’s Cup debut to underline his talent.

“This is the race with five overtime restarts. Corey Heim is like running right up near the top 10 and doing it quietly, not spectacularly, just putting his head down and driving,” said Gillie. “And he goes into a season in the Truck series where he actually misses a race, but has all but one race with single-digit finishes and just an insane amount of talent and really a high racing IQ.”

For now, the rules remain unchanged. But Corey Heim’s situation is forcing NASCAR and its fans to ask a tough question: Is the system rewarding participation, or overlooking pure performance?