The NASCAR Truck Series season this year has been less a competition and more a Corey Heim victory parade. Heim, driving the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota, has carved his name into the record books, not just by winning, but by shattering the single-season wins record that stood since the 1990s. His season boasts an almost unbelievable tally of 11 wins, 18 top-5s, and 20 top-10s with a 5.2 average finish through the playoff rounds.

Yet, the inherent flaw in a title format that favors a single-race outcome over year-long dominance has ignited sharp criticism from those closest to the action. Heim’s crew chief, Scott Zipadelli, stated, “I do try to stay positive but this system literally sucks. And this is just my view, and my view only, but I think it promotes mediocrity.” And now, Heim himself supports that view.

Corey Heim reflects on flaws in the playoff format

Despite a historically dominant season, Heim recognizes the system’s inherent volatility, which can override a year’s worth of success in a single event. Heim openly shared his resentment for the system, echoing the comments of Zipadelli:

“I mean, at the end of the day, it’s what I signed up for. It’s what everyone has to deal with as a NASCAR driver. But, it awards mediocrity in a way. It promotes mediocrity in a sense that no one wants to take risks unless you have playoff points. And the guys that are just good at either not getting wrecked or can just finish well in these rounds and sneak into the playoffs.”

He suggested that true competition lies in the top five or top eight of the field, yet the format allows anyone who just sneaks into the final four to contend. After reflecting for the past 12 months on the previous season’s shortcomings at Phoenix, Heim confirmed that his team, led by Zipadelli, “looked into where we lacked last year, and I think a lot of that was myself, I think, looking at data from really any short track or one-mile and under racetrack.’

“I definitely had one major learning weakness, including this racetrack, and I was able to fix that. Here, I was able to fix that on other racetracks, and I think I’m able to fix that at Phoenix.”

Crucially, Heim mentioned the team had a “little bit of a head start on other guys” because they “really haven’t done a lot of sim for this track leading up to it at all.” Instead, they focused on Phoenix, a one-way street of preparation aimed squarely at conquering their previous deficit to Majeski’s truck.

Heim’s most powerful critique targeted the integrity of the winner-take-all final race. He contrasted NASCAR with other major sports, noting that in the Super Bowl, teams face off once or twice in a year, making a championship win a true validation of being the best team in the league:

“But we race against each other every single week. Like, we’ve won 11 races this year. I feel like we’ve proven that at this point, and all someone has to do is go into turn one and just absolutely wipe you out. And that proves that they’re the best driver.”

This speaks to the 2023 Phoenix Final Four incident, where he was ultimately taken out in a crash initiated by Carson Hocevar while battling for the lead, which ended his title hopes. Despite his deep frustration, Heim also acknowledged the reality of the situation: “At the end of the day, it’s what I signed up for. It’s what, I mean, you know, it’s what everyone has to deal with as a NASCAR driver.”

Heim immediately identified Ty Majeski as the guy to beat for the championship, based on the #98 truck’s performance at Phoenix in the year prior. Heim noted Majeski was “really good in ’23 before he, I think, had a restart problem or something,” referring to Majeski’s strong qualifying and race-leading performance in the 2024 Truck Series Championship Race, where he led 132 of 150 laps and won the race to secure the title.

The focus on a single race’s speed highlights the format’s nature, where a team can “suck all year” but succeed by bringing their “best truck to Phoenix.” Heim also compared his current situation to Christian Eckes’ in the 2024 season, stating Eckes “had no business finishing third” in the final series points despite having one of the best average finishes, which was 11.13 that year, as the format prioritized the final race performance of the Championship 4.

While Heim does not love it all, he and his team must deal with the simple fact that for the other drivers, the main aim is to win, and that single goal overshadows the pursuit of proving anything beyond a single win.

Corey Heim dominates Martinsville, eyes Phoenix finale

Corey Heim once again showed why he is the man to beat in the 2025 Truck Series, claiming both stages and the race at Martinsville to secure his Championship 4 spot. Speaking post-race, the Georgia native stayed measured about the title, saying, “I don’t want to jump to any conclusions yet, man. We got a big race next week, and like we talked about, I wanted the momentum going to Phoenix. Keep all our guys with heads held high, and you know what they’re working on going into Phoenix.”

Despite starting 4th, Heim controlled the race from the outset, taking Stage 1 over Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, and Tyler Ankrum. He carried that rhythm through Stage 2, showcasing flawless pit strategy and dominating restarts. Leading 77 laps, Heim kept a clean truck amid multiple cautions and incidents, including brushes with Majeski, Jones, and Sutton, proving why his season has been dominant.

Crossing the finish line first, Heim notched his 11th victory in 24 races, also marking his second win and 5th top-10 finish in 5 trips to Martinsville. Heading into Phoenix, he carries momentum and confidence, yet remains focused on the task at hand: “Just do what we’ve been doing, not put ourselves in bad positions,” a strategy that guided him through a remarkable season and now sets the stage for the championship finale.