Heim looks to carry dominant form into NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs as Darlington opener approaches
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 10-driver field for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs is set, and Regular Season Champion Corey Heim enters as the man to beat as the championship run begins August 30 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. The TRICON Garage driver has been virtually unbeatable this season, and rivals don’t shy away from acknowledging the challenge he poses.
Heim, who leads the way with a series-best seven wins and has racked up a staggering 1,125 laps led through the 18-race regular season, is also tops with 12 top-five finishes. That combination has produced a 62-point cushion over Layne Riggs, the closest challenger in the standings as the Playoffs get underway. The 23-year-old driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota has built a resume that includes multiple regular-season championships, making him the only driver in series history to claim the honor more than once. Still, he’s quick to point out that the playoff format shifts the balance: “There’s a lot of momentum we’ve built, but the playoffs are a different ball game, and we’ll have to keep connecting the dots and improving through seven races,” Heim said, emphasizing the offseason work that helped him refine packages and pit-road operations.
Heim’s competitors—Layne Riggs, Chandler Smith, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum, Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, Kaden Honeycutt and Jake Garcia—concede his season has been extraordinary. Yet they’re quick to note that the championship race begins anew at Darlington, and the slate is wiped clean once the green flag falls.
Chandler Smith, who has two wins this season and sits among the playoff contenders, said the 11-truck is “in its own zip code most weekends,” underscoring Heim’s pace but stopping short of predicting an easy path through the playoff slate. Riggs added that there will be no room for risky plays in the postseason, stressing the goal of clean, consistent results over high-risk moves: “No Hail Marys in the Playoffs—that’s the goal for us.”
As the Playoffs begin with a seven-race sprint toward a champion, Heim’s experience stands out. He’s the only driver in the field with multiple regular-season titles, and his team’s adjustments to prior seasons appear to have paid off in a sustained run of speed and reliability. The Playoff mix also features strong challengers in Riggs, Smith, Hemric, Majeski and others, each with their own cases to make a run at the title.
What to watch as the seven-race chase unfolds:
– Heim’s ability to maintain momentum from the regular season, especially on tracks that tested his team in the past.
– How the other nine contenders adapt their setups and strategies to the varying layouts and tire wear across the playoff tracks.
– Darlington’s unique oval and its reputation for demanding driving precision, which could set the tone for the title fight.
– The balance between aggression and consistency as the seven playoff races unfold.
Overall, Heim enters the Playoffs with a dominant season behind him and a clear target: validation of the consistent excellence he’s shown all year. If he can translate that form through the entire playoff slate, the trophy in Darlington could be his to claim this season, capping a year that has already etched his name among the series’ most accomplished competitors.