“I’m proud to…have a real shot at the championship,” Ty Majeski boldly declared just a day ago. The 2024 Craftsman Truck Series champion had broken into the 2025 title race. Despite being winless this season, he presented the biggest threat to Corey Heim, who picked up 11 trophies en route to Phoenix. Fans bit their nails, and Heim’s Tricon Garage crew members wiped their sweat as the battle continued till the very last laps.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship race was flagged off on Friday, with all eyes on the playoff drivers. With a majority of fans rooting for a playoff format change, the maximum attention went to Corey Heim, who deserved a title more than anybody else. And the Toyota star made it through.

Check your watches: it’s Heim Time

The polesitter for the Phoenix race was Layne Riggs, who had been eliminated from the playoffs in Martinsville. The Final Four occupied rear positions, with Corey Heim starting in 6th place. After an initial caution, Heim swiftly climbed to P1 by lap 22. That was where he stayed for most of the race, maintaining distance from the rest of the grid. The Tricon Garage driver smoothly swept both stage victories, yet Ty Majeski was hounding his rear, looking for a chance to slip ahead. And he got that chance on the caution with 3 laps to go.

After Connor Mosack spun out, Corey Heim opted to pit for four tires. The decision seemed to be a disastrous one at first glance, as the racer resumed outside the top five and risked losing out on the championship he had worked so hard for. Although Heim soon climbed up to P2, Ty Majeski had grabbed the lead. However, another caution lent Heim a second chance – and in the overtime restart, Heim soared to the lead after the grid went seven wide and clinched the 2025 Truck Series championship. “Yeah, I don’t care if I was on 100-lap tires, nobody was gonna beat me tonight, it wasn’t gonna happen,” Heim proudly declared.

Despite narrowly avoiding disaster, Corey Heim congratulated his pit crew for a fantastic job. After all, the practice and qualifying results did not look promising for his title hopes. “We struggled all weekend and in practice. We had some issues in qualifying – we missed it a little bit. But we can always trust Scott up on the box. He did everything he could to put me in a position to win the race. Just drove it in deep until I couldn’t anymore…just insane.”

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This victory was a climax for the multitude of struggles that Corey Heim had faced in the past. During his Championship 4 debut in 2023, an aggressive tussle with Carson Hocevar derailed his hopes for the top spot among the drivers in the final four. Then in 2024, Heim made the Championship 4 again and improved his spot in the final standings to runner-up, a spot behind 2024 series champion Majeski. This time, Majeski ended up behind him. Heim let his emotions overcome him: “Toyota took a chance on me years ago…just insane.”

It was Heim Time at Phoenix Raceway, marking a brilliant end to an eventful 2025 Craftsman Truck Series season. Here’s to wishing Corey Heim the best for his future endeavours!