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Corey Heim makes improbable comeback after Lap 1 wreck, wins Roval Playoff race

JHby: Jonathan Howard17 hours agoJondean25
Corey Heim Roval NASCAR
Screenshot credit: NASCAR on FOX via X.com

Nothing can stop Corey Heim! Wreck him on the first lap, and he still comes back to win the race in overtime. Even when he’s got a truck covered in BearBond and tape, Heim is the man to beat in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Let’s not sugarcoat this: Corey Heim did the improbable today. Not only did he have to beat all of the Truck Series regulars that he has beaten 10 times this season alone, but he had a pair of young stars in this race. Connor Zilisch and Brent Crews are very talented. They are future Cup Series drivers. Today, Heim made it look easy.

This race came down to a final pit stop. Heim and the 11 team stayed out. They avoided the chaos in overtime, and now they have a record 10 wins on the year. There are still three more races to go in 2025. How much further can they go?

Leading a total of six laps, Corey Heim had no business winning today. His truck was damaged. He had tape all over it. Then in overtime, he was on older tires. Much older. So, how did he get the win? Well, the Truck Series did what it does best and wrecked itself.

It happened in Turn 1 and it happened going into the frontstretch chicane on the first lap in overtime. The field lost its mind. It was like Martinsville in the final laps all over again. Drivers poking their noses into holes that didn’t exist and packing the field up into the turn.

Of course, Corey Heim was out in front of the field. He restarted P1. His truck got out far enough before Turn 1 to escape the chaos. Then, just as it looked like Connor Zilisch was building a run to him going into the final lap, the field piled up into that chicane. It was madness.

Corey Heim steals win from Brent Crews

Really, you have to feel for 17-year-old Bren Crews. It looked like he was going to just ride off into the sunset with this race. But that isn’t how it played out. Toni Breidinger ran out of fuel. The caution came out. Crews was almost out of fuel. Going to pit road was the only option.

Crews made it through the chaos of the chicane, but it was too late. Heim had too much of a lead by that point and the race was in his hands. With the white flag out, not even a caution would save the situation for the young part-time driver.

You just have to give it up to Heim for his performance tonight. We have seen these things happen to him before and he has failed to bounce back. Pit road troubles, penalties, wrecks he had no business being a part of – he’s lost about five races this year he should have won and he still has 10 wins. Today, he bounced back for one of the most impressive wins in his entire career.

Here is some perspective for you: When Greg Biffle won nine races in 1999 in the Truck Series, he was 29 years old. Corey Heim just won 10 races at the age of 23 with three more races up for grabs before the year ends. How many more wins can Heim add on to his new record?