Corey Heim dominates NASCAR truck series race at Rockingham

Corey Heim narrowly bested his teammate Kaden Honeycutt in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway, capping off a dominant day.

Heim led 178 of the race's 200 laps and was in control of the race until his truck began running off the pace in the final laps. 

"With about 4 laps to go, I noticed something was wrong," Heim said after the race.

A tire issue for Heim allowed Honeycutt to close in and challenge his TRICON Garage teammate for the victory. With three laps to go, Honeycutt made a move on the outside that didn't quite stick, allowing Heim to drive off.

Honeycutt went side-by-side with Heim as the two crossed the white flag, with Honeycutt leading the lap. However, Tanner Gray, another TRICON driver, was running a lap down and unintentionally blocked Honeycutt from completing the pass on Heim.

"I just held on... used lapped cars as a pick," Heim said.

It's the second straight win for Heim, who is running a part-time season for TRICON and 23XI Racing in the Cup Series. Heim won the 2025 truck series title. 

Honeycutt was seeking his first series victory. He challenged for the win at Darlington two weeks ago before a restart incident with Ross Chastain. Heim also won the Darlington race.

"That was everything I had," Honeycutt said after Friday's race. "Went down into [turn] three and unfortunately my teammate was there."

Only two non-stage break cautions happened during the race, one for Adam Andretti and another for Michael Christopher Jr. 

Layne Riggs, Chandler Smith, and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top five. Only nine trucks finished on the lead lap.

Smith continues to lead the points standings after five races. He leads Honeycutt by 15 points. Riggs, Ty Majeski, and Gio Guggiero fill out the top five. Heim, who has three starts, would be tied for second in the standings if he were eligible for the championship.

Friday's win is the 25th for Heim, who is now fifth in all-time truck series wins and three victories behind the tie for third between Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague. Kyle Busch's 68 series wins are the most behind.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns on Friday, April 10, at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

Rockingham hosts a double header on Saturday with the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.