Corey Heim’s 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign continued its historic march on Saturday as the 23-year-old from Georgia earned his record-tying ninth victory of the season in the Team EJP 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The weekend backdrop was as perfect as Heim’s performance — cool fall weather under sunny skies, surrounded by New England’s signature foliage. From the drop of the green flag, Heim’s dominance was clear. Driving the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota, he claimed the pole, swept both stages, led 124 of 175 laps, set the fastest lap of the day, and crossed the line .823 seconds ahead of Chandler Smith to cap the opening round of the Playoffs.

The win ties the single-season record set by Greg Biffle in 1999. Shortly after the checkered flag, Biffle welcomed Heim to the “nine-win club” with a photo of himself holding a lobster — New Hampshire’s traditional winner’s trophy.

“It’s a dream come true to be able to race with these guys,” Heim said of his TRICON team. “Seems like everywhere we go this year we’re a contender or we win. Just can’t say enough about those guys. But got to keep it going… Still have four more races left and want to break that record. Shout out to Greg Biffle. He’s a great dude. Dream year for me personally and just have to keep it going.”

The win was Heim’s 20th in just 85 career starts, further cementing his status as the championship favorite.

Smith and Riggs Shine, But Playoff Picture Shifts

Chandler Smith’s runner-up finish was a hard-fought effort as the Front Row Motorsports driver attempted to claw his way into the next playoff round. Despite his rally, he fell 10 points shy of advancing.

“Just a lot of bad luck,” Smith said. “But honestly, I’m a faithful guy and been doing a lot of praying about it and my prayer’s been specific for the Lord’s will and obviously it wasn’t in his will for us to advance. Super grateful for this group of guys. I told them before the race this doesn’t define us.”

Smith’s teammate Layne Riggs delivered a strong third-place finish. With three wins already this season, Riggs will enter the next playoff round ranked second in the standings, 47 points behind Heim.

Rising Stars and Title Favorites

TRICON rookie Gio Ruggiero impressed with a fourth-place finish — one of his best runs of the year — while defending series champion Ty Majeski rounded out the top five.

The championship standings are now reset heading into the next round, with the eight advancing drivers being:

Corey Heim (TRICON Garage) Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports) Daniel Hemric (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing) Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing) Tyler Ankrum (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing) Grant Enfinger (CR7 Motorsports) Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports) Kaden Honeycutt (Halmar-Friesen Racing)

Caruth’s bold decision to stay out on old tires to maximize stage points proved pivotal. His 10th-place finish secured his place in the Round of 8.

“It was kind of best-case scenario,” Caruth said. “The 38 [Smith] didn’t win, and we got good stage points. Proud of my Spire team. I don’t feel like 10th shows where we could have finished, but strategy played out the way it did.”

Looking Ahead

Behind the leaders, Enfinger, Honeycutt, Corey LaJoie, Christian Eckes, and Caruth rounded out the top 10 at New Hampshire.

The series now shifts to the Charlotte ROVAL on Oct. 3, marking its first-ever Truck Series event at the road course. That race begins the three-event stretch that will determine the Championship 4 for the Nov. 1 finale at Phoenix Raceway.

As Heim continues his march toward history, the question is no longer whether he can win — but whether anyone can stop him from setting a new single-season record.

Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images