August 17, 2025
Corey Heim drove his #11 Toyota to Victory Lane at Richmond on Friday night for his seventh win of the season. 2025 has been a dominant season for the driver from Tricon Garage. No less an authority on the subject that NASCAR.com stated that “If his regular-season dominance translates (into the post-season), the title might be his to lose.”
I haven’t checked around but I would suspect that most pundits, when they fill out their brackets, will pen (not pencil) in Heim as their expected winner. To suggest he won’t at least make the Championship Four is ludicrous. (In fact, depending on when you read this, there may be a post directly above this where I outline my predictions for the Craftsman Truck Championship.)
If Corey Heim leaves Phoenix with the championship trophy, all will be right with the world. This will mark the ascension of one of the brightest young drivers in NASCAR who may very well lead all three top series in wins for 2025. While most media pay little attention to the Trucks, Corey Heim is deserving of more headlines for being the most dominant driver in NASCAR right now.
However, if Layne Riggs, Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, or another playoff driver takes home the crown, this will spark the usual outrage about the failure of the current playoff system. “The most dominant driver didn’t win the championship. Change it back to the old points system.”
Anyone who’s been reading along knows I like the current playoff system. I like the fact that smaller teams can snag a “wild card” win and make the playoffs, a boon to their sponsorship efforts and overall career. I like the fact that the season comes down to the final race. I like the fact that there are still four drivers still in contention for a championship heading into the final race of the season. I like the fact that, by having four playoff drivers still eligible, there’s a pretty good chance that everyone can find someone they can cheer for, even if it’s not their usual favourite driver. I like the fact that in literally 90%+ of the championship races over the last ten years, the driver who won the championship. had to also step up and win the race.
But I get it. As I said, Corey Heim is, with all due respect to the rest of the field, the most dominant driver in the series. Under the old points system, he would be cruising to the championship. If he has a mechanical issue or gets caught up in a wreck at Phoenix, it’s going to be seen as a fallacy of the current playoff system.
Unfortunately, that’s the risk we take. But don’t take that as a warning to NASCAR to curtail Corey Heim’s run in 2025, to start making rules that would put him at a disadvantage. Let this kid get as many wins as he can and hope for the best in the playoffs.
johnmilner.ca 