Corey Heim Battles Kaden Honeycutt to Win at Rockingham

Corey Heim secured a narrow victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham on April 3, 2026, defeating teammate Kaden Honeycutt by a margin of 0.090 seconds.

Driving the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota, Heim maintained a dominant presence for the majority of the event, including a commanding performance that saw him win the first stage of the race.

Late-Race Tire Struggles

Despite his early control, Heim encountered significant mechanical difficulties in the closing laps. The driver reported struggles with his truck via radio, specifically questioning if a tire was failing.

Heim noted that the truck began pulling heavily to the right on the straightaways and experienced severe chattering in the corners. He described the truck as being clocked like 20 degrees to the right with approximately four laps remaining in the contest.

I didn’t feel like I was pushing any harder than the previous run, so I didn’t feel like I did any more damage to the right front, but all of sudden with about four to go, I had to turn more right on the straightaway to keep it straight. It was clocked like 20 degrees to the right and it was chattering really bad in the corner. I was like ‘oh boy, here we go, we’re going to lose this one in the worst way possible.’

Corey Heim

As Heim navigated through slower traffic, the tire issues allowed Kaden Honeycutt to close the gap, setting up a high-stakes battle between the two Tricon Garage teammates for the win.

The Final Lap Battle

The conclusion of the race featured a side-by-side struggle on the final lap. Honeycutt managed to surge ahead of Heim momentarily during the closing sequence.

Heim responded by driving deep into the final corner, barely maintaining the lead to take the checkered flag. Following the race, Heim credited the use of lapped car picks to help defend his position and praised Honeycutt for racing cleanly during the encounter.

Triple Truck Challenge Progress

The victory at Rockingham marks the second win for Heim in the Triple Truck Challenge. He previously won the first race of the challenge at Darlington, which earned him a bonus of $50,000.

The Rockingham win provides Heim with an additional $100,000 bonus. He now moves toward the final race of the challenge, which takes place next weekend at Bristol.

If Heim wins the Bristol event, the total prize money for sweeping all three races in the Triple Truck Challenge will increase to $500,000.

Career and Team Context

With the win at Rockingham, Corey Heim has increased his career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win total to 25.

This success follows a historic 2025 campaign in which Heim secured the series title behind a 12-win season. The current dynamic at Tricon Garage sees Honeycutt and Heim competing as teammates, with Honeycutt having joined the team as a driver following Heim’s championship run.