It all started with a paint scheme and a promise. Corey Heim opened 2025 still anchored to Toyota’s ladder. A third full-time season in TRICON Garage’s No. 11 Tundra TRD Pro with Safelite back on the hood, plus a fresh, Denny Hamlin co-owned, 23XI Racing multi-year development deal that guaranteed select Cup and Xfinity opportunities. Safelite extended its presence through cause-marketing with the Safelite Foundation and Foster Love across a four-race program, while Heim’s Xfinity cameos at Sam Hunt Racing have carried partners like Upper Deck and Columbia Sportswear. Heim’s 2025 portfolio became a textbook Toyota TD2 progression that keeps him front-and-center with decision makers. And he has turned that platform into cold, hard results.
Heim snagged the Craftsman Truck Series regular-season title and thundered to seven wins through the Richmond finale, where he sealed it with a late-race charge to victory. His fifth pole of the year also came the same weekend, underscoring the speed of the No. 11 car. Wins at Dayton and Las Vegas to start the year, then a statement triumph at Charlotte, where he led 98 of 134 laps and set the largest Truck margin of victory at the track. He also etched history with three straight toad-course wins, including Lime Rock Park’s first-ever NASCAR national series event. He also sampled the Cup side with 23XI, with limited starts at Kansas, Nashville, and Richmond, while keeping his Truck points cushion stout despite the occasional bruise at Michigan with a triple-OT scramble. That brings us to the whisper everyone’s chasing for 2026.
Speculation mounts on Corey Heim’s 2026 schedule amid Toyota’s pipeline juggle
At the moment, speculation is rising that Corey Heim will move to Sam Hunt Racing in some capacity in 2026, be it full-time or part-time, with a likely mix of select Cup races and potentially a few TRICON Truck starts layered in. Sponsors and schedule blocks have followed suit, like Upper Deck backing his Sam Hunt COTA start, making a 2026 SHR landing feel like evolution, not upheaval. Add in Denny Hamlin’s public confidence when signing the multi-year contract, saying, “He’s [Heim] going to be a Sunday Cup guy. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. He’s going to be with 23XI for the long haul.” While SHR, on the other hand, has been a safe landing zone precisely because the team already provided him with meaningful Xfinity exposure this year and has room to expand his track time while keeping him within Toyota’s broader pipeline.
But the larger problem lies with Kaden Honeycutt’s name jumping into the same rumors as a likely TRICON target for 2026, with the ex-Niece Motorsports driver poised to join the Toyota-aligned operations. Insider Bob Pockrass also speculated on this issue in early August, writing on X, “Niece announces it has released Kaden Honeycutt b/c he’s signed with different team/manufacturer for 2026. Connor Zilisch in No. 45 truck at The Glen, Bayley Currey rest of 2025 … I’d expect Honeycutt to find ride(s) to get thru playoffs; Tricon/Toyota most likely in 2026.” Honeycutt has shown enough late-season bite to attract manufacturer interest, and with Niece and other small teams reshuffling, a Tricon move gives him a clearer path in a top-tier Toyota truck. Those whispers matter because Tricon needs a ready replacement if Heim is being relocated, and Honeycutt fits the bill as a young, hungry candidate ready to step into a more factory-backed environment.
Similarly, 23XI‘s decision-making this cycle has underscored an uncomfortable truth: sponsorship and charter economics can outweigh lap times. 23XI expanded to a three-car Cup operation and installed Riley Herbst in the No. 35, a move that was as much about Monster Energy’s sponsorship stability and the value of the No. 35 charter as it was about driver upside. Veteran analysts believe that while no slight is intended toward Herbst, it is widely acknowledged that his family’s business ties have helped propel his rise. On paper, comparing raw results with Heim tilts heavily in Heim’s favor, but financial backing tips the scales the other way. That reality helps explain why the club-shuffling focuses on part-time and blended solutions rather than an outright promotion for Heim.
While speculation also arises on a possible move to JR Motorsports, Toyota appears to remain committed to Heim via the development path, meaning he is more likely to continue along that route rather than shift to JRM, which is Chevy-aligned. Practically, all this means teams willing to invest in Heim long-term will want assurances on funding. San Hunt can provide competitive Xfinity mileage and marketing exposure to help Heim build that sponsor case, while 23XI can preserve its chartered Cup investments and still deploy Heim selectively. Therefore, the rumor becomes extremely important, as SHR becomes a place to keep Heim’s momentum and marketability growing while the big-money puzzle pieces stay put.
Corey Heim turns Richmond into a redemption track
“Definitely…It hasn’t been my friend in the past,” Heim admitted ahead of Richmond Raceway, but by the end of the Friday race, the short track had finally turned into an ally. Already leading the Truck Series with 6 wins, Heim capped the regular-season with his 7th victory, claiming his 12th career pole along the way.
The race looked like Ty Majeski’s to win, as he dominated the early stages with 143 laps led. But a late caution from Matt Crafton’s lapped truck shifted momentum. With 21 laps to go, Heim seized control, beating Majeski to the line by just 0.082 seconds. “I was very inconsistent…Obviously, the 98 was the best truck. I’m sure he got damaged there a little bit, slowed him down…But we were definitely good enough to be the one that counted, and we were,” Heim reflected after the win.
With this triumph, Heim not only clinched his 18th career victory but also solidified his place as the Truck Series playoff favorite. The Richmond win reshaped the postseason field, with Jake Garcia edging Ben Rhodes for the final spot. As Heim now looks ahead to the championship rounds, his growing dominance signals a fierce showdown in the weeks to come.
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