Heim Holds Off Late Charge, Dominates Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham

Corey Heim celebrating his second victory of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, and 25th career victory in victory lane at Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. (Photo Credit: James Gilbert/ Getty Images)

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Dominance, late-race drama, and a big payday defined Friday evening’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham Speedway, where Corey Heim once again proved he is the driver to beat in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, even when he’s not full-time on the tour.

The reigning Truck Series champion powered his No. 1 Toyota to victory after leading a race-high 178 of 200 laps, securing his second consecutive win of the 2026 season, and his 25th victory in the series, continuing an early-season surge that has positioned him firmly atop the championship picture as a part-time driver

competitor.

From the drop of the green flag, Heim asserted control, methodically working his way forward from a seventh-place starting position before taking command of the race. Once out front, the TRICON Garage driver was virtually untouchable, sweeping both Stage 1 and Stage 2 while also posting the fastest lap of the race, earning maximum points in the process.

Despite the dominant performance, the closing laps provided a tense finish. With fewer than five laps remaining, Heim battled handling issues, including tight steering and tire chatter, allowing teammate Kaden Honeycutt to close rapidly. Honeycutt made a final push in the closing corners, but Heim held him off by a razor-thin margin of just 0.090 seconds at the checkered flag.

“I felt like I didn’t push it any harder than any previous run or do any more damage to the right front,” Heim stated.  My wheel was clocked at like 20 degrees to the right, and it was chattering really bad in the corners, and I was like oh boy, here we go, we’re going to lose this one in the worst way possible, but it hung in there, and I just had to use a couple of laps trucks to hold him off.”

“Respect Kaden (Honeycutt) for racing me clean. I did what I had to do there at the end, but first win for Robinhood.” 

The win also carried added significance as part of the Triple Truck Challenge, with Heim collecting a $100,000 bonus after winning the second leg of the incentive program by virtue of his Darlington Raceway victory in March. He now heads into the next race with a chance to capture an even larger payday should he complete the three-race sweep.

“Yeah, it means a lot,” Heim added. “I don’t really think about it in the truck but being able to reflect on it – it would be cool to be the first person to sweep all three if we are able to do it.”

Honeycutt finished second after briefly challenging for the lead late, while Layne Riggs rounded out the podium in third. Stewart Friesen and Grant Enfinger completed the top five in a race that largely lacked cautions at the front but featured intense battles throughout the field, which saw strategy play into the event for a second straight year.

Further down the order, defending Rockingham Speedway winner, Tyler Ankrum, came home sixth, followed by Corey Lajoie, Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia, and Cole Butcher, who claimed his first career Truck Series top 10, rounded out the top finishers when the dust settled.

The Truck Series is back in action next weekend as the tour takes over the “Last Great Colosseum” for its first of two trips to Bristol Motor Speedway this season.

Coverage of the Tennessee Army National Guard 250 will be broadcast live on FS1 on Friday, April 10 at 7:30 pm ET. The race can also be found on the NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.