NASCAR Trucks: Heim wins at Martinsville and the Championship 4 is decided

Kaden Honeycutt needed to finish second or better in the Slim Jim 200 at Martinsville Speedway. He achieved exactly that position, eliminating Layne Riggs from the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship 4 on a tiebreaker. The championship finale will be on October 31 at Phoenix Raceway.

The Friday night race was decided on lap 29. Riggs, who had started from the pole position and controlled the first 27 laps, missed a shift on the restart. The No. 38 Ford lost momentum and fell to sixth place. That mechanical error would change the outcome of the playoffs.

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New Transmissions Cause Riggs' Error

"I've never missed a shift in a truck in my entire career," explained Riggs, a three-time race winner in 2025. "We have some new transmissions. I guess I'm just not used to them yet. I'm pretty upset about that. I think things could have been very different."

Riggs finished third, which was not enough to maintain his spot. Honeycutt and he ended up tied in points, but the tiebreaker criterion favors the best finish in the elimination round. Honeycutt's second place beat Riggs' third.

Majeski and Ankrum Advance by a Single Point

Ty Majeski (seventh) and Tyler Ankrum (ninth) secured the other two spots in the Championship 4 by the narrowest margin possible: one point over Honeycutt and Riggs. All four drivers arrived at Martinsville with real chances to advance.

Honeycutt took over the wheel of the No. 52 Toyota in August, replacing Stewart Friesen after his injury at Richmond. His situation was uncertain - Niece Motorsports had released him when his team change plans became public.

"I very easily could have been at home watching this race," Honeycutt admitted. "I can go and take this team (Halmar-Friesen Racing) to Phoenix next week to have fun and see if we can compete for that championship."

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Lap 73 Contact Ends Caruth's Hopes

Rajah Caruth arrived at Martinsville 14 points above the cutline. Everything changed on lap 73. Side contact with Honeycutt cut the left rear tire of the No. 71 Chevrolet. Caruth spun in turn 1 and hit the outside wall. His race and season ended there.

Daniel Hemric needed to win. His chances disappeared on the same lap 29 restart where Riggs missed the shift. He got stuck in traffic, his No. 19 Chevrolet suffered damage on both ends and began to overheat. He retired on lap 166 after losing two laps for repairs.

Grant Enfinger arrived 40 points below the line. He finished 12th and was mathematically eliminated.

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Heim Wins for the Eleventh Time in 2025

Corey Heim won his eleventh race of 2025, an absolute series record. Already qualified for Phoenix, the No. 11 Toyota from TRICON Garage led 77 of the 203 laps and won both stages.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself yet. We have a big race next week," Heim commented about his championship prospects.

Brent Crews finished fourth among non-playoff drivers, followed by Corey LaJoie. Giovanni Ruggiero completed the top 11 in his debut. Frankie Muniz finished 23rd.

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Championship 4 Set for Phoenix

The 11 caution flags at Martinsville occurred on a night where no one wanted to give up positions. Brent Crews led 53 laps and fought until the end, but his fourth place wasn't enough for the playoffs.

On October 31 at Phoenix Raceway, Corey Heim will arrive as the favorite with his 11 victories in 2025. Honeycutt will seek his first win of the year precisely in the most important race. Majeski is also looking for his first win but has experience in finales. Ankrum, with one win this season, completes the quartet that will decide the championship.

Final Classification - Slim Jim 200