Corey Heim finishes P4 in NASCAR Truck Series despite still recovering from the illness that kept him out for 2 weeks

Corey Heim led 57 laps, won a stage and finished fourth in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway on Friday night, despite having missed the previous race at Gateway due to illness.

The 20-year-old Tricon Garage driver, who said that he is still recovering from the illness, maintains his lead in the standings with 10 top-10 finishes in 12 races.

Earlier this month, Corey Heim missed the Toyota 200 race at World Wide Technology Raceway due to sickness. To cover the void, TRICON Garage moved Jesse Love from the #1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to Heim's #11, with Toni Breidinger piloting the #1.

"I definitely went through a couple of weeks of rest and I am super grateful for the sport and TRD and TRICON Garage to allow me to do that," Heim said.

Carson Hocevar took home the trophy at the Rackley Roofing 200.

Hocevar took the lead with ten laps remaining before the final yellow. With three laps remaining, Hocevar was able to fend off the remainder of the race. He took the lead for 40 laps. This is his second victory of the season after his win at SpeedyCash250 in Texas in April.

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Is Corey Heim the new talent of the Toyota Racing Development programme?

Toyota Racing Development has an extensive track record of producing NASCAR successes. Corey Heim is the latest Toyota driver to establish himself in the sport, driving full-time for Tricon Garage in the Craftsman Truck Series this season.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200 - Qualifying

Corey Heim didn't think he'd be leaving Kyle Busch Motorsports, the team he won two races with in 2022, and join Tricon. But Toyota made sure Heim had a top ride when Busch signed with Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing last September.

"Coming from KBM last year, it’s a different kind of vibe. KBM is very oriented in what they’ve been successful with in the past. Tricon is more innovative and they’ve very open to change just because the last couple of years haven’t been as good as they wanted it to be," Heim said.

Corey Heim won the John Long Silver's 200 event at Martinsville Speedway in April, and has led laps in each of his last five races.

Heim has established himself as one of the favorites for the championship with his No. 11 squad, despite missing the most recent race at World Wide Technology Raceway due to sickness. He presently leads Ty Majeski by a comfortable 26 points in the regular season rankings.

The Tricon Garage team, formerly known as David Gilliland Racing and DGR-Crosley, now sees Heim as its talent. Gilliland's extensive knowledge of NASCAR racing is being used by Heim to help him understand what he must do to be successful.