Each of the past two seasons, Corey Heim went into the finale of the NASCAR Truck Series season as a favorite to come away with a championship. And each of the past two seasons, Heim came up empty-handed at Phoenix Raceway. Will he end a historic season with a celebratory result in this season’s Truck Series Championship Race (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1)?
In 2023, Heim won three races and his first regular season title and was on course to cap the season with a championship. Then Carson Hocevar happened, and he finished fourth in the final standings behind Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger, and Hocevar.
In 2024, he won six races and once again won the regular season title, but he once again missed out on the title, finishing second behind championship winner Ty Majeski in the finale.
This year, Heim has been absolutely dominant. His win last week at Martinsville was his 11th win of the season, and he has 18 top-five finishes and 20 top-10 finishes in 24 races.
Heim (-200 at Lucky Rebel) enters today’s Truck Series Championship Race heavily favored over Majeski (+200), Kaden Honeycutt (+900), and Tyler Ankrum (+1400), the other three contenders for the crown.
Last 10 NASCAR Truck Series Championship Winners
- 2024: Ty Majeski
- 2023: Ben Rhodes
- 2022: Zane Smith
- 2021: Ben Rhodes
- 2020: Sheldon Creed
- 2019: Matt Crafton
- 2018: Brett Moffitt
- 2017: Christopher Bell
- 2016: Johnny Sauter
- 2015: Erik Jones
If someone other than Heim takes the title tonight, it will be considered a major upset, given the level of Heim’s dominance this season and the comparative records of the other three challengers.
Majeski and Honeycutt haven’t won a race this season, and Ankrum has only one win. Honeycutt is in the hunt even though he is on his third team this season, having started the season at Niece Motorsports and having raced at Watkins Glen with Young’s Motorsports before moving to Halmar Friesen Racing for the final eight races of the year.
Heim’s path to the title may have been made easier as well by both Layne Riggs, who may well have been Heim’s heftiest competition for the championship, missing out on the Championship 4 on a tiebreaker because he finished one spot (third) behind Honeycutt (second) at Martinsville.
But even with so much lining up well, nothing is certain for Heim. One moment could ruin yet another championship chase for Heim. Or much like last year, Majeski could make all the right moves to put and keep Heim behind him when it matters.
That said, the odds are in Heim’s favor, both in terms of circumstances and with Truck Series Championship race odds at top online sportsbooks.
Truck Series Championship Race Odds
- Corey Heim -120
- Ty Majeski +350
- Layne Riggs +550
- Chandler Smith +900
- Kaden Honeycutt +1600
- Brent Crews +2000
- Gio Ruggiero +2000
- Tyler Ankrum +2200
- Grant Enfinger +2800
- Corey LaJoie +4000
- Daniel Hemric +4500
- Ben Rhodes +5000
- Jake Garcia +6600
- Rajah Caruth +6600
- Tanner Gray +6600
- Cole Butcher +10000
- Stefan Parsons +10000
- Bayley Currey +15000
- Matt Crafton +15000
- Connor Mosack +20000
Truck Series Championship Race Predictions and Picks
Layne Riggs to Finish in the Top Three (-125 at Lucky Rebel)
This will be my lone pick for the race, because even though I think Heim will get his long-awaited Truck Series Championship tonight, I don’t want to go as far as picking him to win the race, where is where the only value lies for him. That is down to wanting to enjoy the festivities without having an investment in the outcome, but I do think he will win (and recommend betting on him to do so if you feel so inclined).
Riggs may not be in the championship conversation after the dramatic finish at Martinsville, but don’t expect him to just be a spectator for the title fight.
In 2023, Christian Eckes missed out on a Championship 4 spot after results at Talladega and Homestead dropped him from second to fifth, but he shook off his disappointment to win the finale at Phoenix (after nearly 30 overtime laps).
Don’t be surprised to see the same outcome for Riggs, who has three wins, nine top-three finishes, and a dozen top-five finishes this season. If it does, hopefully it will come with fewer overtime restarts than in the Truck Series Championship Race two years ago.
Other NASCAR Betting Content
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