Kevin Harvick has now handed Corey Heim a reality check, even though Harvick has often taken the latter's side publicly. The reason was Heim's feud with Kaden Honeycutt.
At Michigan, Heim held off Honeycutt with a series of aggressive late blocks, winning by just 0.065 seconds and leaving his teammate frustrated afterward. This, unfortunately, wasn't a sole incident, as Heim had also held off his teammate at Rockingham and won by 0.090 seconds.
Even though Harvick started by praising Heim's racecraft, he soon warned against the dangers of such bravado. “And it doesn't help when you get out of the car like you did at the CARS Tour race and say, I am the greatest, no one better than me. I mean, other drivers take offense to that, right?” he said.
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 20: Corey Heim 1 TRICON Garage Robinhood Toyota during qualifying for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Fr8 Racing 208 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on February 20, 2026 at the EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 20 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon95326022013
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 20: Corey Heim 1 TRICON Garage Robinhood Toyota during qualifying for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Fr8 Racing 208 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on February 20, 2026 at the EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 20 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon95326022013
The background comes from an incident after the race when Heim was asked about blocking his teammate, to which he replied, “Um, just get thicker skin and deal with it. That's honestly my advice to him.”
On this, Harvick seemed to draw the line as he added, “Sometimes you can say all that stuff you want, but at some point it'll turn around and bite you.”
Nonetheless, Harvick again threw his support behind Heim, whom he believed just outclassed Honeycutt.
“Corey Heim just beat Kaden Honeycutt this weekend, just with experience on putting his truck in the right spots and, you know, through some aggressive blocks at the end. But he's there to win the race,” he explained.
The assessment carries a lot of weight because it's coming from someone like Harvick, who is a Truck Series champion owner and more often than not has lurked around the podium even when he couldn't close as champion.
Harvick added in praise of Heim, “He just gets more out of it. And he just, he knows the placement and where to put his truck and when to be aggressive and when to block. And he just went out and manhandled it and won the race.”
Despite such comments by the young driver, Harvick seems to stand by his performance. Let’s find out how this talent has been doing.
Corey Heim's 2026 season shows why NASCAR's top teams wanted him
Corey Heim has been having a remarkable season in the Truck Series this year. The TRICON Garage driver has won three of his first five starts this season, capturing victories at Darlington, Rockingham, and Michigan.
This win at Michigan was the 26th for the driver, making him one of the winningest drivers in the series' history. His performance has been so impressive that 23XI Racing confirmed he will move to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2027.
Despite the driver being on a part-time schedule, he has enjoyed a 60% win rate through his first five Truck starts this year. That shows Harvick's comments carry weight. And if he takes Harvick's suggestion to not go all out on his teammates, he can surely have a bright future ahead.
You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!
Written by
Uday Jakhar
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason