Truck Series title favorites crash on first lap of playoff race

NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey Heim. Amber Searls-Imagn Images

NASCAR Truck Series championship favorites crash on first lap of crucial playoff race

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 4:17 PM ET

The two favorites to win the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship experienced trouble in the first corner of Friday's playoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Corey Heim and Layne Riggs entered Friday as the top two drivers on the Truck Series playoff grid going into the Round of 8 opener at Charlotte.

Heim (+69) and Riggs (+22) entered the penultimate round of the postseason as the top two drivers on the Truck Series playoff grid. Heim won the pole for Friday's race, while Riggs qualified beside him on the front row.

Corey Heim, Layne Riggs crash at the start of playoff race

Going into turn 1, fellow playoff driver Grant Enfinger made contact with Riggs. Riggs spun into Heim, which sent Heim into a tire barrier and left Riggs facing sideways.

That escalated as quickly as possible. https://t.co/Y8KsauVLoq pic.twitter.com/ZICmocz2df
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 3, 2025

Both drivers were able to get going again, but not without damage. Enfinger was forced to stop to avoid hitting Riggs and Heim.

The two title favorites were not the only casualties of the wild opening laps. The No. 2 Ford of Carter Fartuch was unable to start the race due to mechanical issues, while two-time Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes suffered a hard crash in the opening laps that brought out the first caution of the afternoon.

Big damage for Ben Rhodes. https://t.co/QOOjIqkAzj pic.twitter.com/6m8igh6atz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 3, 2025

In the aftermath of the incident between Enfinger, Riggs and Heim, Brent Crews took the race lead.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: