Corey Heim did not need a lengthy statement to make his feelings clear after a wild Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway.
Hours after Heim was punched during a post-race altercation following the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the NASCAR star surfaced on social media with a selfie. He was giving a thumbs-up, and his accompanying message carried a little more bite.
“Solid effort, but at least make it count next time 😂,” Heim wrote on X.
It was a short, pointed response from Heim after video of the incident quickly spread across social media. The altercation unfolded near Martinsville’s famous infield hot dog stand following a Late Model race in which Heim finished third.
Corey Heim Reacts After Martinsville Altercation
The trouble began on the track after the checkered flag.
Heim, driving the No. 22, made contact with Treyten Lapcevich, who was driving the No. 77 for Chad Bryant Racing. The two cars made contact entering Turn 1 and both crashed.
Heim later offered his account of the on-track incident.
“I really don’t know. He tried to smush me into the curb and then my tire hopped his tire. As you can see, I’ve got nowhere to go. He just completely turns left and then I hop his tire, so I don’t know what he was doing. It is what it is. It’s Late Model racing,” Heim said.
The situation did not end there.
Video that surfaced afterward showed Heim in a crowd near the infield hot dog stand. In the footage, a person identified in reports as a member of Chad Bryant Racing approached Heim from his right and struck him in the head.
As people moved in to separate those involved, Heim could be seen trying to move away from the confrontation. The video then showed him being struck again through the crowd.
The footage does not show Heim throwing a punch.
Heim eventually returned to his hauler following the altercation. No injuries were immediately reported.
By the time Heim posted to X later Saturday night, he appeared ready to make light of what had happened. The photo showed him giving a thumbs-up to the camera alongside the message: “Solid effort, but at least make it count next time 😂.”
Rather than escalating the situation publicly, Heim turned his first social media reaction into a joke.
Heim Preparing for Full-Time NASCAR Cup Series Move
The incident came during a Late Model appearance for Heim, who is preparing for a major step in his NASCAR career.
Heim is set to compete full time in the NASCAR Cup Series with 23XI Racing in 2027. He has spent recent years establishing himself as one of NASCAR’s top young drivers while also making Cup Series starts.
Saturday’s race at Martinsville was outside NASCAR’s three national series, but Heim was hardly able to slip under the radar.
His third-place finish quickly became secondary to the scenes that followed the checkered flag. Video of the confrontation spread online, putting Heim at the center of one of the weekend’s most unusual racing stories.
Heim’s response suggested he was not interested in turning it into anything more.
A thumbs-up, a selfie and one pointed line were enough.
Corey Heim Sends Message After Being Punched in Wild Martinsville Fight