Heim Time is coming to the Cup Series!
The Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin owned team 23XI Racing has announced that Corey Heim will be joining the team full time next season driving the number 35 car; joining 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.
Riley Herbst currently drives the 35 car.
Heim dominated the Craftsman Truck Series last season in the number eleven truck winning half the races to be crowned the Series champion for 2025.
Over the past three seasons, Heim has made eleven Cup Series starts for 23XI including four races this season with eight more starts scheduled. Heim will be running in the Cracker Barrel 400 this weekend driving the number 67 car for 23XI.
In 2024, 23XI hired Heim as a development driver. He has a total of 25 career wins in the Truck Series and is seen as one of the top prospects in NASCAR.
Heim spoke on the announcement via a team release saying, “since I was five years old, all I ever wanted was to be a Cup driver. My family and I have sacrificed a ton to get me to this level, and I don’t take that for granted. When the opportunity came up to be a development driver with 23XI Racing, I trusted my gut and knew this was the place I wanted to build a long-term career. From everyone at 23XI to the team at Toyota Racing, I’ve been blessed to have support from so many people along the way. I can’t wait for the 2027 season to begin.”
Co-owner Denny Hamlin added, “we’re excited to welcome Corey to our full-time roster next season and look forward to watching him race every weekend in 2027. Corey is a gifted driver who is continuing to get better and better with each race he runs. He has a bright future in the sport and joins a team that is continuing to build a solid foundation. We’re thankful to Riley for all he has done to help get the 35 team going and appreciate the work that he and the team will continue to do this season to be competitive each week.”
Noting that Heim has spent a lot of time at the 23XI shop even before the season started, Bubba Wallace said, “Corey has been there a lot just trying to understand how to put it all together and make it work. I think he’s a great asset to our team coming off the success he had last year in trucks. I’m excited for him. He’s gonna be a major asset to our team. And to see him grow throughout it all, and figure out where he needs to be, put himself in the right spots, that’s all gonna come with time, but I think he adapts really well.”