Corey Heim Is Turning A Part-Time NASCAR Cup Ride Into A Full-Time Threat

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 23: Corey Heim poses for a photograph during NASCAR Production Days astatine Charlotte Convention Center connected January 23, 2025 successful Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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Corey Heim wasn't entered successful the Cup title Sunday astatine Iowa Speedway. That should person been immoderate mini comfortableness for the remainder of the field.

Normally, a young driver racing portion clip astatine NASCAR's highest level isn't overmuch of a threat to the remainder of the section beyond possibly getting successful the way. They're location to summation experience, show mini improvements each week and get their feet wet.

Heim, though, is not your modular young part-time driver. The only point he's gotten successful the measurement of is allowing different group to win.

The Georgia autochthonal has jumped into the heavy extremity of the NASCAR pool. He's made conscionable 15 Cup Series starts and someway turned those constricted opportunities into maximum impact, winning twice.

And these weren't fuel-mileage flukes aliases rain-shortened surprises. Heim won connected NASCAR's newest shape astatine Naval Base Coronado, past backed it up by capturing 1 of banal car racing's astir prestigious prizes, the Brickyard 400.

Those weren't connection victories. They were investment-grade impervious that 23XI Racing's determination to put Heim successful a full-time Cup thrust opening successful 2027 wasn't based connected potential. It was based connected performance.

Winning successful NASCAR isn’t thing alien to Heim. He is, aft all, the defending Truck Series champion, having racked up an awesome 12 wins past season. But the Cup wins coming truthful early successful his profession are nary uncertainty a immense assurance boost. It has besides created a awesome woody of buzz.

That hype though isn’t thing Heim buys into. While everyone other is looking astatine the scheme for 2027, Heim is still focused solely connected the present and now, the adjacent restart, the adjacent checkered flag. He’s still concerned pinch proving what he is.

"People hide astir that benignant of stuff,” he said. “So for me, it's just...cool to spot it. And of course, it gives maine a small spot of confidence, but I consciousness for illustration the infinitesimal I commencement preparing for the adjacent race, each that assurance benignant of goes distant and it's clip to spell and beryllium it again."

The Business Of Winning

Of course, winning astatine NASCAR’s highest level carries rewards beyond trophies; it grabs the attraction of sponsors who clasp the checkbooks.

"The Cup triumph decidedly roseate immoderate different opportunities for myself to partner pinch immoderate different people,” Heim said. “And we're benignant of successful the process of doing that correct now. So that's been really cool to spot conscionable really acold on a Cup triumph goes."

But the funny point astir Heim successful this: The business opportunities are opening to arrive, but he doesn't sound peculiarly willing successful cashing the cheque conscionable yet. He's still reasoning for illustration a racer, knowing that the assurance that comes pinch a title triumph is benignant of fleeting.

“I consciousness for illustration it's cool to spot group talking astir it and projecting, you know, that benignant of thing,” he said. “But astatine the aforesaid clip erstwhile you statement them each up again for the adjacent race, you sewage to spell retired and beryllium it again…people hide astir that benignant of stuff.

One large quality he’s noticed being astatine the Cup level isn’t the horsepower, it’s the camaraderie among teammates. Earlier successful his career, while still climbing NASCAR’s ladder, the title didn’t extremity aft a race, it continued among teammates arsenic everyone other was competing for the aforesaid thing: the adjacent job. At 23XI Racing, however, the vibe is very different.

"Everyone's benignant of already made it and there's nary title to beryllium that you're the champion feline for the job,” he said. “We're already astatine the apical level."

The opportunity isn’t astir being fixed a Cup car. It’s each astir getting entree to a group of drivers who person already figured retired really to get location and an statement pinch plentifulness of resources to thief everyone execute astatine their highest level. Personalized workouts, state-of-the-art simulators and a wealthiness of acquisition each nether 1 roof.

“I retrieve the past 5 years of my career, I conscionable consciousness for illustration I've been each complete the spot each day,” Heim said. “But conscionable the building and improvement and title mentation that they person present astatine 23XI is, successful my opinion, beautiful unmatched. And I'm decidedly gladsome to beryllium a portion of it.”

His Coronado triumph successful June established that Heim could triumph astatine the Cup level. The Brickyard showed he could triumph a Crown Jewel.

“It's 1 that you dream of since you were a kid,” he says. “And I deliberation the post-race worldly was conscionable really fun, evidently being capable to buss the bricks and beryllium location pinch my woman and my squad and everybody. So that was a very typical moment, astir apt my favourite triumph of my profession truthful far.”

When The Racer Becomes The Fan

That woman is 1 personification who has fixed Heim a position connected racing that nary teammate, unit main aliases squad proprietor could provide: chap racer Taylor Reimer.

Reimer races successful the ARCA Menards series. Most drivers spell location to personification who has to inquire really the title went. Heim tin spell location to personification who already knows. It changes the post-race conversations.

“She understands astir of what's going connected and is capable to benignant of process what she sees decidedly helps maine person to not for illustration explicate it for illustration I do, to the media aft each race, “ he says. “So it's decidedly bully to not person to reply the aforesaid questions again erstwhile I get home.

“And of course, she gets it too, you know, erstwhile I person a bad day, you know, a batch of friends don't really understand, you know, what that intends to maine and the value of it, but she understands it because she's been location and she's done that. “

Having a partner who is besides a racer allows Heim to acquisition thing astir drivers ne'er get: watching from the pits while personification they attraction astir is racing.

“I've ne'er had an affectional relationship to anyone connected the racetrack until her,” Heim says. “I didn't recognize what that feeling's like.”

It’s akin to a genitor watching their kid race, the nervousness and accent it brings. It was thing Heim said he could ne'er really understand aliases subordinate to, until Taylor came along.

“Honestly, watching Taylor was for illustration the first acquisition I've had pinch that,” he said. “And I benignant of get it. You know, it’s not for illustration you're acrophobic of them getting wounded aliases anything. Of course, it's successful the backmost of your mind, for illustration you don't want them to wreck and get hurt. But it's mostly conscionable like, you know, really overmuch it intends to them and the unit that is put connected them successful that very moment. And you tin almost consciousness that accent that they're being put under. So that's benignant of the emotion that I get and thing I've ne'er knowledgeable before. And it's decidedly a different emotion for sure.”

Corey Heim’s adjacent title will beryllium astatine Daytona astatine the extremity of August. While the remainder of NASCAR is already wondering really bully Corey Heim tin become, Heim is still trying to beryllium he tin triumph the adjacent title and preparing for 2027, erstwhile he will nary longer beryllium a part-time driver but a threat to the full section each week.

“I'm benignant of focused guardant connected my first full-time twelvemonth adjacent year,” he says. “I sewage a large twelvemonth up of me. I want to make the playoffs adjacent twelvemonth and, of course, triumph races again. So, I'm much concerned astir that correct now than conscionable the negotiating power.”