Considered one of NASCAR’s brightest younger stars formally is aware of the place his future lies. On Saturday, 23XI Racing introduced that Corey Heim will be part of the group as a full-time NASCAR Cup Sequence driver starting in 2027, taking on the No. 35 Toyota.
The transfer marks the subsequent step in Heim’s fast rise by the NASCAR ranks. He’s established himself as one of the crucial profitable Truck Sequence drivers of his era.
Heim has been a part of Toyota’s growth pipeline for years, turning into an official 23XI Racing growth driver in 2024. Since then, he has continued constructing his résumé whereas gaining worthwhile expertise at NASCAR’s highest stage.
Throughout the final three seasons, Heim has made 11 Cup Sequence begins for 23XI Racing, together with 4 begins in the course of the 2026 season. He has eight extra appearances nonetheless scheduled within the No. 67 Toyota.
The Georgia native will enter NASCAR’s premier collection with loads of momentum. Heim captured the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence championship after a record-setting season that included 12 victories. Total, he has collected 25 Truck Sequence wins since 2022, cementing himself as one of the crucial achieved younger drivers within the storage.
“Since I used to be 5 years previous, all I ever needed was to be a Cup driver,” Heim stated in a workforce launch. “My household and I’ve sacrificed a ton to get me to this stage, and I don’t take that as a right.
“When the chance got here as much as be a growth driver with 23XI Racing, I trusted my intestine and knew this was the place I needed to construct a long-term profession.”
Furthermore, Heim’s promotion has lengthy gave the impression to be a matter of when, not if. Crew co-owner Denny Hamlin has constantly praised the younger driver and labored to supply alternatives for him to achieve Cup Sequence expertise earlier than making the leap full-time.
“We’re excited to welcome Corey to our full-time roster subsequent season and stay up for watching him race each weekend in 2027,” Hamlin added. “Corey is a gifted driver who is constant to get higher and higher with every race he runs.”
The transfer additionally indicators a change for the No. 35 workforce. Heim will substitute Riley Herbst, who has pushed the automobile for the reason that begin of the 2025 season. Hamlin thanked Herbst for serving to set up this system whereas expressing confidence in Heim’s future with the group.
In restricted Cup motion, Heim has already flashed his potential. His finest end got here at Bristol Motor Speedway final fall, the place he scored a powerful sixth-place end result.
By way of 4 Cup begins this season, he has recorded two top-20 finishes. Together with a Nineteenth-place effort in final weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
When Heim joins the Cup Sequence full-time in 2027, he’ll workforce with Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace as a part of a rising 23XI Racing lineup. For a driver who has spent years climbing NASCAR’s developmental ladder, the chance represents the conclusion of a lifelong dream, and doubtlessly the start of NASCAR’s subsequent star.
