Corey Heim goes to get an opportunity to be a full-time driver within the NASCAR Cup Sequence.
23XI Racing, the group co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and standout driver Denny Hamlin, introduced Saturday, Might 30 at Nashville Superspeedway that it has signed the 23-year-old to be a full-time Cup Sequence driver for the 2027 season.
Commercial
Becoming a member of Tyler Reddick , Heim would be the third full-time driver for the group at NASCAR’s prime degree, changing Riley Herbst who is anticipated to affix Legacy Motor Membership, .
Hamlin and Jordan have lengthy had their eyes on including Heim to their group. By way of discovery within the 23XI Racing and Entrance Row Motorsports vs. NASCAR , it was revealed that Jordan informed Hamlin to “lock him up” with reference to signing Heim to a Cup Sequence deal earlier than one other group did.
Heim will drive the No. 35 Toyota for Jordan and Hamlin subsequent season.
1 / 4
See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners
March 8: Ryan Blaney celebrates profitable the Straight Speak Wi-fi 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
(Meg Oliphant, Getty Photos)
1 / 4
See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners
March 8: Ryan Blaney celebrates profitable the Straight Speak Wi-fi 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
(Meg Oliphant, Getty Photos)
2 / 4
See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners
March 1: Tyler Reddick celebrates profitable the DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
(Logan Riely, Getty Photos)
3 / 4
See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners
Feb. 22: Tyler Reddick celebrates profitable the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
(Mady Mertens, Imagn Photos)
4 / 4
See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners
Feb. 15: Tyler Reddick celebrates together with his household and crew after profitable the 68th working of the Daytona 500 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway.
(Mike Watters, Imagn Photos)
“Corey is a gifted driver who is continuous to get higher and higher with every race he runs,” Hamlin mentioned in a press release. “He has a vibrant future within the sport and joins a group that’s persevering with to construct a stable basis. We’re grateful to Riley for all he has finished to assist get the 35 group going and recognize the work that he and the group will proceed to do that season to be aggressive every week.”
Commercial
Since 2024, Heim has been a developmental driver for 23XI and has competed in 11 Cup Sequence races for Jordan’s group and Legacy Motor Membership. His greatest end at NASCAR’s highest degree got here final 12 months at Bristol Motor Speedway, the place he positioned sixth driving 23XI’s No. 67 Toyota.
“Since I used to be 5 years outdated, all I ever needed was to be a Cup driver,” Heim mentioned in assertion. “My household and I’ve sacrificed a ton to get me to this degree, 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. From everybody at 23XI to the group at Toyota Racing, I’ve been blessed to have assist from so many individuals alongside the way in which. I can’t look forward to the 2027 season to start.”
A local of Marietta, Georgia, Heim has been seen as one in all NASCAR’s greatest rising prospects in the previous couple of years. He began out racing Legends automobiles in Atlanta, then moved as much as working late fashions and tremendous late fashions within the CARS Tour, then made his debut within the lower-tier ARCA in 2019. Heim captured CARS Tour wins at South Boston and Hickory, and received an ARCA race at Kansas.
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – APRIL 19: Corey Heim, driver of the #67 Robinhood Toyota, waits backstage throughout pre-race ceremonies previous to the NASCAR Cup Sequence AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on April 19, 2026 in Kansas Metropolis, Kansas.
That success earned him a spot in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Sequence, the place he made his debut in 2021 at Darlington Raceway. In the meantime, Heim was nonetheless working ARCA, profitable six races in 2021 for Venturini Motorsports and ending because the championship runner-up. The next 12 months for KBM, Heim received two Truck Sequence races and completed within the prime 5 in 4 others, establishing he had the expertise to compete persistently at that degree.
Commercial
Driving the No. 11 Toyota for Tricon Storage final 12 months, Heim received the championship within the Truck Sequence and set the report for many wins in a single season at that degree with 12 — breaking Greg Biffle’s mark of 9 victories set in 1999. In 93 races over six years, Heim has 25 wins within the Truck Sequence, which is fifth-best all-time.
“For our firm, generational drivers solely come by every so often,” Hamlin mentioned Saturday at Nashville. “And I firmly imagine that we’ve got one right here.”
Heim is working a combined schedule this season, having competed in 4 truck races and 4 Cup Sequence competitions thus far. In his final Cup begin, he completed nineteenth on the on the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
23XI is off to a robust begin this season with its prime two drivers. Heading into the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville on Sunday, Reddick is first in and Wallace is thirteenth, three spots above the cutoff line for the Chase.
