It was 23XI vs. 23XI at Naval Base Coronado on Sunday, as championship chief Tyler Reddick battled part-time teammate Corey Heim within the closing laps.
As they battled side-by-side for the lead, they slammed doorways and Heim bounced off the wall, earlier than driving off with the win. Reddick suffered a flat tire quickly after, and limped house to a Twenty fifth-place end. He now holds only a eight-point lead over Denny Hamlin within the championship standings.
For the 23-year-old Heim, this first-career victory is available in simply his thirteenth profession begin, and in his sixth look of the 2026 season. He was led by crew chief Bootie Barker atop the pit field for the No. 67 Toyota.
Watch: Heim takes late lead, wins at Coronado
It was additionally a 1-2 end for the Michael Jordan-owned staff, with Bubba Wallace preventing again from two laps all the way down to earn his finest end of the season.
Kyle Larson completed third, Zane Smith fourth, and AJ Allmendinger fifth. Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Riley Herbst, Ryan Blaney, and Michael McDowell stuffed out the rest of the highest ten.
Making his NASCAR Cup debut, ex-Method 1 driver Kevin Magnussen set the quickest lap close to the top of the race, and completed twenty seventh.
Watch: Heim emotional after first profession win: ‘I hope I do not get up from this dream’
Levels 1 and a couple of
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing
Photograph by: Sean Gardner / Getty Pictures
Van Gisbergen led the race from pole place, however as drivers managed the tires, Blaney took management and drove off with the lead.
The primary incident was for A. Dillon, who went for a spin. Blaney pitted from the lead midway by the stage, and several other drivers adopted go well with.
Wallace led for a pit earlier than Van Gisbergen handed him, and so they have been amongst a bunch making an attempt to go longer, saving a set of tires.
Nonetheless, that technique bit them as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stalled on monitor, triggering the primary full-course yellow of the race. In the course of the warning, Christopher Bell climbed out of the automotive, as he was driving injured and deliberate handy over management to 18-year-old reduction driver Brent Crews.
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Blaney restarted again in eighth on recent tires, and shortly reduce by the sphere, taking the lead with loads of time left within the stage.
Fading on older tires, SVG and Wallace determined to flip the stage and pit early, bringing a number of others with them.
Nonetheless, 23XI Racing did not get the right-front secured, and it got here off, forcing a full-course warning. Wallace was penalized two laps, and two crew members shall be suspended later within the week.
Wallace was irate because the stage ended beneath warning, with Blaney profitable Stage 1.
For the beginning of Stage 2, a brand new group of vehicles cycled to the entrance, with Connor Zilisch main Preece. As SVG tried to make his approach again by the sphere, he made contact with Buescher, sending him spinning. The pack narrowly prevented a pileup, and Buescher solely misplaced a few spots after a full 360-degree spin.
The following warning was for Brent Crews, because the engine detonated on the No. 20 JGR Toyota, that means Bell will earn only one level.
Because the race continued, the pivotal second was a Lap 32 restart as Hill missed the entry to Flip 1 whereas side-by-side for the lead with Zilisch. They pounded the surface wall, destroying each vehicles, in addition to SVG, who was proper behind them. A number of different vehicles piled in, struggling various ranges of harm, however the main Purple Bull Chevrolets have been unable to proceed.
After a short red-flag for wall repairs, Herbst was main on the restart, solely to get handed by Smith quickly after.
There have been a number of minor incidents all through the pack, together with one with Magnussen moving into Noah Gragson, who spun into the wall and was unable to complete the race.
As soon as once more, a number of drivers determined to flip the stage, placing Herbst again in management. Nonetheless, he was handed by Preece, who gained Stage 2.
Stage 3
Pitlane throughout a warning flag
Photograph by: Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures
Buescher took the lead at the beginning of the ultimate stage, and the subsequent warning was for particles on monitor. Berry and Custer had a major incident on the restart, in order that was seemingly the supply of it.
Because the race resumed, extra drama unfolded within the pack, together with a collision between A. Dillon and Jones that spent each spinning, Byron spent a number of laps on pit street for repairs after hitting the wall. Elliott additionally went for a spin, and Brad Keselowski broke a wheel, ending his day.
However by all of it, the race remained inexperienced. Larson took management of the race, and whereas numerous vehicles pitted with round 25 laps to go within the race, Larson and a bunch of a couple of dozen vehicles went far longer.
With 20 to go, Larson was now main Heim by about two seconds, and neither had made their last cease simply but. Heim then quickly erased that lead margin, and was proper behind Larson as they each pitted with 16 laps to go.
Quickly after, Stenhouse pulled off monitor with a problem, and there was clearly fluid everywhere in the monitor. The warning flew moments after Hocevar, Reddick, Wallace, and Chastain made it onto pit street.
Being caught out by the yellow on older tires, Buescher gave up the lead beneath warning, pitting for recent tires. A number of drivers adopted him, figuring out they stood little likelihood towards those that fell on the proper facet of that yellow.
Hocevar was now within the lead, sharing the entrance row with Larson. He held the highest spot for lower than a lap, as Reddick handed them each. Getting into the ultimate chicane, Hocevar spun and picked up Chastain, falling by the sphere whereas Chastain solely misplaced a number of spots.
On the entrance, Heim obtained alongside Reddick after a small mistake, and so they ended up slamming doorways, with Reddick pushing Heim into the wall. Realizing his error, Reddick lifted, and shortly after blew a left-front tire.
Heim took the checkered flag a full ten seconds away from Wallace, main a 23XI 1-2 end.
Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
Photograph by: James Gilbert / Getty Pictures
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