Corey Heim won the Brickyard 400 in July as a part-time driver. He out-dueled Denny Hamlin, his own co-owner, and held off Christopher Bell to become the first part-time driver to win the race since AJ Foyt in 1965. When 23XI Racing president Steve Lauletta spoke about it on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he did not hide the satisfaction.
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“He’s making us look like we knew what we were doing when everybody was mad at us.”
Heim was touted as the next big superstar in NASCAR. Having clinched the 2025 Truck Series title, it felt like 2026 could be Heim’s year to race on Sundays. But a legal tussle between 23XI Racing and NASCAR delayed these plans. Instead of Heim, Riley Herbst retained his full-time ride in the No/ 35 car.
The uncertainty over the legal tussle left Heim in a tough spot, and he even reached out to 23XI Racing executives to learn about his future with the organization. But after the settlement between NASCAR and 23XI, Heim got his stint to race on Sundays, but on a part-time basis. And with two Cup wins in 15 starts, including the Brickyard 400, this program has been a success, despite the delays.
“The plan we put together to take a really disciplined approach on his development and his integration into the 23XI system, he has certainly taken all of that in stride and is now proving that it was the right approach.”
Rather than dropping Corey Heim into any available full-time seat, 23XI built a specific 12-race part-time Cup schedule around him for 2026. By the time his full-time 2027 rookie season begins in the No. 35 Toyota, he will have logged Cup experience at nearly every track style on the calendar.
The equipment matched the intent. 23XI gave him a genuine third car, not a backmarker entry, with crew chief Bootie Barker overseeing operations. The quality of the car is what allowed him to race Hamlin and Logano on equal terms at Indianapolis.
His full-time promotion was officially confirmed on May 30, 2026. He turned down the No. 67 for 2027, reportedly telling the team it was a “stupid, goofy number,” and will take over the No. 35 instead. Robinhood serves as a primary sponsor of marquee races, including the Daytona 500.
The on-track results have added a different kind of noise. Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar have developed a genuine feud. Hocevar flipped him off on pit road at the Brickyard, Heim responded by trolling him in the media, and both drivers dragged their sponsors into a public back-and-forth.
Either way, the Brickyard trophy is his, and he will be eyeing to bag a lot more wins next year driving the No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota.