Before winning the two Cup Series races that turned Corey Heim into a sensation in 2026, he was already confirmed to have a full-time seat for 2027. 23XI Racing, owned by Denny Hamlin, had roped him in, and his trips to Victory Lane in San Diego and Indianapolis had the NASCAR community buzzing. An almost sure-shot winner of the Rookie of the Year award, Heim seemed destined for a breakout season. That was until NASCAR dropped a bombshell.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
In August, NASCAR made it official that under new rules, a driver with more than 12 Cup Series starts cannot be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. Heim, after the Brickyard 400 last month, sat at 15. No matter how good a season he has in 2027, he won’t be winning the award. And like many in the garage, Hamlin is puzzled.
“I wasn’t made aware of it, nor was I aware of what the plan was. I don’t think that we necessarily designated the certain amount of races based off of that. It’s weird, because they did say ‘oh, that’s case by case,’ which usually you just have a number. But it sounds like they put out a number, but it’s a new number, maybe? I don’t know,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said in Richmond ahead of the Cook Out 400.
That’s what made this decision surprising for Hamlin and others. It was out of the blue. When they got Heim to take part in a handful of races this season, they had no idea they were effectively pulling the rookie label away from him.
Until 2024, the race limit to be eligible for Rookie of the Year was seven. In 2024 and 2025, though, they removed that number and gave full discretion to a committee, who were seemingly willing to make exceptions.
Ty Gibbs (14 starts) and Shane van Gisbergen (15 starts) won the ROTY award in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This year, the award was locked in for Connor Zilisch before the series even began, as the Trackhouse driver (with just 3 starts) was the only one eligible. It didn’t matter that the 20-year-old had a very difficult season at this level.
The same will now hold true for Jesse Love next year. He will join Wood Brothers full-time, and with just 7 starts in the Cup Series, he will be the only “rookie”. The award will belong to his come end of the season.
According to Hamlin, NASCAR told them that the ruling depended on the situation. But with this announcement, there’s nothing he, Heim, or 23XI Racing can do anymore. Heim, in fact, is scheduled to take part in four more races in 2026.
To be frank, this saga won’t really bother Heim as he continues to impress. He heads into the 2027 season with two wins. This is definitely sending a message to everyone that he is a strong contender for more race wins, or perhaps something even greater in the future. And that matters more than a Rookie of the Year award.
Losing out on ROTY is not “the end of the world” to Corey Heim
Heim was honest when asked about the whole situation. It’s not that he doesn’t care. He simply feels that if NASCAR keeps handing out the award for the sake of it, the honor will eventually lose its value.
This wasn’t a dig at Jesse Love, last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Championship winner, but rather a point that when there are genuine contenders for the award, NASCAR should respect the competition and hand it out based on merit, not just criteria.
“My only problem with it really is, you know, you’re sort of losing value to that award. You know, I think if you want that award, it means something…” Heim said in an interview after finishing second in the Truck Series race in Richmond.
“If you’re gonna get someone a trophy and take a picture, make it worth something. It’s losing its value. But that’s just my opinion. And it’s not the end of the world.”
Recently, NASCAR VP of Communications Mike Forde clarified the rule on the Hauler Talk podcast. He said, “The rookie designation has changed over the years, and also, not all rookies are created equal. To be a rookie, you have to apply to be a Rookie of the Year candidate. So, you can go through the entire season, be a rookie – be a first-year driver – and not technically be a Rookie of the Year candidate if you didn’t apply to do so.”
Forde admitted that an argument could be made if Heim had made around 8-10 starts. The idea behind the designation is to highlight the 23XI Racing program and help drivers establish themselves as Cup Series competitors. According to Forde, 2026 is technically Heim’s rookie season. However, the 24-year-old never applied for the Rookie of the Year award, making him automatically ineligible
Two Cup Series wins and a full-time 23XI Racing seat already say plenty about where his career is headed. If anything, the ROTY controversy is just another reminder that Heim’s future looks far bigger than one trophy.