Corey Heim has been NASCAR’s best-kept open secret for years. 12 Truck Series wins in a single season. 25 -five total since 2022. A championship. And now, the waiting is over.

After years of speculation and countless rumors, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s organization has officially confirmed what many expected all along: Heim will join the NASCAR Cup Series full-time with 23XI Racing in 2027.

Corey Heim’s promotion at 23XI Racing made official

“We’re excited to welcome Corey to our full-time roster next season and look forward to watching him race every weekend in 2027,” owner Hamlin said in a press release on Saturday.

“Corey is a gifted driver who is continuing to get better and better with each race he runs. He has a bright future in the sport and joins a team that is continuing to build a solid foundation…,” the 23XI boss added.

Heim will replace Riley Herbst in the No. 25 Toyota Camry XSE, Hamlin further revealed in his statement.

Herbst’s 2025 campaign, his rookie season, was a challenging one, as he failed to record a single top-10 finish. He posted an average finish of 26.4 and ended the year 35th in the standings, with hopes that 2026 would be better. Sadly, an average starting position of 22.5 through 13 races and a 27th-place standing this season weren’t enough to convince Hamlin, Jordan, and Co. to keep him in the seat for next year.

Enter Heim, a driver long viewed as a future star at 23XI Racing. He will now join Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace as the organization’s newest full-time Cup Series driver.

“I think he’s a great asset to our team, coming off the success he had last year in trucks. I’m excited for him,” Wallace shared his thoughts upon the announcement.

Heim has been a member of the Toyota Racing family since 2020 and first made his name in the ARCA Menards Series (in 2019) before breaking through in the NASCAR Truck Series two years later. He quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the best, which is why, when he won his championship in 2025, many expected 23XI to promote him straight away. But no, he was kept in the Truck series, something that baffled insiders.

“Corey Heim, I don’t know in what universe that you live, Brad [co-host], that a guy that had unprecedented success last year is having a piecemean a deal together, it’s unfathomable to me,” Doug Rice said in the Fast Talk podcast earlier this year.

23XI Racing, however, did not keep Heim completely away from the Cup Series spotlight. He gained valuable experience with the team, making four starts this season, including the Daytona 500, where he finished 28th. He also competed in last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600, recording a decent 19th-place finish at Charlotte.

Heim was happy about the promotion, but he also admitted to feeling relieved. The expectations had undoubtedly been weighing on him. He also acknowledged the uncertainty about his future that had lingered for months.

“Everyone’s been kind of wondering about it, including some of my extended family and my fans, so to have them know that it’s all kind of working out, and it’s going the right direction, is good for me. I don’t have to sit on it and kind of keep it all looming for any longer than I have already,” Heim told The Athletic.

Heim’s focus for now will be on finishing 2026 strong. It’s not been the best of seasons for the 23-year-old, who, with just two wins so far, is 16th in the Truck Series championship standings.