‘I knew I needed to get Corey’ - Hamlin

Denny Hamlin believes that Corey Heim is one of those generational talents that only come around every now and then, and 23XI Racing will have his services for years to come.

“I’m really excited about what he’s going to bring to our team and the performance that he’s going to bring,” Hamlin said Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway after announcing Heim’s ride for 2027. “Obviously, his work ethic is very, very good, and I’m looking forward to working with him in the future.”

Heim (pictured above) started off as a 23XI Racing reserve driver before signing a development deal last season, and immediately felt at home with the organization. He will move into the Cup Series next year in the No. 35 Toyota. The move comes after 25 wins in 93 starts in the Craftsman Truck Series and a limited Cup Series schedule dating back to 2023.

Heim does not have a full-time ride this season. In addition to his limited Cup Series schedule (he will run the most he has this year, with 12), he’s been wheel-force testing for Toyota, doing grassroots racing, and has select Truck Series races on his calendar.

“He was extremely, extremely patient, which in my mind shows the maturity that he has is well beyond his age,” Hamlin said of Heim waiting for a Cup Series opportunity. “I think he shows it on the racetrack, and obviously off the racetrack, making the decision, ‘I’m going to be with you guys long term, and if I have to wait a little bit, I have to wait a little bit.’

“So, we certainly do appreciate that. It was very similar when I saw Tyler Reddick and wanted to get Tyler Reddick; I knew I needed to get Corey.”

It took time to figure out how Heim would fit into the system and what the charter situation would look like. NASCAR capped teams at three charters during the last negotiation, unless a team was grandfathered in because it already had four established race teams.

Heim is eager to make the most of his limited runs: “A lot of guys, I feel like, in their first couple of years... they find out how to push the limit by finding the limit. I think this is a year for me that I can do that.” Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Heim hasn’t minded being a part-timer because it has given him the chance to debrief more thoroughly on a race. There is more time to digest and think it over. The other teams have a quicker turnaround between races.

“I had a really good chat with Dave Rogers the other week and he was telling me, ‘Man, this is a notebook year for you. Don’t be afraid to take these bigger risks and figure out how to do the hard things and make mistakes this year so next year you can be prepared for things like that and learn lessons.’ Not that I’m trying to go out and find the limit and knock the wall down every week by any means, but that helped me feel more confident that I can take these bigger risks and figure it out.

“A lot of guys, I feel like, in their first couple of years, whether it’s Cup, O’Reilly, or Truck, they find out how to push the limit by finding the limit. I think this is a year for me that I can do that, but also hit these tougher racetracks, and also some racetracks that I have more experience at to help me build off that. This track (Nashville) is my third start, and I’ve run Kansas a couple of times, too. So, a good mixed bag of tracks that I’ve run before that I can build off, but also some new tracks that I can build that notebook.”

Heim finished 29th and 37th in his previous two starts at Nashville Superspeedway. In 11 career starts in the Cup Series, he has one top-10 finish, which was a sixth-place effort in the fall race at Bristol Motor Speedway last year.