Corey Heim's Rise To NASCAR's Top Level Feels As Inevitable As Sunrise

BusinessSportsMoneyCorey Heim's Rise To NASCAR's Top Level Feels As Inevitable As SunriseByGreg Engle,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Greg Engle is a Florida based reporter who covers NASCAR.Follow AuthorMay 30, 2026, 05:27pm EDTMay 30, 2026, 05:28pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 23: Corey Heim poses for a photo during NASCAR Production Days at Charlotte Convention Center on January 23, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)Getty ImagesIf you are annoyed by the term “Heim Time,” you may want to stop reading now. For everyone else, guess what: it is indeed Heim Time.In one of the least surprising announcements since meteorologists predicted Florida would be hot in July, 23XI Racing announced Saturday that Corey Heim will move to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2027. Heim will drive for the organization co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan.Of course, this has seemed like the plan all along.Heim signed on as a development driver for the team in February 2025, a move that already looked smart at the time and appears even smarter now. The 24-year-old Georgia native has been part of Toyota’s driver pipeline since 2020 and has spent much of his NASCAR career building a résumé in the Truck Series that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.He earned his first Truck Series victory in just his fifth start while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2022 and has added 24 more since. His 25 career wins rank fourth on the series' all-time list.The relationship between Heim and 23XI Racing has been steadily growing ever since.The team made him a reserve driver in 2024, entering him in 13 NASCAR Xfinity Series races—now the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series—along with the Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. That Nashville...