Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey Heim (67) celebrates on Sunday, July 26, 2026, after winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
When Michael Jordan entered the world of NASCAR in 2021 as a co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside future Hall of Famer Denny Hamlin and Curtis Polk, nobody could have envisioned the type of success he’d have so quickly.
Sure, Jordan was a diehard fan of the sport with deep financial backing. But the pecking order in the NASCAR Cup Series had long been established, and we’d seen plenty of new teams with deep pockets come and go over the years.
Fast forward six years and Jordan and 23XI aren’t just surviving; they’re thriving.
Star driver Bubba Wallace picked up the team’s first win in its inaugural season at Talladega Superspeedway, and 23XI has since gone on to win 15 more times, including the 2026 Daytona 500 with Tyler Reddick and both the 2025 and 2026 Brickyard 400.
The one thing not yet on Jordan and 23XI’s resume, however, is a Cup Series champion. And while it could well come this season with Reddick, the team appears to have an ace up its sleeve for the years to come.
23XI Racing Has A Budding Superstar In Corey Heim
Young driver Corey Heim has been one of the top prospects in the sport for several years now. He tore through the lower levels before winning the 2025 Truck Series championship in historic fashion, with a record 12 wins along the way.
However, the 24-year-old didn’t have a full-time ride in any of the three national touring series this season. Instead, he’s split time between the Truck Series for Tricon Garage (where he’s won three of his six starts) and the Cup Series for 23XI.
In total, Heim was scheduled to run 12 Cup Series races for 23XI this season, which was supposed to help him get his feet wet for a potential full-time ride in the future.
Little did anyone know what was to come.
In May, 23XI announced that they had signed Heim full-time for the 2027 season.
Heim then went out and stunned the world, picking up his first career win at NAVAL Base Coronado outside of San Diego. Then, just over one month later, he established himself as a budding star by winning again, this time at the historic Brickyard 400.
Heim recently sat down with BroBible to discuss his wild year and why he believes he can be the future of NASCAR for years to come.
Corey Heim’s Part-Time Schedule Has Been A Blessing And A Curse
On one hand, it was stunning to hear that Heim, a top prospect, didn’t have a full-time ride in any of the three major series in 2026.
But as Heim tells us, it may have been for the best.
“It kind of goes both ways,” Heim said of having time off between racing. “It definitely helps give me some time to debrief on races and then prepare for the next one.
“When I have two weeks in between races, it’s easier to do both of those things.”
However, it was still an interesting adjustment for the young star, who says he wants as much time behind the wheel as possible.
“When it comes to raw seat time, that’s really hard to beat,” he said. And the guys that get that experience each and every week definitely learn from it and gain a lot of it.”
Heim noted that while the time off has been huge helpful short-term, he wouldn’t recommend it as a long-term strategy to help driver development.
Off Weeks Don’t Necessarily Mean Downtime
When it comes to having weeks off without racing, Heim says that’s helped him consume information, especially when it comes to the Cup Series side of things.
“I don’t feel like I’m drinking from a fire hose when it comes to infromation and getting ready during the week. So that’s really helpful,” he told BroBible.
However, that doesn’t mean that he’s just lounging around doing nothing.
“I’m still really busy even on weeks when I’m not racing,” Heim said. “I’m usually at the track on race weekends. Then during the week I’m either in the simulator or in the gym or meetings, doing everything I can to stay prepared.”
That preparation has more than paid dividends. But not everything has gone smoothly for Heim this year, including a pair of run-ins with rival and fellow enigmatic young star, Carson Hocevar.
Corey Heim Has No Problem With Carson Hocevar Rivalry Continuing
The rivalry between the two dates back to 2023, when Heim entered the final race of the Truck Series season at Phoenix as the favorite to win the championship, but ultimately finished 18th after multiple on-track incidents.
Now, it appears to have bubbled over into the Cup Series as well.
Heim spun out Hocevar, who has made more than a few enemies this season, en route to victory in Coronado. Then Hocevar gave Heim the middle finger he felt Heim had held him up during the race at Indianapolis.
Both have been open about their distaste for one another, but both also feel it’s good for the sport.
“It definitely makes headlines, and it’s genuine,” Heim said of the rivalry. “It’s not a dislike for him as a person, but it’s a dislike for him as a driver.
“So I’m glad that people enjoy it. I’m just jind of our there doing my job and it all seems to fall into the place the way it does. I don’t really know how to describe it … But I think it’s good for the fans. I don’t want to get carried away with it or anything, but at the same time I definitely get the entertainment value of it.
With Heim’s victory at Indianapolis, he became the fastest driver in the modern era (beginning in 1972) to reach two wins in the Cup Series, reaching the feat in just 15 stars.
His talent is undeniable, and when you speak with him, his poise is as well.
Which is why it would surprise nobody is Corey Heim were the one to bring Michael Jordan his elusive NASCAR Cup Series championship in the years to come.