Over three seasons, Corey Heim has made just about two dozen starts in NASCAR’s top series. Corey made a pair of starts for Legacy Motor Club before making the next 11 for 23XI Racing, before his first full-time season ever even started.
But today was a 23XI Racing kind of day; late in the race, it was nearly a 1-2-3-5 finish for the team. At the very end, it was 23XI vs. 23XI with Tyler Reddick leading with a hungry, motivated Corey Heim in his tire tracks. Side-by-side, the pair raced as respectfully as teammates could for a Cup Series win, but the left front tire failed on Tyler Reddick’s car following what would end up being the last pass of the race for the lead.
Heim proved that he belongs in the Cup Series with a statement, ‘I can come into your playground and head up beat the best you have to offer,’ after outdueling both Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson on the final two restarts. Corey’s first win is the third for crew chief Booty Barker, former CC of teammate Bubba Wallace, who finished P. 2.
Corey had never finished in the Top 5 in any of his previous 12 Cup Series starts, his best being a 6th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last season.
Top-10 Finishers
- Corey Heim
- Bubba Wallace
- Kyle Larson
- Zane Smith
- AJ Allmendinger
- Chris Buescher
- Ross Chastain
- Riley Herbst
- Ryan Blaney
- Michael McDowell
Image via NASCAR Insights X
