If it were up to the NASCAR fanbase as a whole, Corey Heim, not Riley Herbst, would have been given the reins to 23XI Racing's new third car for the 2025 Cup Series season, alongside Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. Instead, Heim had to settle for a third consecutive full season of Truck Series action.
Again driving for Tricon Garage, the 23-year-old Marietta, Georgia native won 12 of 25 races and the championship, ascending all the way up to sixth place on the series' all-time wins list in the process.
If his two-win season as a part-time driver in 2022, or his back-to-back Championship 4 appearances, which included nine total victories in 2023 and 2024, leading up to his historic run weren't enough to justify a promotion, perhaps his 2025 campaign actually would be.
Think again.
If ever there were a situation that perfectly fits the "money over talent" narrative that has plagued NASCAR, and really all of motorsport, for so long, this would be the one.
Rather than promote their development driver, 23XI Racing opted to bring back Herbst, who is there largely due to the backing from Monster Energy through his family's Terrible's gas station chain, despite his 35th place finish out of 36 drivers in the 2025 standings.
He didn't finish a single race higher than 14th in 2025, giving him the worst top finish among all 36 full-time competitors. Heim, in his four Cup starts with 23XI Racing, twice finished better than 14th, and on both occasions, he was the top finisher on the whole team.
Though the belief was that Heim had effectively "outgrown" the Truck Series, it was initially thought that he could simply remain with Tricon Garage if nothing else opened up. That turned out not to be true either.
Now, less than a month before the 2026 NASCAR season is set to begin, Heim is officially out of a full-time ride, with the expectation being that he is set to run select races across the Cup Series and the Truck Series throughout the year.
Yes. Expecting several Cup races (more than 10) for Corey Heim for 23XI Racing and some truck starts. Won't be full time in a specific series. https://t.co/xHuii95mo2
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 16, 2026
As for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, Heim is rumored to be blacklisted by Joe Gibbs Racing due to his ARCA feuds with Ty Gibbs, so that never seemed like a feasible option either. The team's recent confirmation that both William Sawalich and Taylor Gray are set to return, alongside veteran Brandon Jones and newcomer Brent Crews, all but solidified that belief.
As it stands, Heim has nothing actually confirmed for 2026, even if he is expected to run partial schedules across two national series, starting with the Daytona 500. But if 23XI Racing and Toyota still can't find a place for him in Cup in 2027, don't be surprised to see him join a Chevrolet or Ford team, especially with so many potentially having seats to fill.