In an originally unplanned start on his 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, as he prepares to move up to the series full-time in 2027, Corey Heim qualified his No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota 36th out of 37 cars on the grid before driving through the field and finishing fifth at Phoenix Raceway this past Sunday.
It was yet another reminder of how Cup-ready Heim is and has long been. In 12 starts this year, he has won twice (Naval Base Coronado, Indianapolis Motor Speedway). He also has three Craftsman Truck Series starts in eight starts with Tricon Garage, after dominating the 2025 championship with a 12-win season.
But this weekend's Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway was not one of the races initially on Heim's schedule for 2026, and that will not change.
Corey Heim won't compete at Talladega; return date set
Heim did compete in Friday's Truck Series races at the track and finished 10th, but he's not set to return to any NASCAR national series until the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway two weeks from now. He's set to run the Truck Series race at the track on Friday and then the Cup Series race on Sunday.
Seeing as how the Homestead race is the final race on the 2026 Cup schedule, you could argue that it's this race in which Heim is set to truly begin his stint as a full-time Cup driver, although he's set to move to the No. 35 Toyota next year.
Riley Herbst has driven that car since the 2025 season began but is set to move to Legacy Motor Club as they plan to expand from two cars to three with the purchase of the Rick Ware Racing charter that is currently being used by RFK Racing.
Heim's average points scored per Cup start in 2026 places him ninth in the series, indicating that he could very well be a threat to qualify for the postseason in his first full season next year. Heim will notably not be considered a rookie based on NASCAR's newest questionable interpretation of what the word "rookie" means.
Tune in to NBC at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 25 for the live broadcast of the YellaWood 500 from Talladega Superspeedway. If you have not yet started a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and don't miss any of the action from now until the end of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series postseason!
Add us as a preferred source on Google