Corey Heim, who has already been confirmed to be on his way to replacing Riley Herbst as 23XI Racing's third full-time driver for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, continues to compete part-time for the team in a fourth entry this year.
After running four races behind the wheel of the No. 67 Toyota in 2025, in his first year as the development driver for the team owner by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, he has already run seven races in 2026, including this past weekend's race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Heim's Chicagoland start was his first since he earned his first career Cup victory in the inaugural race on Naval Base Coronado two weekends prior; he did not compete at Sonoma Raceway in between.
He placed ninth at Chicagoland, marking his best oval finish of the year. His career-high oval finish remains his impressive drive from the back to sixth place at Bristol Motor Speedway in September 2025.
Corey Heim out for Atlanta NASCAR Cup race
Heim does have five more starts planned for the remainder of the 2026 season, but this weekend's race at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) is not one of them.
In fact, neither one of the two non-chartered (open) cars that ran the Chicagoland race are on the entry list for Sunday night's 260-lap Quaker State 400 around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) high-banked Hampton, Georgia oval, as the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet, which was driven by J.J. Yeley, will also not compete.
The two open cars on this weekend's entry list include the No. 66 Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports) Ford for Chad Finchum and the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet for B.J. McLeod.
As for Heim, he will also not compete in next weekend's race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He is set to return at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26, and he is also set to compete at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, August 29; Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 6; Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 11; and Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 8 to conclude the 2026 campaign.
Tune in to TNT Sports this Sunday, July 12 for the live broadcast of the Quaker State 400 from EchoPark Speedway. Live coverage is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, so don't miss any of the action from the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season's 20th points race!
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