23XI Racing is including a fourth automobile to its roster, albeit part-time, for the 2025 NASCAR Cup season. Behind the wheel — up-and-comer Corey Heim, who will be a part of the staff as its very first official developmental driver.
As a part of the deal, Heim is slated to make a number of begins between the Cup and Xfinity collection: piloting the No. 67 Toyota as an open entry for Cup beginning starting with Kansas, in Might, and a part-time run with Sam Hunt Racing with assist from 23XI within the Xfinity races starting at COTA subsequent weekend.
Heim made the Championship 4 within the NASCAR Truck Collection for back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024. And the 22-year-old driver already has three Cup begins to his title, operating two as a fill-in for an injured Erik Jones final 12 months, ending as excessive as twenty second. His third Cup begin was with 23XI at Nashville, which sadly resulted in a crash. He is additionally no stranger to Sam Hunt’s Xfinity program, making 17 NXS begins with them over the past two years with a career-best end of third.
Watch: Corey Heim ‘grateful’ to turn out to be 23XI Racing’s first growth driver
“I am simply so grateful to have this chance with 23XI Racing,” mentioned Heim in a press convention Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He additionally thanked Toyota “for believing in me over the previous couple of years,” as he began with the producer in 2020. He famous that it has been a “sluggish climb” as he embarks on his third full-time season within the Truck Collection, however Toyota has been beside him each step of the best way.
As a Truck Collection driver, he has 12 wins together with the 2025 season-opener at Daytona after Parker Kligerman’s disqualification. In 2023, he was only a few laps away from doubtlessly successful the Truck championship earlier than contact from title rival Carson Hocevar upended his race.
At present, his trajectory appears much like Zane Smith, who additionally spent a number of years as a full-time driver within the Truck Collection with loads of success whereas dipping his toes within the higher two divisions. He then jumped straight from Vans to Cup with out ever operating a whole Xfinity season. It stays to be seen if Heim will observe the identical path as no plans for his future past 2025 have been revealed. However as he joins the likes of the No. 23 of Bubba Wallace, No. 35 of Riley Herbst, and No. 45 of Tyler Reddick, with veteran Bootie Barker on his pit field and Denny Hamlin because the staff’s co-owner, he’ll have an unimaginable group of people to study and develop from.
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