Corey Heim still cannot believe it. The 23-year-old from Georgia is not only 23XI Racing’s newest NASCAR Cup Series driver, but he is now the sport’s most recent first-time winner.
Heim, a part-time racer with the team co-owned by NBA great Michael Jordan and NASCAR’s winningest active driver, Denny Hamlin, cruised to a 10.5-second victory at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado on Sunday.
“I don’t know if I thought I had a great chance to win, but with this being a one-off event and a track that no one has ever seen before, I felt like my preparation was pretty good leading up to the event,” Heim said on Wednesday after his first Cup victory. “After practice, I felt like I had a pretty decent chance at winning. That was a cool experience.”
Heim’s first win came in the most-anticipated NASCAR race of the season, excluding the Daytona 500. The road course at Naval Base Coronado was design specifically for NASCAR to race on the active base in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday. The Prime Video ratings were out of control, too, with an average of 2.28 million viewers.
“Besides the Daytona 500, I don’t know if you could have written up a better first-win experience,” Heim said. “I was telling people all weekend before the race that I’ve personally had in my racing career. To go out there and win it and enjoy all the post-race celebrations and all of the things that came with that was a really cool experience.”
How Did Corey Heim Win In San Diego?
Heim is a part-time Cup racer with 23XI’s No. 67 team, led by veteran crew chief Bootie Barker. Prior to Heim’s win, Barker only had two victories as a crew chief, both with Bubba Wallace in 2021 and 2022.
The pairing with Heim seems to be working, as the team’s fourth car was getting stronger each week prior to San Diego.
“Starting out with the organization, Bootie and the [No.] 67 guys, we’ve had speed all year,” Heim explained. “Looking back at Nashville just two weeks ago, I made a mistake. But leading up to that point, I genuinely thought we had a chance to win that race. Going into San Diego, Tyler had already won on a road course at COTA earlier this year, so we knew our road-course package is good and we knew our car would be capable. It was about me executing and our [No.] 67 group executing. We had our expectations pretty high going into the weekend.”
Heim, who will replace Riley Herbst in the team’s third full-time entry beginning in 2027, said it is “a relief to get the first one checked off.”
“I understand that I’m capable of winning a Cup race,” Heim said. “It’s a huge deal, and to be able to do it before being in a full-time situation definitely takes a bit of the edge off. With that being said, the pressure is on now to prove I can do it twice or even more than that.”
Now, the pressure will be on in 2027, as Heim will take over a car that is already performing better in its second full season by an average of over six positions.
But the victory also means additional pressure for NASCAR’s hottest prospect. People will now expect him to win frequently, he believes, just as he has in the Craftsman Truck Series. In that divison, Heim won a record 12 of 25 races in 2025 en route to earning his first NASCAR championship.
“For me, it’s not overlooking the fact that everyone is expecting me to go out and win,” he explained. “I feel like my preparation is really solid to begin with. A lot of it is to continue doing what I’ve been doing. There’s going to be chatter about when is the next one going to be and if I can win another one this year or in my first full-time season.
“I don’t see myself as a guy who goes into a weekend and sets an expectation to win. I prepare as well as I can and try to execute. The only thing I don’t want to do is sit here and make it look like I’m taking a weekend off. I want to go out and feel like I’m prepared.”
What Did Michael Jordan Say To Corey Heim?
One of the benefits of competing for 23XI Racing and being part of that family is racing for Jordan. Jordan has been at the track several times in 2026, including for Tyler Reddick’s historic start to the 2026 season.
When asked who the coolest person was to reach out to Heim after Sunday’s victory, without thinking, he said it was MJ, who gave him a major congratulations on the victory.
“It’s always cool hearing from MJ,” Heim said. “He reaches out if I run 30th. Whether it’s a keep your head up type of text or a hey, nice job kind of text, it’s always cool hearing from him. He’s a very invested owner and he’s very good at keeping up with the drivers and the crew chiefs. The fact he’s so invested in this race team is a really cool feeling. Hearing from him is always good.”
Now, with the first win in the mirror, Heim can focus on becoming a full-time Cup racer in 2027 and fighting for the championship.
“It’s definitely going to be a grind,” Heim said. “Full-time Cup racing is not easy and part-time Cup racing is not easy. These guys are phenomenal at what they do. It’s not going to be easy by any means, but the fact is we were able to prove that I’m capable and this team and organization are capable of winning (whether it’s the [Nos.] 45 or 67). We’re firing on all cylinders right now. I’m glad to get the chip off my shoulders.”
23XI Racing’s Corey Heim Reveals What Michael Jordan Said After His 1st Win