Corey Heim to replace Riley Herbst in 23XI Racing move
corey heim will move from development driver to full-time Cup driver next year, and he will replace Riley Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota at 23XI Racing. The move gives Heim a full-time place after a year of part-time Cup work and a Truck Series championship season built around 12 wins.
Heim’s climb at 23XI Racing
Heim has been with 23XI Racing since 2024, when he joined as a development driver and made one race for the team. He ran four races in 2025 and has spent this year in the No. 67 NASCAR Cup ride, a stopgap that kept him in the program while he waited for a full-time opening.
The opening came after Riley Herbst was set to leave the team at the end of the year. That change turns Heim’s part-time run into a full-season promotion, and it gives 23XI Racing a direct handoff from one driver to the next in its Cup lineup.
Texas Motor Speedway numbers
Heim’s case for the seat was built on more than a Truck Series title. He is the reigning Craftsman NASCAR Truck Series champion after a record-breaking season that produced 12 victories, and he has already shown speed in Cup equipment this year.
Earlier this month at Texas Motor Speedway, he led a career-best 69 laps before getting caught in a crash with 13 laps remaining. It was the kind of run that showed pace without delivering the finish, and it came during a stretch in which he was already stretching his Cup seat time toward this larger role.
No. 35 Toyota plan
This weekend will be Heim’s fifth race with the Cup team, and his results so far explain why the move is being made now. He has a best finish of 15th and an average finish of 23.25 in those starts, numbers that show progress but also leave room for the full-time schedule to do the rest of the work.
Heim’s own words from earlier in the season fit the path he is on: “Every driver wants to race as much as possible, but I’m fully committed to the approach that I am taking with the team,” and “I look forward to more Cup races this year and the opportunity to grow and expand my race-craft on and off the track.” The part-time run gave him a platform; next year gives him the seat.
