Corey Heim left Kansas with a 15th-place finish, but the bigger shift came in the conversation after the race. He said Dave Rogers told him it was OK to take bigger risks and learn from mistakes as he gets ready for a full-time Cup Series role in 2027.
Heim's Kansas reset
Heim said the message changed how he thinks about each race. “He was like, 'Hey, man, I don't want you to wreck our cars or anything, but it's OK if you take these bigger risks and learn. No one is going to think poorly of you if you hit a wall or do this or that to hinder the result because you took those risks. We want you to be ready for 2027 and learn from mistakes'.”
That instruction gives him a different target in 2026. He is not driving with a full-time role on the line this year, but he is being built for one in 2027 and beyond, and that changes what his races are supposed to teach him.
23XI Racing's preparation plan
Heim said the lesson from Kansas has carried into how he approaches decision-making. “I feel like I've been thinking about that a lot, in regard to my decision-making and my mindset throughout a race. It's not as much about results as it is learning and being prepared to be full-time next year.”
His weekly routine matches that assignment. “I'm pretty much as involved as a full-time driver [would be]. I work out there every day, and I do the simulator two or three times a week.” He added that he prepares as if he were a full-time driver in case he has to sub in at the last second, which is how 23XI Racing is keeping him race-ready while he runs part time in Cup and Trucks.
Truck Series title pressure
The setup carries a twist. Heim won the Truck Series title last year by winning eight of the last 11 races, yet he still had no full-time role for 2026 before the 2027 Cup plan was laid out. That leaves him in a temporary holding pattern: part-time starts now, full-time Cup duty later.
For Heim, the practical task is simple even if the path is not. He has to race with enough edge to keep learning, but not so much that the equipment pays for it, because the whole point of the current arrangement is to make him ready when the full-time Cup seat opens in 2027.
