NASCAR Trucks champion Corey Heim without a full-time seat in 2026

Corey Heim broke the all-time wins record in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with 12 victories in 2025 and won the championship, but he will not race full-time in any series during 2026. 23XI Racing confirmed that he will compete in 12 Cup Series races (out of the 36 on the calendar) and some yet-to-be-determined Truck Series events with TRICON Garage, with no confirmed plans for a full-time seat in the immediate future. The Cup program doubles the five races he ran in 2025 but remains a partial schedule.

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He will drive the No. 67 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing on dates that include NASCAR's four crown jewel events: the Daytona 500 on February 15th, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte on May 24th, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis on July 26th, and the Southern 500 at Darlington on September 6th. The other eight dates are Kansas on April 19th, Texas on May 3rd, Nashville on May 31st, San Diego on June 21st, Chicagoland on July 5th, Daytona on August 29th, Charlotte on October 11th, and Homestead-Miami on November 8th. The schedule is structured in blocks: seven consecutive races between April and July, plus three appearances during the playoffs.

Every race is qualify or go home

Heim's No. 67 is an open entry, which forces him to qualify on speed each time the number of entrants exceeds the 40 cars allowed. In 2025, he failed to qualify for the Chicago race and missed the event. The Daytona 500 historically attracts more than 40 entrants, so Heim will have to earn his spot in qualifying to make his debut in NASCAR's most important race. The rest of his schedule has a lower probability of missing the race because few dates generate enough demand for spots.

23XI Racing operates three full-time chartered cars: Bubba Wallace in the No. 23, Riley Herbst in the No. 35, and Tyler Reddick in the No. 45. Adding a fourth full-time car would require purchasing another charter for millions of dollars or running the entire season exposed to not qualifying. Bootie Barker will continue as the crew chief for the No. 67 and has already worked with Heim in his five races in 2025. Barker led 23XI Racing to its first Cup Series victory with Bubba Wallace in 2021.

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Champion not defending his crown

Heim won the Truck Series title in 2025 by running the full 25-race schedule with TRICON Garage. In 2026, he will only compete in "a select few races" in the category according to the official announcement, with no specific schedule confirmed. His 2025 numbers were historic: 12 victories set a new single-season wins record, with 19 top-5s and 21 top-10s in 25 races. He won the regular season championship before the playoffs started, led more laps than any other competitor, and clinched the championship in Phoenix during the final race of the year with seven pole positions accumulated. In five Truck Series seasons, he has 23 wins in 89 races.

Between 2024 and 2025, he completed seven Cup Series races, five of which were with 23XI Racing. His best performance came at Bristol last season, where he finished sixth in the night race, showing he has competitive speed. On average, he improved from a starting position of 30th to a finishing position of 23rd.

23XI Racing maintains gradual strategy

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, explained that "we know the future is really bright for Corey, and we are working with him to be as prepared as possible when his time comes to race full-time." Dave Rogers, the team's senior director, added that Heim will participate in race preparation and analysis activities even during weeks he is not competing. 23XI Racing indicated it will look for additional opportunities during the season "if circumstances align," with no defined commitments beyond the 12 confirmed races.

"We know the future is really bright for Corey, and we are working with him to be as prepared as possible when his time comes to race full-time."