NASCAR insider provides major update on 23XI star's future

The Corey Heim NASCAR Cup Series era may have to wait a little while longer according to the latest rumors inside the sport.

Heim has been terrific again in 2025, topping the Truck Series regular-season standings after an outstanding campaign which has brought him seven race wins.

It is the 23XI development driver's future in Cup Series racing which has fans really excited, though, with the rising star displaying a ton of potential so far in his career.

23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin himself has even said that Heim is a cert to be a Cup Series regular for the team in the future.

However, anybody hoping to see the 23-year-old make the switch from Trucks to the Cup Series in 2026 looks likely to be disappointed, with a different scenario likely to play out, according to reports.

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Corey Heim 2026 plans

The Athletic insider Jordan Bianchi writes: “The likely plan for Heim, according to industry sources, is a combination schedule where he runs select races in all three national series - in the Cup Series for 23XI Racing, in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series [formerly Xfinity Series] for Sam Hunt Racing and in the Truck Series for Tricon.”

Bianchi goes on to say that while insiders believe Heim is absolutely ready for the full-time jump into Cup Series racing, there are blockers to that move right now.

Cup Series blockers in 2026

“This is not necessarily what Heim deserves, as most everyone within the Cup Series garage acknowledges he is ready for a full-time ride now, but a combination of no open seats in Cup and a lack of sponsorship means he’ll have to wait until 2027 before advancing to Cup full-time - which is expected to happen."

If the right funding is secured, Heim could yet race full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series next season, Bianchi notes, but it appears that a full-time Cup move is off the table.

Heim will begin his Truck Series run on Saturday (August 30) at Darlington, with the action getting underway at noon Eastern Time (FS1).

The good news for fans who are YouTube TV subscribers is that they WILL now be able to catch the action on that platform as well. This after YouTube brokered a temporary deal with FOX when its existing contract ran out on Wednesday.

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