23XI Racing has locked in Corey Heim for its future, announcing that the 23-year-old will move from development driver to full-time Cup driver in 2027 and replace Riley Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota.
The move gives Heim a clear path to NASCAR’s top level after years of waiting for a permanent opening. It also answers a question that has hovered over his career while he has raced part time this season in the No. 67 NASCAR Cup ride, a role that has kept him visible but still on the outside of a full-time seat.
Heim’s rise makes sense on performance. The reigning Craftsman NASCAR Truck Series champion won a record 12 races in that title season and has steadily built a case inside 23XI Racing since joining the organization as a development driver in 2024. He ran one race for the team that year, then four in 2025, and this season has already logged part-time Cup starts while the team has used a 12-race schedule for its fourth unchartered car.
This weekend will be Heim’s fifth race with the Cup team, and his numbers have been sturdy if not yet eye-catching. His best finish is 15th and his average finish stands at 23.25. Earlier this month at Texas Motor Speedway, he led a career-best 69 laps before getting caught in a crash with 13 laps remaining, the kind of run that shows why 23XI Racing is willing to commit to him long term even if the seat itself is still more than a year away.
That gap is the odd part of the announcement. Heim is being promoted for 2027 while he still does not have a full-time ride this year and remains in part-time Cup equipment, a reminder that the sport’s road to permanence can be as much about timing as talent. For now, 23XI Racing is asking him to keep building experience in limited outings while the larger reward sits just ahead.
Herbst is expected to leave 23XI Racing at the end of the year, and the No. 35 Toyota will be the seat Heim steps into. For Heim, the announcement does more than confirm a number on a car. It puts a date on the future he has been chasing and leaves only the final details — the races, sponsors and structure around the 2027 program — to be filled in later.
