What’s Happening?

While Corey Heim continues to dominate the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the 22-year-old’s odd plans for next season are starting to shape up in the NASCAR Rumor Mill.

In my latest NASCAR mailbag, I answered questions on:

–the ongoing lawsuit between NASCAR and 23XI/Front Row

–Explaining how the 2026 schedule came together

–Dodge's Cup plans

–Latest on Silly Season https://t.co/o5vgPa7BVP

— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) August 29, 2025

Corey Heim is perhaps the second-best prospect in NASCAR and the best talent in the Toyota Gazoo Racing pipeline with 23XI Racing. While he is on pace for one of the most dominant NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series seasons ever, a full-time promotion is looking increasingly unlikely.

A promotion has been a thorn in the side of the prospect for a majority of his career, as after three straight championship-level seasons in Trucks, Heim has merely scraped together part-time efforts with Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series and Legacy Motor Club/23XI Racing in the Cup Series.

His luck seemingly turned around after Kaden Honeycutt and Niece Motorsports parted ways, shrouded in rumors that Honeycutt was bound for Heim’s ride, with 23XI’s top prospect looking at a promotion. While it was already well known that he likely won’t be in the Cup Series next season, fans were hopeful he could finally take the next step to full-time Xfinity Series action.

Now, in a blow to this theory, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reports that Heim is likely to race a “combination schedule” in all three NASCAR National Series with TRICON in Trucks, SHR in the newly renamed O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and 23XI in the Cup Series.

This rumor has floated around for some time, and with Heim’s past struggles to get a ride in the Xfinity Series, it seemed like the likely option.

Is This the Right Step in Heim’s Pursuit of the Cup Series?

Neither the driver nor the teams involved have confirmed this is the plan for 2026. Though on the surface, this may seem like a step back for Heim, it may be the only path he can take moving forward.

Nonetheless, Heim wouldn’t be alone, as other top prospects have taken this route in the past.

This list includes 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney, who, in 2015, raced in five Truck Series races for Brad Keselowski, 13 Xfinity Series races with Team Penske, and attempted 19 races with the Wood Brothers in the Cup Series one year prior to his full-time Cup Series debut.  

Heim should take note of Blaney’s season. While he had three DNQs, the then-21-year-old used this season to set his footing in the top division of NASCAR while continuing to show his competitive edge in the two lower divisions of the sport.

If possible, it will be important for 23XI to field Heim in more races than they have this year. If this is the plan for him to step up to Cup by 2027, it would be worthwhile to get him as much experience against that level of competition during this momentary gap in his full-time career.

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