Corey Heim is one of the top NASCAR prospects right now, viewed by many as a future star in the Cup Series. Coming off a dominant regular season driving the No. 11 for the Truck Series, one of the biggest questions in the industry right now is where Heim will be driving next season.<\/p>\n
The Instagram account nascarrumornostalgia<\/a>, well-known for some of its insight into the sport, shared the speculation around NASCAR is that Heim will join Sam Hunt Racing next season in \u201csome capacity.\u201d It could wind up being a part-time role between the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series in 2026.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Related: Front Runner Emerges to Replace Corey Heim in NASCAR Truck Series<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Corey Heim stats (Truck Series<\/a>)<\/strong>: 2,065 points, 7 wins, 14 top 10s, 12 top 5s, 5 poles, 1,127 laps led, 4.667 average starting position, 6.444 average finishing position in 18 races<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n There had\u00a0previously been\u00a0some speculation\u00a0that Heim could\u00a0be pursued by\u00a0Spire Motorsports, with Cup\u00a0driver Justin\u00a0Haley\u00a0on the\u00a0hot seat<\/a>. Amid\u00a0reports that\u00a0the No. 7 car\u00a0could be open, Spire\u2019s president\u00a0admitted the\u00a0team isn\u2019t happy<\/a>\u00a0with Haley\u2019s results, and\u00a0a change was\u00a0possible before\u00a0next season.<\/p>\n A pursuit\u00a0by Spire would\u00a0put 23XI Racing\u00a0in a tough spot. Amid its ongoing\u00a0antitrust lawsuit\u00a0against NASCAR, the team co-owned by Michael\u00a0Jordan and Denny Hamlin already\u00a0has three full-time drivers. While Cup rookie\u00a0Riley Herbst\u00a0sits at the bottom\u00a0of the standings, the financial\u00a0backing he brings\u00a0to the team isn\u2019t\u00a0something 23XI can\u00a0necessarily afford\u00a0to sacrifice\u00a0right now.<\/p>\n So, unless 23XI loses its charter for next season and Tyler Reddick leaves because of it, using his contract opt-out, there isn\u2019t a full-time ride available for Heim with his current development team. If another team offered him a full-time ride, 23XI wouldn\u2019t be able to beat that offer.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Related:\u00a0NASCAR Truck Series Playoff Standings, see where Corey Heim sits<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Heim, who turned 23 years old in July, does have some incentive to stay committed to the development plan laid out for him by 23XI and Toyota. As he told YouTuber\u00a0Eric Estepp<\/a>\u00a0in an interview\u00a0last week<\/a>, he grew up a fan of Hamlin.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say so for the most part. I feel like with my development with Toyota, they\u2019ve always kinda put me in a good spot to succeed\u2026Yes, it\u2019s easy to get greedy when you feel like you can perform at the top level, which I feel like I can given the right opportunity. But at the same time, it\u2019s like, I\u2019m surrounded by really good people that tell me to trust the process and they\u2019ve been telling me that since 2020 and so far the process has been great for me\u2026I\u2019m continuing to trust that process and I feel like, sooner than later, that will pay off and I\u2019ll be in a really good position in the Cup Series\u2026I feel like the spot I\u2019m in is very ideal for my future, so for me, I just think it\u2019s the best place to be for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n NASCAR driver Corey Heim to Eric Estepp on his trust in the development plan for him from Toyota, 23XI<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Related: NASCAR Prospects Who Could be Future Stars in the Cup Series<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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