Corey Heim has signed with 23XI Racing as its first ever development driver and will make select NASCAR Cup Series starts for the team this season, 23XI announced Feb. 23.
Heim’s first race with 23XI will be at Kansas Speedway, driving a fourth car, the No. 67. Bootie Barker, who served as Bubba Wallace‘s crew chief full-time until the end of last season, will return atop the box for Heim.
Additional races have yet to be announced.
“It’s a dream come true to be a part of 23XI, and I’m excited for the opportunity to race more Cup and Xfinity races this year,” Heim said in a team release. “I’m blessed to have the chance to compete in all three series as I continue to set my sights on full-time Cup racing when that time comes.
“The success that 23XI has shown in only a few short years has been impressive and I’m excited to learn from the organization. I’m also grateful to everyone at Toyota for their ongoing support in my development both on and off the track, and I look forward to strengthening that relationship for years to come.”
“Our team was fortunate to work with Corey last year and we look forward to growing our relationship with him as our development driver starting in 2025,” added Steve Lauletta, President of 23XI Racing. “Corey continues to prove he is a talented, hard-working driver, and we plan to make all the resources of 23XI available to support his development within the Toyota family as he progresses in NASCAR.”
Additionally, 23XI has partnered with Xfinity Series team Sam Hunt Racing to support it’s second Xfinity car, the No. 24, in select starts for Heim. Heim’s first Xfinity start of the season will come at Circuit of the Americas.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Corey back with us at SHR this year, working alongside 23XI on his professional development,” said SHR team owner Sam Hunt. “Corey has become like a little brother to me – we understand each other’s journeys, and he genuinely cares about the growth and success of SHR long-term. We have had some very strong performances together in the past, so we are looking to continue maximizing our resources and flexing strength as we chase that first organizational win and develop Corey as a Sunday driver.”
Heim, a Craftsman Truck Series regular, previously served as the sim and reserve driver for both 23XI and Legacy Motor Club up until this year, when Legacy signed Kaz Grala to take over those duties.
Heim is currently in his third season in the Truck Series and is already off to a good start, winning the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He made three Cup starts last season, including one with 23XI at Nashville Superspeedway where he crashed out late and finished 29th.
The 22-year-old also has five top 10s in 17 Xfinity starts, all of them coming with SHR.
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter, among many other duties he takes on for the site. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight-choreographer-in-training in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.