Although Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway was just his fourth start in the NASCAR Cup Series, Corey Heim didn’t look like a rookie out on the racetrack at all.
Getting behind the wheel of the No. 67 Robinhood Toyota Camry XSE, a fourth entry for 23XI Racing, Heim recorded a solid top 15 finish for the organization, which not only bested both Cup Series’ Rookie of The Year (ROTY) contenders, but also his three teammates.
The road to get there, though, was not an easy one.
“I think from the very beginning I was trying to settle in,” Heim said after the race. “Such a different experience than my Truck Series regular driving style. Such a different approach with aero balance and trying to find clean air and trying to get grip. It is tough. We are at the top level, and I had to settle in.”
When the green flag was displayed on Sunday afternoon, Heim struggled to get up-to-speed in the NextGen car, feeling the significant disadvantage of having not turned laps in the race car since Nashville Superspeedway last June – nearly 11 months ago.
The Marietta, Georgia-native quickly faded outside the top-30, fighting an extremely tight Toyota Camry XSE. With the race-leader Kyle Larson setting such a punishing pace, it didn’t take long for Heim to find himself off the lead-lap, and with a major hole to dig himself out of.
“It has been about a year since I drove one of these things. First stage was messy to say the least,” Heim continued. “I went a lap down, but the team stuck with me and made really good adjustments, and we climbed back through the field all day.”
The 14-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race-winner, paired with veteran NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Bootie Barker, went to work to get the No. 67 Robinhood-sponsored entry driving better, and eventually, after a couple of adjustments, were able to extract the speed out of the 22-year-old.
It took until Lap 194, when a caution was displayed for a flat right-rear tire on Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford Mustang, for Heim to return to the lead-lap, electing to take the wave around at the advisement of his crew, to put himself back in contention to secure a solid finish.
“We kind of just made consistent steps forward. I’m super proud of everyone at 23XI, Toyota – very thankful for Robinhood for coming on board, The Robin Neon looked great out there running top-15 at the end,” Heim commented. “Just proud of the consistent progress, and team definitely stuck with me in the first stage. It wasn’t pretty on my part, but grateful for everyone believing in me and grateful for the opportunity.”
After the checkered flag waved on a hard-fought 400-miler from Kansas Speedway, Heim brought home a career-best 13th-place finish but revealed an interesting issue to his team on the cooldown lap.
“I just kind of lost it those last 15 laps,” Heim told his 23XI Racing team. “I was shaking my damn brains out. I don’t know if it was just brake shake, but it was really bad on the straightaways too, so that really wouldn’t make sense, but I could barely see the last 20.”
Heim also apologized for his early-race issues on the cooldown lap, saying “Thanks for dealing with my shit there in the first stage. That was embarrassing on my part. Really, really sort about that. Obviously could’ve had a better day if it wasn’t for that.”
The young up-and-coming star will return to the driver’s seat in the NASCAR Cup Series in just three weeks, piloting the fourth 23XI Racing once again at Nashville Superspeedway, and for a third time during Independence Day Weekend at the Chicago Street Course.
