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Corey Heim vents frustration after wreck, exit from Nashville NASCAR race

JHby: Jonathan Howard06/02/25Jondean25
Corey Heim Nashville Cup Series
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In his second NASCAR Cup Series start of the season, Corey Heim finds himself out of the race early tonight in Nashville. Heim got into Brad Keselowski and ended up spinning out. His car was damaged, and he was unable to keep racing.

This has not been the best weekend for Corey Heim. I say that, even though he was P2 in the Truck Series race the other night. He lost to Rajah Caruth as the dirty air made it difficult to pass. Tonight, he simply made a mistake and got run over by Keselowski. Heim was not clear as he came up on the No. 6 car.

To his credit, Heim took the blame for his mistake. He went to Twitter after he left the care center to vent his frustrations and explain what happened.

“That one’s on me. Proud of [23XI Racing] for the speed we brought today, frustrated with myself for ending our day early,” Corey Heim posted. “Looking forward to the next.”

It is a shame that Corey Heim is out of the race early. These Cup Series starts are rare for him, and he may be waiting longer to get a full-time Cup ride after this season. With less sponsorship than other drivers, Heim is on the waiting list, despite being a development driver for 23XI Racing.

Right now, Riley Herbst is in that third chartered car for 23XI. If it were a perfect world, Heim would be in that car based on his talent. Everyone agrees that he is a future Cup Series talent. For now, he has to be patient and bide his time.

Corey Heim ends Cup Series race early

There is no doubt that Corey Heim is the best driver in the Truck Series. On a consistent basis, he puts up more laps led, more points, and more wins than anyone else. And that’s with the fact that he has left more than a few wins on the board.

To put it into perspective, you have to look at Heim’s laps led stat. 812 laps through 12 races, that is a record for the first 12 races of the season. The driver with the second-most laps led? Chandler Smith with 188.

Of course, Heim has had mistakes and has been taken out of races that he has dominated. Layne Riggs and Heim have built quite the rivalry this season as they have battled for leads late in races. It culminated in Riggs taking Heim out of the lead at North Wilkesboro a few weeks ago.

Today, Corey Heim was having a solid run for a part-time driver. He got a taste of what those 23XI cars feel like again. However, it wasn’t meant to last today in Nashville. The young driver is still learning and will only get better after this experience.