How Corey Heim Turned “Pretty Miserable” Stage 1 at Bristol Into First NASCAR Cup Top-10 Finish

Corey Heim is having a sensational season in the Craftsman Truck Series with Tricon Garage this year. He made his fourth Cup Series start of the season with 23XI Racing at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday. In a race filled with tricky tire management techniques, Heim and his crew finished in sixth place after starting from 38th. He explained the experience in his post-race interview.

At the onset of the race, Heim had struggled as the rubber on the right-side tires fell off much heavier than was initially anticipated. He said, “We had the risk of going a lap down. Made our Stage 1 pretty miserable because I just went on trying to get track position.”

Once he realized the need to save his tires, he gained control of the situation and got to work.

“It was interesting for sure” @CoreyHeim_ picked up his first career Cup Series top 10 in Bristol.

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— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) September 14, 2025

He pointed out that he just did what he does best, and the situations with the cautions fell in his lap to secure him a positive result. He acknowledged that, based on the practice sessions, neither he nor any other driver anticipated such heavy tire fall-off. But the lower temperatures at night contributed to the rubber’s degradation and took everyone by surprise.

Interestingly, Heim now has more top-15 finishes than Riley Herbst in 2025. Herbst is a full-time driver for 23XI Racing and has largely underperformed throughout this season. In light of the same, Heim is being pegged as a worthy replacement for Herbst in the 2026 season. But before any such promotion happens, the youngster will want to secure the Truck Series championship.

23XI Racing could use Heim in its garage

One of Heim’s earlier starts in the Cup Series this year came at the Kansas Speedway. Driving the No. 67 Toyota Camry XSE, he defeated all three of 23XI Racing’s drivers and finished in 13th place. Tyler Reddick had finished in 17th place, and Bubba Wallace had finished in the 33rd spot.

This performance from him was considered to be a lucky shot in many circles. It was an unfathomable idea that a Truck Series regular could be a better driver at a track like Kansas than two of its previous winners. But his latest showing at Bristol has proven that it was by no fluke that he outperformed the 23XI Racing stars.

On Saturday, he once again finished ahead of all three drivers. A full-time Cup Series promotion will be a massive update for him. But joining him in its ranks will be an even bigger update for Denny Hamlin’s race organization.