Corey Heim seems ready to set an ambitious target for his 2027 season, and few people would doubt him. Despite the driver not yet making a full-time debut, he believes a championship run is within his grasp when he arrives in the top division next year.

This bold prediction was made by the driver when he was asked to respond to questions regarding the immense pressure of serving in an organization founded by legends such as Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. Rather than ordinarily distancing himself, he chose to embrace such pressure.

“Yeah, I mean, that's a high expectation, but at the same time, when you look at how these cars have been running recently with 23XI, that's a realistic goal for them to have for me,” Heim explained.

He then pointed to the strength of the entire Toyota camp as the reason behind his confidence.

“Tyler has won five out of the first, what, 12 or 15 races. I mean, that's stout as it is, and Bubba's been running better. Riley's been running better. And, of course, all the Toyotas have been really, really good, especially on the mile-and-a-half-style racetracks, which predominantly make up the schedule.”

Reddick surely backed up Heim's claim as he won five of the first nine races of 2026, which marked the fastest five-win start by a Cup driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987.

Now, as Heim continues to make bold predictions, the years of preparation at 23XI may soon get him the championship start he desires. However, Heim's confidence is rooted in more than just the speed of the cars. His promotion also sheds light on a broader question that has been hanging over 23XI Racing's driver lineup.

Riley Herbst's numbers show why Heim's arrival matters

While Heim's promotion has dominated headlines, the significance of the same can be understood by looking at Riley Herbst's results. Herbst joined 23XI Racing's new No. 35 program, but his struggles to adapt continued through the year.

Take, for example, 2025, where he finished 35th in the standings without a single top-10 finish and recorded a best result of 14th at Texas.

Even if we look at this season, the story hasn't changed. After 14 races, Herbst sits at 27th in points and just has one top-10 that came at Daytona 500.

What is interesting is that Herbst was driving the same machinery that Tyler Reddick was, who seems to be outperforming on the track.

Ultimately, it's pretty clear that Heim's promotion could be about replacing Herbst, but it is largely about the future of 23XI as they struggle to choose which driver they view as the centerpiece of their future.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason