“No idea why he’s still in the Truck!” Kevin Harvick Gives Stern Corey Heim Poaching Warning to 23XI Racing

Ex-Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick gives his verdict on Corey Heim’s Toyota future with limited top tier opportunity.

“No idea why he’s still in the Truck!” Kevin Harvick Gives Stern Corey Heim Poaching Warning to 23XI Racing

Kevin Harvick and Corey Heim (Via IMAGO)

Since his debut in the Truck Series, Corey Heim has established himself as one of the very best prodigies in the NASCAR garage. Now with the maturity he has shown in the three seasons with Tricon Garage, he seems to be ready for the top division. 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick has assessed the current situation Heim and Toyota is in at the moment.

In the latest episode of the Fox Sport Happy Hour Podcast, Kevin Harvick admitted that he doesn’t understand why Corey Heim is still driving the Truck Series despite being Cup ready. He at least deserves an 8 to 12 race part-time stint in the top tier. 14 wins in the last four season in the Truck proves, he needs a bigger challenge.

We’ve been talking about Corey Heim. I have no idea why he’s still in the Truck Series. I know he has nowhere to go, but somebody better find somewhere for him to go. They better find somewhere for him to go in a much bigger capacity than, you know, the eight, 10, 12 races that might be possible in that Cup car next year.

Kevin Harvick said via Happy Hour podcast.

Corey Heim is currently contracted with Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing. At the moment they don’t have a seat to offer him in the Cup Series though he deserves it, with 23XI and JGR having their slots filled with solid drivers. Though Legacy MC is part of TRD, they also don’t have a seat for him in the top tier. The best thing they can do is to replace Riley Herbst, who is kind of a pay driver for 2026, given they find a good sponsor.

Assessing this situation, Kevin Harvick declared that if Corey Heim doesn’t get a proper deal from TRD in the 2026 season other manufactures will bounce on that opportunity have a solid driver. Him being the Total package and a Cup ready driver that comes in from the lower series once in half a decade makes him the hot property.

If not, there’s going to be a conversation from a different manufacturer, or a different team, or somebody else wanting to know, ‘Hey, what do we got to do to get Corey Heim in our car?’ He’s the total package. We don’t see these kids come in and do that good in a Cup car very often.

Kevin Harvick added.

How did Corey Heim perform on his NASCAR Cup debut

Last Sunday was special for Corey Heim, as he finally got the opportunity in the Cup Series, he was looking for a long-time with 23XI, driving their fourth car. He had a tough event, as it was a trough ride from the start for him, but was able to bounce back and secure a solid top-15 finish, pretty good for a rookie.

corey heim
Corey Heim

Talking about his performance on Sunday, Heim admitted that Stage One didn’t match his expectations, with the five wide chaotic moment at the start giving him a scare. But he was able to produce what was expected of him in the remaining two stages of the event, to get into the top 15 and if he was able to perform on the same level from a start a top 10 was on the table for him.

Stage one was certainly under my expectations. I think I’m better than that. Stages two and three, I think that was kind of what I was going for – just to keep climbing forward, not do anything crazy.

Corey Heim said.

The comments from Corey Heim shows how developed he is as a driver at the moment and how confident he is on his capability to produce on the track. It would be interesting to see how long it will take for TRD and 23XI to give Heim the Cup shot he deserves as Kevin Harvick highlighted.

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