Corey Heim grabbed all the attention recently after his latest win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Sunday. With this, the young driver has picked up two wins in just 15 Cup races, and experts have already started seeing him as a big prospect, comparing him with some established NASCAR stars.

Mike Forde, NASCAR's Managing Director of Racing Communication, recently sat down with Nate Ryan and Amanda Elise, fellow NASCAR media personnel, to discuss the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race weekend, during which they shed light on Heim.

"He reminds me right now of Matt Kenseth," Forde said in the latest Hauler Talk podcast. "In his early years, but without maybe the wit. That dry wit that Kenseth had, I don't think, what, Heim's from Georgia. He doesn't have that, yeah, Western Laconic sense of humour."

Notably, Western Laconic stands for people who only speak whenever necessary, and often use one word to reply. And as stated by Forde, Kenseth also showed a similar way to respond during his racing days.

"I shouldn't judge too much because I haven't covered Corey Heim enough to really know his personality yet, but in terms of like, the way he answers questions and the way he seems to like process thoughts and the way he drives reminds me a little bit of Kansas early on.

"I don't know if that's an apt comparison, but like that the way they sort of like deal with the media, or at least from what I've seen so far, like that would be kind of like the signpost for me," he further added in the podcast.

Matt Kenseth, who currently serves as the competition advisor at Legacy Motor Club, is a veteran former racing driver. Hailing from Wisconsin, he has a championship and 39 Cup wins under his belt.

He was known for his blunt replies, deadpan humor, and no-nonsense accountability, something that made his separate from the field. And now, Heim, who started making waves in NASCAR, is also said to follow suit.

Heim's recent media interviews are a testament to that, where he uses sharp tactics to brush off rivalries and uses blunt honesty to put rivals in their place in terms of any scuffle.

However, Heim's media behaviour isn't the only place he receives praise for.

Joey Logano lauded Corey Heim for "solid drive"

Despite being a part-timer, Corey Heim surprised everyone with two quick wins in 2026. Known as 23XI's best prodigy in recent times, Heim also earned massive praise from his senior at racing from time to time, and this time it was Joey Logano.

Logano, the three-time Cup Series champion, hailed Heim's driving and regards him as one of the long-time threats in NASCAR. And one cannot deny how he held off his rivals to snatch the win.

"I think he's really talented, turns out. Like I know his trucks were good, but I think the driver was spectacular. He's got it. We're going to be battling him forever here. He's a lot younger to me, but he'll be here the whole time. Just the solid drive, does the right thing, doesn't get risky, doesn't get nervous," Logano told Bob Pockrass after the race.

On Sunday, Corey Heim denied Christopher Bell and Joey Logano, while Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin wrapped up the top five. Heim will drive for 23XI Racing next season under a full-time obligation.

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason