Denny Hamlin’s team, 23XI, signed Corey Heim as their full-time driver earlier this week. He will be driving the team's No. 35 car from 2027. Dubbed as Jeff Gordon 2.0 by the fans, he currently drives for Hamlin’s Cup Series team as their part-time driver.

Heim made 11 starts for the team over the past three seasons. However, he has been struggling to get points so far this season. However, 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin has backed up their newest full-time recruit with a surprising claim.

“Wild prediction, I think he's [Heim] going to be a playoff driver right off the bat or a chase driver right off the bat,” Hamlin stated during his appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Hamlin explained during the interview why he thinks the 23-year-old can make it to the chase in his first year.

“I saw it again this weekend. He out-ran me, out-restarted me, and had a car very capable of (winning)…we won so.” 

He further emphasized that he had faith in Heim, stating that the latter was quite capable of coming among the top three or four.

He added, “You know he's only got a handful of cup starts, so it's like he's still got quite a few races left to continue to build that notebook that was part of the plan all along.” 

For this season, Heim is scheduled to race in 12 races. He will be making his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series appearance at Michigan this week. 

Entering into a full-time schedule will have a learning curve for the Truck Champion. However, Hamlin has a plan for that as well.

Denny Hamlin Speaks About Getting Corey Heim Ready for His Full-Time Debut

23-year-old defending Truck Series champion Corey Heim was signed by 23XI initially as their developmental driver back in 2024. He currently has enough track time, which can help reduce the learning curve. 

In the aforementioned interview, Hamlin talked about how the team has been helping Heim get comfortable enough to make his full-time debut with the team next year. 

“(The plan) is to have him sit on the sidelines and learn. Even when he is not driving, he is at the racetrack leaning. I want him there, digesting all this information. That way, when he goes full-time, he is a 100% ready to go and has enough track time at various racetracks,” Hamlin said.

Corey Heim recently made his fifth Cup Series appearance at Nashville Superspeedway, where he started the race in 24th place and finished in 25th. 

It will be interesting to see whether Corey Heim can live up to the expectations Denny Hamlin has put on him and how he adjusts to the full-time schedule. 

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit