Corey Heim proved he could be a NASCAR legend in the making, winning one of the motorsport's crown jewels and mirroring legends of the sport.
SPEEDWAY, Ind. -- Corey Heim proved he could be a NASCAR legend in the making, winning one of the motorsport's crown jewels and mirroring legends of the sport.
Heim led four times for 58 laps to mirror four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon who, in 1994, also earned his second career win in the Brickyard 400.
Coincidentally, Heim's Sunday victory drive was in the number 67 that Gordon drove when he first raced in NASCAR.
In the other race Heim won, at Naval Base Coronado last month, he matched another legend -- seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson -- by winning in his 13th career start. However, Sunday saw him beat some current greats of the sport in the closing laps.
While restarting on the front row the first time, with less than 45 laps to go, he had to block three-time champion Joey Logano's aggressive three-wide move. Then, on the following restart, a push from Logano propelled him to the lead and a position to block team owner and current points leader Denny Hamlin from trying to fight back.
Once out in front, Heim's car built looser as one of the winningest drivers in the NextGen era -- Christopher Bell -- breathed down his neck.
Heim didn't falter, even with Logano running both him and Bell down. Looking like Logano, he took a page from his school of aeroblocking and secured the checkered flag.
Heim's win made him the the youngest winner of the Brickyard 400 since Gordon in 1994. With two wins in 15 starts, he became the first driver since A.J. Foyt in July 1965 to reach that mark in the Cup Series.
Heim also joined Foyt and another great -- Tim Richmond -- as the only drivers in the NASCAR's modern era to get multiple wins in a Cup season where they ran half of the races on the schedule. The young 23XI Racing driver is even shades of Davey Allison who, in 1987, also earned two wins in the first eight starts of a part-time campaign that preceded his full foray into Cup, in 1988.
What can Heim do in 2027? The sky seems to be the limit. Naval Base Coronado was a statement but everyone was on a seemingly-even playing field that Heim played to his strength as a part-time driver who was able to overprepare for, compared to others.
Indianapolis, however, solidified that, in 2027, he could be the quickest rookie the series has seen since a familiar face to him reeled off two wins at the series' toughest track and finished third in the points standings in his first year, back in 2006.
History doesn't repeat. It rhymes, just like Heim Time.
Footnote: In just eight starts, Heim's success in the No. 67 car allowed the team to pass two full-time teams -- Rick Ware Racing's No. 51 team and Trackhouse Racing's No. 88 team -- in the owner points standings after 22 races.
