admin Corey Heim slammed into the wall twice while destroying his tires during the first few runs Sunday in the inaugural NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado.
It was no problem for Heim, whose No. 67 Toyota inexplicably kept getting faster on the way to his first career Cup Series victory in only his 13th start.
The 23-year-old part-time driver from Marietta, Georgia, took a deep breath before the second half of the race and reminded himself that he had as much experience as the veterans on the 16-turn, 3.4-mile street course on Coronado Island, just south of downtown San Diego.
“I’m speechless,” Heim said. “Maybe I knocked some good into the car. I have no idea. I had high expectations coming into this race. I just reset and went after it.”
Racing driver Corey Heim (67) during the Anduril 250 at San Diego Street Course.
Heim, the 2024 truck series champion who will move full time into Cup next season with 23XI Racing, led the final three laps after snatching first from teammate Tyler Reddick.
“I was able to stick with him, and five to go came, and it was time to put some pressure on him and see if I could get him to make a mistake,” Heim said. “Sure enough, he did.”
Bubba Wallace finished second to deliver a 1-2 finish for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA great Michael Jordan.
Reddick suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and fell to 25th, cutting his lead in the standings to eight points over Hamlin.
“To even have a shot at it at the end was really nice,” said Reddick, who started from the rear after unapproved adjustments to his No. 45 Toyota. “First and foremost, congratulations to Corey. I thought I was going to be able to hold him off there. It definitely stings. Really needed a good points day. Had another really bad one, so we’ll try and scrape together.”
It’s the second time in three years that an inaugural street race has produced a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series. Shane van Gisbergen won his Cup debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race.
Heim became the third first-time winner in Cup this season, joining Ty Gibbs (Bristol) and Carson Hocevar (Talladega).
“Just crazy,” Heim said. “I hope I don’t wake up from this dream.”
Corey Heim (67) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado.
His peers already think Heim’s for real.
“Awesome job by Corey Heim,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson said after finishing third. “That’s really cool. He’s a super talented race car driver, and it’s neat to see somebody get their first win, especially at a challenging track like this.”
Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five.
Hamlin, the driver-owner who had won the past three races for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 14th.
Van Gisbergen finished 38th in his bid for an eighth road or street course victory (which will make him the active leader among Cup drivers).
Corey Heim and crew celebrate in the victory lane. AFP
After starting from the pole position, van Gisbergen was caught in a crash that started when Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch and Austin Hill collided while battling for the lead on a Lap 32 restart. The nine-car incident caused a nine-minute red flag for wall repairs.
“I felt like I was giving Austin space, and the next thing, I was in the wall,” said Zilisch, who led the first eight laps of his Cup career in the highlight of a miserable rookie season. “Really unfortunate. I hate to end both days for both Shane and I. We had a really fast car today. I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed just getting to race out front and lead laps.”
During the first caution, Christopher Bell was replaced in the No. 20 Toyota by Brent Crews, but the driver relief stint was short. Crews exited in last place after a gearbox problem on the 28th lap.
Bell is still recovering from a broken wrist in a June 7 crash at Michigan International Speedway and said getting out of the car was precautionary and not because of pain.
In his second and last Cup start of the 2026 season, Jimmie Johnson slammed a tire barrier after missing a chicane on the fifth lap and finished 28th.
The seven-time series champion said Saturday that he still plans on the 2027 Daytona 500 as his final start as a Cup driver, but he is open to racing in other series.
NASCAR will stay in California, heading north to Sonoma Raceway on June 28. Van Gisbergen dominated in winning on the road course last season, leading 97 of 110 laps from the pole position.
Associated Press
