Corey Heim officially punched his ticket into NASCAR history books Sunday, taking home his first Brickyard 400 crown after a daring outside pass on team co-owner Denny Hamlin during the final restart. The 24-year-old then absolutely held off Christopher Bell, beating him by a tight 0.287 seconds on the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, leading the final 35 laps like a seasoned pro. Joey Logano, last week’s winner, rounded out the podium in third, almost a second behind.
Heim’s Historical Statement at the Brickyard
This kid, Heim, has already bagged two wins this season, and get this: he’s not even slated to drive full-time in the Cup series until next year! That’s just wild, right? He’s the first Cup driver to rack up two wins in his first 15 career starts since A.J. Foyt himself back in 1965. Think about that for a second. That’s a name that echoes through racing history, and Heim is already drawing comparisons. He wasn’t shy about how tough it was either, saying, “That was a damn handful. I was hanging on for dear life once the shade went down and the pace picked up, my car got really loose and I never really got a lot of clean air throughout the day, so that was the hardest I’ve ever fought in my life to make sure I focused on the exits and get through dirty air.” He fought like heck and came out on top.
Chaos and Close Calls for the Field
While Heim was celebrating, it was a mixed bag of drama for everyone else. Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, had to watch his own driver win while he himself finished fifth, over six seconds back. Poor Hamlin is still 0 for 18 at Indy, missing the only crown jewel race he hasn’t won. Ouch. But hey, his team got the win, and Bubba Wallace, Heim’s teammate, took the title last year, so Jordan’s team is still killing it. Meanwhile, Todd Gilliland from Front Row Motorsports pulled off a surprise by snatching the $1 million In-Season Challenge, despite qualifying 36th! He even finished second in the second stage. This came after 2023 Cup champ Ryan Blaney got tangled up in a brutal nine-car crash with only 41 laps to go. Blaney’s No. 12 Ford couldn’t get back into contention, finishing 26th to Gilliland’s 24th.
It was also a rough day for some other big names. Defending Cup champ Kyle Larson continued his winless streak, now at 46 races, after a blown left rear tire sent him into the wall and out of the race in stage one. Daniel Dye and Chase Elliott also hit the wall and were knocked out early. Larson, who’s won 26 races and two series crowns since 2021, last saw victory lane in May 2025 at Kansas. He’s got to be feeling the pressure, but you know he’s going to fight to defend that title.
After 16 straight weeks of racing, the Cup drivers finally get a much-needed break in early August. Then it’s off to Iowa’s 0.875-mile oval on August 9th. William Byron is the defending race winner there, with Blaney winning in 2024 in a night race that was plagued by tire issues. It’s going to be interesting to see if Heim can keep this insane momentum going.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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