Joe Gibbs Racing Potentially Blocking Truck Series Phenom on Denny Hamlin’s Radar After On-Track Bad Blood

NASCAR is a high-contact sport, with drivers colliding at speeds of 150-200 mph, so it's no surprise that rivalries and bad blood can linger for years. Right now, it seems like Corey Heim is caught in one such story. Heim, a rising star in the Truck Series and a top Toyota prospect, is gunning for the championship, but old tensions with Joe Gibbs Racing could be holding him back.

While he's already raced for Denny Hamlin's 23XI Racing, Heim hasn't quite clicked with JGR, Toyota's top team. The recent drama in Atlanta, along with some lingering ARCA history, may be part of the reason.

Is past beef getting in Corey Heim's way? In NASCAR, many boiling rivalries have sprung up, only to make way for bountiful bonds. For instance, Richard Childress delivered a fistful to Kyle Busch in 2011—currently, the latter drives for Childress' team. Then Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace also got off to a bad start but now work closely together in the same team. Yet Corey Heim and Ty Gibbs' bitter rivalry is not seeing any end.

In 2021, the two then-18-year-olds unleashed a spectacular conflict in the ARCA Menards Series. That beef has continued till the present day. In the Atlanta Truck race, Heim refused to push Toyota teammate and JGR driver Chandler Smith and chose Austin Hill instead.

Although Denny Hamlin defused tensions and said Corey Heim simply made "the best move for himself," things are at a standstill. With Nick Sanchez and Christian Eckes moving up into Xfinity, Heim's future still looks bleak. Yet his achievement speaks for itself, as NASCAR expert Eric Estepp observed. "Heim has done a lot of part-time Xfinity stuff with Sam Hunt Racing. He even made a Cup start this year at Nashville with 23XI. But what he has done in Trucks last year was phenomenal – 10 career Truck Series wins in less than three full-time seasons. He had the championship locked up last year before Hocevar happened. And he is very much in contention this season."

Yet Joe Gibbs may be turning a blind eye to Corey Heim 's feats.

Estepp outlined the reasons; "Many speculate that there's tension between Heim and the folks at Joe Gibbs Racing. Heim and Ty Gibbs went back and forth during their ARCA Menards Series days. At Atlanta, Heim had the opportunity to push JGR driver Chandler Smith to the lead – opted not to. Austin Hill ultimately won the race for RCR."

In 2021, at least three incidents boiled tensions between Heim and Gibbs, until the latter ended the battle with a win at Winchester Speedway. Despite JGR looking like a bleak prospect, another Cup Series team has shown faith in Heim.

Heim has other Toyota prospects Corey Heim is not completely invisible on Toyota's Cup Series radar. This year, he already made two starts under the Japanese automotive brand at NASCAR's top level. When Erik Jones suffered a compression fracture in April, Heim substituted for him at Dover under Legacy Motor Club. But his stint at Nashville under 23XI Racing was the most significant. Although he could not finish better than 29th, he drummed up a lot of faith in his driving skills. Although 23XI Racing's current charter prospects look dim as ever, Heim earned the trust of the team's executives.

Denny Hamlin was not the only one to proclaim interest in Heim. Steve Lauletta, 23XI Racing president, generously remarked on Heim being the top Toyota prospect in NASCAR at the moment. "Corey is undoubtedly an up-and-coming star, and we look forward to working with him as he prepares to race at Nashville. Mobil 1 has a history of working with some of the best young talent in racing, and I can't think of a better person than Corey to drive the No. 50 Toyota at Nashville."

Yet with NASCAR and 23XI at loggerheads over the charter deal, Corey Heim's future is dark. So either that will need to work out or Heim must defuse the tension with Joe Gibbs.