Top News

The closing stages of the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado turned into a thrilling contest between teammates, as part-time 23XI Racing driver Corey Heim chased down championship leader Tyler Reddick. In a decisive move with four laps remaining, Heim overtook Reddick and pulled away to win by a commanding ten-second margin, earning his first-ever Cup Series victory in just his 13th start on Sunday.

Heim entered the race with optimism, knowing that every driver—regardless of experience—was facing the track for the first time. His prospects further improved when the series’ top road racer, Shane van Gisbergen, was involved in a crash while battling for the lead during stage two, effectively removing a major contender from the fight.

“We were fine overall, even though we hit the wall a couple of times,” Heim told NASCAR on Prime. “Maybe we knocked some sense into the car; I’m not sure. After stage two, I just took a deep breath. I had really high expectations coming into this race.”

He continued, “It was an even playing field for me. You don’t see that very often for a young driver like myself. I just took a moment to reset and go after it. We got a few lucky breaks when some of the top drivers wrecked out, but in the end, it’s not about how you win, just how many times you do.”

At one point, while Reddick was still leading, 23XI Racing impressively had all four of its cars running in the top five. Bubba Wallace, who had been two laps down after serving a two-lap penalty for losing a wheel on the track, fought back to third place. Riley Herbst followed in fifth, just behind Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson.

With four laps remaining, Heim closed in on Reddick’s rear bumper and attempted an overtake on the left. As Reddick tried to defend his position with a crossover manoeuvre, he made contact with Heim’s car. Demonstrating sportsmanship, Reddick eased off to give Heim a clean line through turn five, hoping to challenge him again later in the lap.

“For a while, I thought he was just playing with me since he could control the pace up front,” Heim said. “But I managed to stay with him without burning up my tyres. When there were five laps left, I decided it was time to put pressure on him and see if he’d make a mistake—and that’s exactly what happened. I’m not sure if he locked up or broke something, but I have a lot of respect for him. He doored me in turn five and then gave it back. You don’t see that kind of sportsmanship often. They’re great teammates. This whole thing feels surreal—it’s like a dream I don’t want to wake up from.”

Next season, Heim and Reddick will be teammates full-time, with Heim set to replace Riley Herbst in the No. 35 car.

Reddick’s bid for a sixth victory of the season fell short as a flat tyre forced him to drop to 25th place before the finish. His result, combined with team owner and closest championship rival Denny Hamlin’s 14th-place finish, has now reduced Reddick’s lead in the regular-season standings to just eight points.