Corey Heim wins first Cup Series race at San Diego street course

Corey Heim turned an ugly, stop-start afternoon into the biggest win of his young career, charging through the final laps at Naval Base Coronado to capture the inaugural NASCAR Cup race in San Diego. The 23-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, earned his first Cup Series victory in just his 13th start, and his first on a road or street course, after leading the final three laps and holding off teammate Tyler Reddick.

Heim’s No. 67 Toyota was far from perfect early. He slammed into the wall twice, burned through tires and looked buried in the field before the race tightened into a late duel. NASCAR’s recap said Heim made the winning pass after Reddick slipped in Turn 2 on Lap 73, opening the door for a driver who had already spent much of the day recovering rather than controlling the pace. Heim later said he reset mentally for the second half of the race and went after the leaders, calling the result surreal.

The victory carried meaning beyond one trophy. Heim is the reigning 2024 Craftsman Truck Series champion and is expected to move full time into Cup with 23XI Racing next season, making Sunday feel like an early arrival of the team’s next major prospect. The win also fit a broader pattern in NASCAR’s push into new venues: it was the second time in three years that an inaugural street race produced a first-time Cup winner, following Shane van Gisbergen’s 2023 triumph in Chicago.

23XI Racing left San Diego with a statement. Bubba Wallace finished second, giving the organization a 1-2 finish and underscoring the strength of the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. Hamlin finished 14th, but still gained 11 points on Reddick in the standings, and his reaction to Heim’s breakthrough was blunt: Heim is “going to be a problem.”

Reddick’s day unraveled after unapproved adjustments forced him to start from the rear. He was in contention late before a flat tire dropped him to 25th, trimming his points lead over Hamlin to eight. NASCAR’s 2026 schedule now points to Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 28, as the next stop, but San Diego already delivered what the sport wanted from its newest showcase: a fresh winner, a tense finish and a reminder that the next generation can seize the moment on the hardest stages.