NASCAR
Corey Heim Outlasts Denny Hamlin for Brickyard 400 Triumph
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – NASCAR’s hottest young phenom pulled off yet another impressive, gritty victory on racing’s most hallowed ground. After losing control to Denny Hamlin, a lucky push put Corey Heim back in command. The No. 67 Toyota never flinched despite a few contenders hunting him down late, taking a crown jewel win in only his 15th start. Turning 24 years old a few weeks ago, the part-time driver now has two Cup Series trophies on his mantle.
A timely caution paved the way for Ty Gibbs to win Stage 1. Kyle Larson blowing a tire and crashing in the midst of a green flag pit cycle put the No. 54 up front for a one-lap dash. Fellow Toyota Corey Heim, meanwhile, led the way for much of Stage 2, but another yellow among pit stops gave this win to Ross Chastain.
There’s trouble in Turn 3!@KyleLarsonRacin spins and gets into the wall. pic.twitter.com/sO5CSfXqfO
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 26, 2026
Although Corey Heim looked as deft as a veteran out front, he was vulnerable. The restart with 41 laps left saw Joey Logano look three-wide bottom on Heim, allowing Denny Hamlin to clear the 67 by turn one. Hamlin’s time out front would be very short-lived, however, not getting a push on the next restart after Ryan Blaney and others spun.
Major In-Season Challenge implications!@Blaney and @JHNemechek make contact, and the No. 12 goes around! pic.twitter.com/IL5ayxZod4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 26, 2026
Logano gave Heim a strong shove to clear the 11 on the restart with 34 laps left. Nobody else ever mounted a charge strong enough to down driver 67. In only his 15th Cup start, Heim is now a two-time winner and champion for one of NASCAR’s majors.
“That was a damn handful,” Heim said after narrowly holding off a hard-charging Christopher Bell. “I was hanging on for dear life once the shade went down and the pace picked up. My car got really loose, and I had never really been in a lot of clean air throughout the day. That was the hardest I’ve ever fought in my life to just make sure I focused on exits and kept others in dirty air. I’m pretty out of breath. That was a workout, but it was a dream come true, winning at the Brickyard. That’s unbelievable. Thank you so much fans for coming out here, that was awesome.”
“We caught a break early with the pit cycle, just executed all day, and made no mistakes from my pit crew, team 23XI did a fantastic job. That’s awesome. Hopefully we can keep it going.”
“I just had to be aggressive,” Heim said of the last restart. “It’s for the win. I would have to see it back to see if I did anything wrong. I think we both knew we’re racing for the win. He has every right to be a little bit frustrated with me. He probably would have done the same thing. Had to be on top of it. Got a good push on the 22 to be in position, so thanks to him. Man, it crazy. Two for 15.”
“It’s unbelievable. I just studied my butt off, try to make sure I’m prepared going into races. These guys give me unbelievably fast Camrys. Thanks to 23XI, Toyota. They’re on fire this year. I’m glad to be part of it.”
Corey Heim is the first driver to earn two wins in their first 15 Cup starts since AJ Foyt in 1965. This is a very fitting club for Heim to join, with Foyt being a four-time Indianapolis 500 champion. On the flip side, the 24-year-old driver had never seen the Brickyard until this weekend.
Behind Heim and Bell, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Denny Hamlin were the top-five. The rest of the Brickyard 400’s top-10 were: Brad Keselowski, Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, Carson Hocevar, and Tyler Reddick.
Although Ryan Blaney was not taken out from his lap 120 incident, he was damaged enough to be set back. This gave position to other In-Season Challenge finalist Todd Gilliland, who took home the $1 million prize. 24th for the No. 34 vs. 26th for the 12 was just enough to bank this huge payday.
Despite missing out on a career-defining Brickyard trophy, Denny Hamlin extended his championship lead to 84 points. Joining Hamlin and Tyler Reddick as Chase locks after Indy were Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs. Four regular season races are left before The Chase, with the updated grid below.
Chase standings after @IMS with 4 regular season races left.
Blaney (and Gibbs, not highlighted here) are both locked in. #Brickyard400 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Y6uFwgJsRc
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) July 26, 2026
Indianapolis marked the last race before the NASCAR off week. Cup will return August 9 at Iowa Speedway. The Iowa Corn 350 will go green at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
