Corey Heim Wins Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Corey Heim Wins Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Corey Heim claimed the biggest win of his young NASCAR Cup Series career Sunday, capturing the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his first career start in the race. It’s Heim’s second Cup Series win of the season, coming as part of a part-time schedule ahead of a full-time move to the series in 2027.
Heim led 58 laps on the day and sealed the victory by beating 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin on a decisive late restart.
He also spent portions of the race putting rival Carson Hocevar a lap down, adding some extra satisfaction to the crown-jewel win.
The race wasn’t without carnage up front. Reigning champion Kyle Larson’s day fell apart late in Stage 1 when a left-rear tire blew, sending his car into the wall for race-ending damage and a last-place finish. Chase Elliott suffered a similar fate early in Stage 2, going to the wall after contact from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. left him with a flat right-rear tire, eventually forcing his car to the garage and a 37th-place finish.
Joey Logano continued a hot summer stretch, finishing third to extend a run that’s seen him climb from below the playoff cutline to comfortably above it. Michael McDowell also boosted his long-shot playoff hopes, picking up the fourth-most stage points in the field.
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A late caution for debris with under 45 laps remaining shuffled strategy across the field, with most leaders opting for two tires to protect track position. One notable exception backfired: Ryan Preece’s crew chief called for four tires, a decision that effectively ended his team’s shot at the win.
The race also carried stakes beyond Sunday’s checkered flag, as Todd Gilliland clinched NASCAR’s $1 million In-Season Challenge after leader Ryan Blaney was collected in a late-race incident involving JHunter Nemechek.
