Corey Heim crossed the line at Naval Base Coronado ahead of schedule. The 13th start. The first win. On Sunday, 21 June, the 23-year-old took the inaugural Anduril 250 on the San Diego Street Course, his first victory in the NASCAR Cup Series and the first for the No. 67 Toyota in the division's history.
The setting was new to everyone. The race ran on a 3.4-mile, 16-turn temporary circuit laid across an active military installation, the first major NASCAR event held on such ground. Heim, driving part-time for 23XI Racing before a full-time move in 2027, was cast as an underdog against a field of established names.
How it was decided
The start offered little. Heim rolled off 13th and slid back toward 20th, struggling on worn tyres through the opening stages. A multi-car wreck in Turn 1 on Lap 32 reshaped the race, collecting pole winner Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch and clearing the road ahead. Heim worked into the top ten, then leaned on strategy, pitting for four tyres and fuel alongside late leader Kyle Larson with 16 laps to run and holding his ground.
The finish came down to two teammates. Reddick led into the closing laps, but slipped in Turn 2 on Lap 73, and Heim needed three corners to complete the pass. The pair ran side by side through Turns 3 and 4. Reddick tried a crossover into Turn 5, made contact and pushed Heim toward the wall, then ceded the position. A flat left-front tyre soon dropped Reddick to 25th. Bubba Wallace finished second, giving 23XI Racing its first one-two.
"I'm speechless. We started the race, I think we started 13th. We fell straight back to 20th."
Reddick took the blame plainly. "First and foremost, congratulations to Corey. I tried to battle back and overdid it. I ran him straight in the wall. That wasn't right," he told reporters afterward.
A trajectory confirmed
The result sits within a clear climb. Heim arrived in San Diego as the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, a driver from Marietta, Georgia, learning the top division across a partial schedule. He had shown speed without a win. Here he became the 209th driver to reach victory lane in the Cup Series, and the first to score a maiden win on a road or street course since van Gisbergen's debut in 2023. His full-time campaign begins next season.
Crew chief Bootie Barker had told him the worst tyres would hold. They did. Heim took a breath after the second stage, reset, and drove for the front.
The Navy's home turf remembered a name it had not expected. It belonged to a young driver, arriving early.
