Corey Heim came up just shy of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship last season, but the 21-year-old racer will add another title to his resume for the 2024 racing season. Heim has been named the official reserve driver for the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series programs.
Additionally, Heim will serve as the simulator driver for the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team this year.
Heim announced the news via a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
I'm grateful to announce that I've been signed by @LEGACYMotorClub as their simulator & reserve driver for this season and will also be the reserve driver for @23XIRacing . Can’t wait to learn from and work with all the great minds at both of these teams! #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/KiGsAAUmTk
— Corey Heim (@CoreyHeim_) January 25, 2024
“I’m grateful to announce that I’ve been signed by @LEGACYMotorClub as their simulator & reserve driver for this season and will also be the reserve driver for @23XIRacing,” Heim stated in the post. “Can’t wait to learn from and work with all the great minds at both of these teams! #Team Toyota”
The native of Marietta, Georgia has amassed five wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series over his first 41 starts. The racer finished 14th in the 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season despite running a limited 16-race schedule.
This past season, Heim won three races and advanced to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship 4.
Heim also competed in four NASCAR Xfinity Series races with Sam Hunt Racing in 2023 and had a best finish of 10th, which he achieved at Darlington Raceway.
In addition to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB adding Heim as the team’s reserve and simulator driver, the race team announced the addition of veteran racer Trevor Bayne as the Driver Optimization Leader heading into the 2024 season.
We are adding on two important members to the Club! Welcome Trevor Bayne as our Driver Optimization Leader and Corey Heim as our simulator & reserve driver! #TeamToyota https://t.co/twWAQwSvzs pic.twitter.com/c5VGavnkzq
— LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (@LEGACYMotorClub) January 25, 2024
With the new role, Bayne will focus on preparing drivers John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, and co-owner Jimmie Johnson heading into races.
“I’m super humbled that Jimmie (Johnson), Joey (Cohen), Matt (Kenseth) and our drivers are trusting me with their preparation process this year,” Bayne said in a team release. “Preparation is one of the biggest keys in motorsports, and with so much data that is available to the drivers, it’s my job to translate the most important parts to them and work with them to make sure they are ready to go in all aspects come race weekend. Jimmie, Matt and I built a great relationship through road biking and training together over the years. We all share a common mentality that drivers can all become even better at their craft if they are willing to put in the work -whether that be in fitness, studying, or leading their teams. Relying on raw ability at this level isn’t enough. It’s funny, because when I was a driver everything felt like it was being built around me, so as I make this transition, I’m looking forward to building up others and helping them make the most of their careers. Very few teams have in house programs like this so I’m excited to build this from a blank slate alongside our leaders and drivers.”