Corey Heim outduels Tyler Reddick
for first NASCAR Cup win at inaugural San Diego race
[June 22, 2026]
CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — Corey Heim slammed into the wall
twice while destroying his tires during the first few runs Sunday in
the inaugural NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado.
It was no problem for Heim, whose No. 67 Toyota inexplicably kept
getting faster on the way to his first career Cup Series victory in
only his 13th start.
The 23-year-old part-time driver from Marietta, Georgia, took a deep
breath before the second half of the race and reminded himself that
he had as much experience as the veterans on the 16-turn, 3.4-mile
street course on Coronado Island, just south of downtown San Diego.
“I’m speechless,” Heim said. “Maybe I knocked some good into the
car. I have no idea. I had high expectations coming into this race.
I just reset and went after it.”
Heim, the 2024 truck series champion who will move full time into
Cup next season with 23XI Racing, led the final three laps after
snatching first from teammate Tyler Reddick.
“I was able to stick with him, and five to go came, and it was time
to put some pressure on him and see if I could get him to make a
mistake,” Heim said. “Sure enough, he did.”
Bubba Wallace finished second to deliver a 1-2 finish for 23XI
Racing, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA great Michael
Jordan.
Reddick suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and fell to 25th,
cutting his lead in the standings to eight points over Hamlin.
“To even have a shot at it at the end was really nice,” said Reddick,
who started from the rear after unapproved adjustments to his No. 45
Toyota. “First and foremost, congratulations to Corey. I thought I
was going to be able to hold him off there. It definitely stings.
Really needed a good points day. Had another really bad one, so
we’ll try and scrape together.”
It’s the second time in three years that an inaugural street race
has produced a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series. Shane
van Gisbergen won his Cup debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race.
Heim became the third first-time winner in Cup this season, joining
Ty Gibbs (Bristol) and Carson Hocevar (Talladega).
“Just crazy,” Heim said. “I hope I don’t wake up from this dream.”
His peers already think Heim’s for real.
“Awesome job by Corey Heim,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson said
after finishing third. “That’s really cool. He’s a super talented
race car driver, and it's neat to see somebody get their first win,
especially at a challenging track like this.”
Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five.
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Shane Van Gisbergen (97) and Bubba Wallace (23) come out of Turn 2
during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in
Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Hamlin, the driver-owner who had won the past three
races for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 14th.
SVG stunner
Van Gisbergen finished 38th in his bid for an eighth road or street
course victory (which will make him the active leader among Cup
drivers).
After starting from the pole position, van Gisbergen was caught in a
crash that started when Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch
and Austin Hill collided while battling for the lead on a Lap 32
restart. The nine-car incident caused a nine-minute red flag for
wall repairs.
“I felt like I was giving Austin space, and the next thing, I was in
the wall,” said Zilisch, who led the first eight laps of his Cup
career in the highlight of a miserable rookie season. “Really
unfortunate. I hate to end both days for both Shane and I. We had a
really fast car today. I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed just
getting to race out front and lead laps.”
Driver swap
During the first caution, Christopher Bell was replaced in the No.
20 Toyota by Brent Crews, but the driver relief stint was short.
Crews exited in last place after a gearbox problem on the 28th lap.
Bell is still recovering from a broken wrist in a June 7 crash at
Michigan International Speedway and said getting out of the car was
precautionary and not because of pain.
One more for Johnson
In his second and last Cup start of the 2026 season, Jimmie Johnson
slammed a tire barrier after missing a chicane on the fifth lap and
finished 28th.
The seven-time series champion said Saturday that he still plans on
the 2027 Daytona 500 as his final start as a Cup driver, but he is
open to racing in other series.
Up next
NASCAR will stay in California, heading north to Sonoma Raceway on
June 28. Van Gisbergen dominated in winning on the road course last
season, leading 97 of 110 laps from the pole position.
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