Just a few weeks after being announced as a full-time driver for 23XI Racing in 2027, Corey Heim repaid the team with his first NASCAR Cup Series win on the streets of San Diego. The victory came in his 13th start, marked the first win of the year by a part-time driver, and was earned the hard way. Running behind teammate and five-time 2026 winner Tyler Reddick in the closing laps, Heim pressured the championship leader into a mistake that opened the door for a challenge. That challenge paid off as the pair ran door to door, with Heim ultimately coming out in front while Reddick faded with a flat tire. From there, Heim was unchallenged over the final miles on his way to the first of what many expect to be several Cup Series wins for the rising driver.
With Reddick's late flat tire, Denny Hamlin cut the championship lead to just eight points as the standings continue to tighten with The Chase approaching. This week, the series stays on the West Coast and tackles another road course. Shane van Gisbergen, who suffered an early elimination at San Diego despite starting on pole and entering the day as the favorite, led every lap and won at Sonoma Raceway last season. As fans saw Sunday, though, anything can happen, and there are no guarantees as the NASCAR season continues building toward the 10-race championship chase.
To keep up with all your favorite drivers and get updates throughout the season,
Just a few weeks after being announced as a full-time driver for 23XI Racing in 2027, Corey Heim repaid the team with his first NASCAR Cup Series win on the streets of San Diego. The victory came in his 13th start, marked the first win of the year by a part-time driver, and was earned the hard way. Running behind teammate and five-time 2026 winner Tyler Reddick in the closing laps, Heim pressured the championship leader into a mistake that opened the door for a challenge. That challenge paid off as the pair ran door to door, with Heim ultimately coming out in front while Reddick faded with a flat tire. From there, Heim was unchallenged over the final miles on his way to the first of what many expect to be several Cup Series wins for the rising driver.
With Reddick's late flat tire, Denny Hamlin cut the championship lead to just eight points as the standings continue to tighten with The Chase approaching. This week, the series stays on the West Coast and tackles another road course. Shane van Gisbergen, who suffered an early elimination at San Diego despite starting on pole and entering the day as the favorite, led every lap and won at Sonoma Raceway last season. As fans saw Sunday, though, anything can happen, and there are no guarantees as the NASCAR season continues building toward the 10-race championship chase.
To keep up with all your favorite drivers and get updates throughout the season, head to RotoWire's latest NASCAR news or follow @RotoWireNASCAR on X.
NASCAR Power Rankings After San Diego
1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 1
The oval domination Hamlin enjoyed the past several weeks wasn't expected to show at San Diego, and the weekend was primarily about getting through with as much as possible and avoiding any issues. That is largely what Hamlin delivered, too. He qualified 26th on the new street course and missed out on stage points, but by the finish he had worked his way into a top-15 finish. That was a good enough result with the bigger championship picture in mind, and Hamlin now heads to Sonoma just eight points behind championship leader Tyler Reddick. Next week's goal will be much of the same. Hamlin's last Sonoma top-10 finish was in 2021.
2. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 2
Reddick nearly added a sixth victory to his 2026 tally Sunday at San Diego. The 23XI Racing driver only qualified 17th, but he became one of the fastest cars in the field and battled for the win in the final laps. It was a close fight between teammates, and a small mistake from Reddick handed the lead to Corey Heim with just over two laps remaining. Unfortunately, a tire failure shortly after the pass dropped Reddick even further in the finishing order. While he lost ground in the championship standings due to the late issue, Reddick is still showing that he is a threat to win races each week. He'll get another chance next week at Sonoma where he finished sixth last season and eighth the year before.
3. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 4
Again last week, Ryan Blaney took what was expected to be a difficult day and made the most of it. While he isn't one of the best road course drivers in the series, Blaney has a habit of scoring stage points and making it to the finish in good shape. He did that again Sunday at San Diego, taking a stage victory in the process. His ninth-place finish was his 12th top-10 of the season, which ties him for the most so far with Tyler Reddick. Blaney has been doing a superb job managing his equipment while waiting for Ford to close the gap to Toyota, and that patience is paying off as he continues to keep the two championship leaders within reach for when that competitiveness arrives.
4. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 3
Last weekend was an adventurous one for Elliott. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has yet to hit the heights of his road course success with the current generation of car, but results have been improving. After qualifying 30th for Sunday's race, he had a mountain to climb, though. His race was no less quiet. Elliott struggled with his car throughout and was involved in contact as well. Despite everything he was faced with, Elliott clawed his way back to finish 12th, though. While it was not a return to road course form, Elliott's afternoon was still an impressive display of perseverance that keeps him from losing too much ground in the points battle.
5. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 5
Kyle Larson looked much like the competitive road course racer he typically is Sunday at San Diego. He qualified 14th for the race but was inside the top five by the end of the first stage, earning stage points to help his championship cause. From there, he continued to run at the front of the field and spent 11 laps in the lead. Running smoothly and avoiding the problems that befell several other contenders netted him a top-five finish, which was seventh of the season. He and the team will be hoping Sunday's success persists next week at Sonoma. Larson won there in 2024, led laps in four of the last five races there, and had an incredible streak of five straight pole positions from 2017 to 2022.
6. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54
Last Week: 6
Gibbs entered Sunday's street course race with high expectations given his past road racing success, but survival and damage limitation became the order of the day. He qualified just outside of the top 10 and was among the points finishers in the first stage. As incidents in the race began to pile up, Gibbs was impacted, though. Heavy damage to the front of his car put him in damage limitation mode for the remainder of the afternoon, and he executed that task well to finish the day 15th. On an afternoon when many other championship contenders suffered problems of their own, it was a job well done for the No. 54 team. Gibbs now heads to Sonoma with fifth position in the championship standings retained.
7. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17
Last Week: 8
Chris Buescher continued proving that his position in the championship standings is not a fleeting moment. Sunday's sixth-place finish was his third top-10 finish in a row and his ninth of the season. He started just 16th on Sunday but was quick to show competitive pace and move his way forward to race among the leaders. Buescher scored stage points in the second segment and led seven laps in what ended up being a quite productive day. The race was a good way to pay back the team after announcing that he signed a new long-term extension with RFK Racing earlier in the week. The crew will be optimistic about their chances at Sonoma, too. Buescher finished in the top five there in three of his last four starts.
8. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 7
Bell broke his wrist in the heavy crash he had at Michigan. He was able to soldier through the following race at Pocono, but the bumps and unique demands on the street course at San Diego were too much for him to battle through. Bell handed over driving duties to Brent Crews early in the race, but shortly after the swap the car gave up and the day was over for the No. 20. As a result, Bell gained just a single point from the day. He fell two spots down the championship order to 12th and has his work cut out for him to get the season on track and be more comfortable in the championship picture. Time will tell how he handles the coming race at Sonoma as he continues to heal.
9. Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports No. 7
Last Week: 9
Not every race can end in a top-10 finish, and when several contenders have problems, a top-15 can still be quite productive. That is exactly what Suarez and his No. 7 team did last week. By keeping his nose clean and avoiding the drama that engulfed many, Suarez scored stage points and finished 13th to maintain his spot among the top 10 in the championship standings. It wasn't flashy but Suarez was competitive and put in the hard work that can make a difference as the long season marches onward. It has now been five races since Suarez finished outside of the top 20 and the last five have all ended with him in the top 15. Keeping that production going throughout the summer should be enough to see him confidently into the 10-race fight for the championship.
10. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77
Last Week: 10
Last weekend showed a step up in road course performance from Carson Hocevar. First, he was able to snag a front-row starting spot with a quick qualifying lap. In the race, he consistently ran at the front of the field all afternoon. Hocevar's pace was enough to score stage points in both segments before having a chance at the win in the final laps. While racing at the front in those final miles, contact sent him spinning out of contention. Despite that late contact, Hocevar was still able to get back several positions to finish 19th. In the end, the finish was a disappointment, but the improvement in road course capability could be something that follows him in the future, including next week at Sonoma.
Knocking on the Door
Corey Heim, 23XI Racing No. 67
Last Week: N/A
Corey Heim earned his first series victory in his 13th start Sunday at San Diego. The 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver had a dominant season before deciding to do a part-time schedule in 2026 in an effort to climb into NASCAR's top series. That decision paid off when it was announced in May that he would join 23XI Racing full time in 2027, and Heim rewarded the team with his first win on Sunday. His win was a statement of confidence as he reeled in and pass series leader and teammate Tyler Reddick. There is certainly more to come from Heim and this team in the future, and maybe the rest of this season, too. His next race in this car is expected to be Chicagoland in July.
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: N/A
Wallace gave no illusion that his expectations at San Diego were low. He even said after Friday's practice that not hitting anything was a win for him. It turns out those expectations were significantly off the mark because he delivered one of his best road course performances ever on Sunday despite losing a wheel in the first stage. After that, Wallace avoided all the pitfalls that took contenders out of the picture and found himself among the leaders on the final restart. In the end, he finished second behind teammate Corey Heim and showed again that his road course skillset is growing. He has never finished in the top 10 at Sonoma, but the confidence from Sunday's race could spur him to better his best ever finish of 14th at that track.
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: N/A
As the battle for a spot in The Chase heats up, taking advantage of other drivers' trouble can be as impactful as scoring top finishes. That was the case for Briscoe last week. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been working his way up the standings after several poor finishes early in the season. While his 17th-place finish Sunday wasn't one of his most memorable successes, it was enough to move up to 10th in the standings with other drivers having issues of their own. Briscoe is still searching for his first win of the season but he is turning his fortune around and there is still plenty of time for the team to build a championship effort.
