By Dipti Sood
Corey Heim failed to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series race on the streets of Chicago. A statement he posted on social media explains exactly what went wrong. Corey Heim directly took responsibility for the incident.In an X post, Heim explained that he made a mistake during his first lap of qualifying, which led to damage on the car鈥檚 toe link. The bent component affected his car’s performance, preventing him from putting together a fast enough lap to make the field. Despite trying to salvage the run, the car didn鈥檛 have the necessary speed. Katherine Legge locked in the final qualifying spot, narrowly bumping Heim from the lineup.Corey Heim @CoreyHeim_LINKMade a mistake on my first lap and bent the toe link. Tried to get everything I could out of it after that but clearly wasn鈥檛 enough. That鈥檚 completely my fault and still trying to process all of it. Thank you @23XIRacing for a car plenty capable enough to make the race.Corey Heim drives full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series for Tricon Garage, but with no truck race this weekend, he was tapped by 23XI Racing to pilot their No. 67 car in Chicago. Unfortunately, things didn鈥檛 go his way during Saturday鈥檚 qualifying. He was the only driver who didn鈥檛 make the field.The toe link damage, which threw off the car鈥檚 handling, hurt Heim鈥檚 chances most. These Next Gen cars are durable overall, but the toe links remain weak. Even slight contact can result in a performance drop. Once that part was bent on Heim鈥檚 first lap, there wasn鈥檛 much he could do to recover. Without a clean lap, he couldn鈥檛 challenge for a spot in the race.Despite the disappointment, the rest of the 23XI Racing team had mixed outcomes. Tyler Reddick qualified fourth. Bubba Wallace, who was fastest in practice, wrecked in qualifying and will start 37th. Riley Herbst landed a mid-pack P21 starting spot.Corey Heim led 99 of 100 laps to win at Lime Rock ParkJust a week before the Chicago disappointment, Corey Heim delivered a dominant win in the LiUNA 150 at Lime Rock Park on June 28, 2025. Driving the No. 11 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage, Heim started from pole and never looked back. He clocked the fastest qualifying lap at 53.12 seconds, with a top speed of 100.17 mph. He led 99 out of 100 laps, only losing the lead briefly to Layne Riggs.In the post-race interview with FOX Sports, Heim explained how hard he had prepared for the road course and how well his truck performed. Corey Heim said:鈥淵eah, I mean, it’s nothing short of incredible, man, I mean, these these road courses I really look forward to them, you know, pre event and whatnot, and prepare pretty hard for them. So, to see that. I’ll pay off with safe flight truck onto at a super special. Obviously, a truck is so good today just can’t. Can’t complain, one bit about that, you know, fall this day and take that move forward and try to flex this year.鈥滺eim beat defending champion Ty Majeski by over a second at the line. His next race will be the TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, scheduled for July 25, 2025. It鈥檒l be broadcast live on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 8 p.m. ET.