Before Corey Heim goes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series next year, he is now a two-time Cup race winner.
Heim took the lead from Denny Hamlin on the final restart, then held off Christopher Bell and Joey Logano in the final 30 laps to win the Brickyard 400 on July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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The part-time Heim won at Naval Base Coronado in June and had just one start in between victories – a top-10 finish at Chicago.
The first 100 laps of the race was controlled at the front by Carson Hocevar and Ty Gibbs, but pit strategy forced them outside the top 10 after the final stop.
In the in-season tournament final, Todd Gilliland claimed the trophy and the $1 million over Ryan Blaney with a 24th-place finish. Blaney never recovered after a Lap 118 spin. Gilliland won the tournament despite one top-10 finish in five races over the five rounds.
Here are the winners and losers from the NASCAR Brickyard 400 race:
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POINTS AFTER INDY: NASCAR points standings: Cup Series points update after Indianapolis race
NASCAR Brickyard 400 winners and losers
Winner: Corey Heim as a 2027 Chase contender
Corey Heim continues to raise 2027 expectations in 2026, but that’s of little concern to him or 23XI Racing right now.
Heim’s two victories in a part-time ride is unprecedented in this era of NASCAR Cup Series racing.
And he’s earned those wins by winning late-race battles ahead of Tyler Reddick (San Diego) and Denny Hamlin (Indianapolis). Heim’s restart to take the lead over Hamlin, followed by the deft block through turn 2, will be replayed for years.
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Yes, Heim’s status as a part-time driver allows for the No. 67 team to race for wins and not points. And he’s not yet shown the kind of week-to-week consistency required of a Cup championship contender. But that’s for another year.
The reality is that every full-time driver with an average finish at Heim’s level (16.1 in eight races) or better will be in the Chase comfortably. Heim doesn’t have to improve next year to be a Chase driver.
And for narrative’s sake, the current scoreboard in regards to Cup Series wins: Corey Heim 2, Carson Hocevar 1.
Winner: Joey Logano as a 2026 title contender
Passing was at a premium at Indianapolis, especially up front.
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But Joey Logano was the fastest among the three race contenders in the final 30 laps, driving to within a second of Heim before settling for third behind the race winner and Christopher Bell.
Logano now has three straight top-10 finishes (including last week’s win at North Wilkesboro) at three very different tracks heading into the off weekend next week and the final regular-season stretch.
Three weeks ago, August projected as a very stressful month for the No. 22 team with their Chase chances in flux. Now? Logano has a 65-point cushion to 17th, more than a full race’s worth of points.
Even year Logano may be an online meme, but he’s starting to put together good finishes at the right time.
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Loser: Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson’s current form is trending downward after a last-place DNF at Indy, his third finish of 34th or worse in the last four races.
Before this stretch, Larson had four straight top-5 finishes and was fifth in the points, 14 points off of fourth and 44 from third. Larson leaves Indy in eighth in points and well off of the top four.
Larson is rapidly approaching the points/Chase seeding territory in which he’ll likely need to win multiple races in the Chase to defend his Cup title.
How will Larson and the No. 5 team turn this around in the fall? For a driver like Tyler Reddick, we know his team can go on a tear. But Larson also has the active 46-race winless streak weighing him down.
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Loser: Chase Elliott
Larson’s teammate has similarly struggled to put together results this summer, siphoning points away.
Chase Elliott finished in 37th at Indy after a suspension issue following contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. before brushing the wall.
Elliott hasn’t finished in the top 10 since Nashville despite being in contention at Michigan (before the crash with Christopher Bell), Atlanta (slipped out of the top 10 after leading laps late) and North Wilkesboro (caught a lap down after a caution during a green-flag pit cycle).
Elliott has slipped from fourth to sixth in points since the top-10 at Nashville.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Brickyard 400 winners, losers as Joey Logano becomes a Cup title contender
