Bubba Wallace Says Corey Heim Should Not Be Rookie Eligible

What Happened

NASCAR changed its Rookie of the Year rule before the 2026 season and announced the change to teams. Corey Heim would have been eligible this season if 23XI had applied for the status. He cannot qualify next season because he has passed the threshold for the honor. Heim has made 15 Cup Series starts this year and won twice. At Richmond, teammate Bubba Wallace said Heim “should not” be eligible, pointing to those wins and the number of starts. Heim said the rule is “losing its value” because the award may no longer identify the best rookie. No NASCAR statement or comment is included in the available material.

Why It Matters

• Eligibility hinged on a 23XI application this season, turning an administrative decision into the center of the award debate.
• Heim’s two wins in 15 starts give the award a different meaning than a standard first-year recognition, even if he were eligible.
• Heim cannot use next season to settle the question because he has already passed NASCAR’s threshold for the honor.

THE PATE STATE READ

Wallace’s point is practical: two wins make Rookie of the Year feel like a footnote beside Heim’s results. Heim’s point is about the trophy itself: if the winner isn’t clearly the best rookie, the award loses value. Both arguments credit Heim’s performance before questioning the rule. The failure condition is simple: if eligibility can exclude a driver with two wins while still presenting the winner as the best rookie, NASCAR has a definition problem, not a Corey Heim problem.(Josh has not yet commented.)

What's Next

• 2026 NASCAR Rookie of the Year announcement — date not provided in the source material.