Michael Jordan’s young prodigy points to solution to take NASCAR’s popularity ‘to the next level’

Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin's protégé Corey Heim suggested a wacky solution to take NASCAR's popularity to the next level. The 23XI Racing development driver believes that replicating Talladega's infield atmosphere at other tracks would significantly enhance the fan experience on race weekends.

Talladega Superspeedway is popular beyond NASCAR fans for its party atmosphere in the famed Boulevard. Wild scenes from the Boulevard often trend on social media during race weekends, though much of what happens in the Boulevard stays in there. Combined with the high-octane pack racing, camping at the track remains a popular choice.

Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing driver Corey Heim suggested that NASCAR and track promoters should replicate Talladega's party atmosphere at other venues to attract new fans. Heim argued that with limited practice sessions, the lack of on-track action needs to be balanced with engaging off-track activities to keep campers entertained.

In a recent interview with Jeff Gluck on The Athletic, the former asked Heim about how to take NASCAR's popularity "to the next level", to which the 22-year-old said:

"First of all, every race would sell out if it was as big of a party as Talladega. No one is coming to watch 25 minutes of practice; you come to party and enjoy the race. Of course, there’s a fan group that enjoys the racing quality, but what are you going to do for the other three days you’re here camping out? People go for that more than anything. (More of a party scene) would help at pretty much every racetrack."

The NASCAR Truck Series driver highlighted the ballpark food in MLB games. He hopes for a wider variety of concession stand options at NASCAR events.

"I feel like MLB has done a really good job with ballpark food. I’ve seen a lot of parks introduce new ballpark food. People travel just to go and try these new ballpark items," he added.

Aside from the famed Talladega Boulevard, the Watkins Glen weekend is also known for its party atmosphere. The Bristol Night Race is popular for its overall fan experience, while both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway offer fans the opportunity to visit nearby race shops.

Although Talladega is unbeatable for its party atmosphere, USA Today readers ranked Pocono Raceway as the best NASCAR track, followed by Watkins Glen and the Chicago Speedway, while Talladega ranked 10th.

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Michael Jordan's protégé takes the blame for Nashville wreck

Michael Jordan's team fielded four cars at Nashville Superspeedway, with Corey Heim back in the #67 Toyota Camry. Heim was coming off an impressive result at Kansas Speedway, where he was the best finishing 23XI driver. However, he was involved in a wreck at Nashville, which ended his outing early.

In the second stage, Heim cleared himself and cut across Brad Keselowski's front bumper, resulting in a spin and wrecking his car. Starting 33rd, Heim was relegated to a 37th-place result. In the post-race interview with NBC Sports, Jordan's development driver said:

"I’m pretty sure I just kind of cleared myself across the nose of (Brad Keselowski). A little bit too desperate. We were moving forward really quick and I had a lot of confidence in my Camry and thought I could clear him by the time I got to the wall, and just used too much racetrack, so sorry to those guys."

23XI Racing co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin have three full-time entries this season but are fielding a fourth entry for their development driver. Heim finished 13th at Kansas, his best result in the Cup Series.