Matt Johnson
23XI Racing announced early this summer that driver Riley Herbst would not return to the No. 35 car next season, with top prospect Corey Heim becoming the team’s third full-time driver. While Herbst is being replaced, 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin still has praise for the young driver.
On this week’s episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin praise Herbst for the improvements he’s shown on track this season and made it clear that the 27-year-old has proven he belongs in the Cup Series.
“Riley’s doing what hwe hoped and expected. He’s running considerably better than what he was last year. Hopefully he has an opportunity come his way next year where he can go out there and still show that he can do it. I’m on the race track with him people, trust me when I say that he is considerably better than what he was last year and deserves to be racing on Sundays.”
Denny Hamlin on Riley Herbst
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To Hamlin’s point, Herbst has shown tremendous improvement this season. Through 17 races, he ranks 24th in points (309) after finishing with the second-fewest points (399) among full-time Cup Series drivers in 2025. Herbst’s average starting position (26.97 to 21.00) and average finishing position (26.39 to 20.41) have also improved considerably, and he has two top-10 finishes this season after not getting one a year ago.
The 27-year-old has also proven to be a great teammate for 23XI. He helped push Tyler Reddick to the win at the Daytona 500, and teammate Bubba Wallace has publicly praised Herbst for both his improvements and what he brings to team meetings.
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Unfortunately for Herbst, NASCAR simply won’t allow a team outside of Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing to have a fourth full-time car in the Cup Series. So, despite all the improvements he’s shown in 2026, 23XI is upgrading with the move to Heim.
However, there’s still a path to a full-time Cup ride for Herbst. Reporting throughout the season has indicated that Legacy Motor Club is eyeing Herbst for its new third chartered car in 2027. While he won’t have the resources that he did at 23XI, he’s likely still going to get a full-time Cup ride, and the financial resources he brings to the table will be a huge boost for Legacy as it looks to build for the future.
