Riley Herbst joins 23XI for first full-time NASCAR Cup season

By Matt Weaver

·Updated: November 20, 2024

NASCAR Xfinity: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship — Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Riley Herbst will drive for 23XI Racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2025, the team announced Wednesday.

Herbst, 25, will drive the No. 35 Toyota alongside returning teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. The charter, which still needs to be approved by NASCAR, will come from Stewart-Haas Racing. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are currently suing NASCAR on antitrust grounds.

NASCAR said as recently as last week that it has yet to receive a charter transfer request from 23XI and Stewart Haas. The 23XI cars would also have to run as open teams if an appeals court does not give the two teams what amounts to temporary charters over the course of the lawsuit.

23XI has signaled an openness to run two open teams but it remains an open question if it would run three open teams.

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“It’s an honor to join 23XI and Toyota for the opportunity to race in the Cup Series each week,” said Herbst in a statement. “Racing full-time in the Cup Series has been my goal since I started in NASCAR and I’m excited to start my Cup career with such an accomplished and driven team. What 23XI has accomplished in a short time is impressive and I look forward to building on their success as the organization grows. It’s also great to continue representing Monster and I’m excited about adding to their legacy in NASCAR.”

Herbst had three wins in 165 races with 34 top-5s and 82 top-10s over his five-plus years in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas. His first national series win came late in 2023 at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with his second coming at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He also claimed the season finale at Phoenix two weeks ago ahead of the four championship finalists.

Herbst has eight Cup Series starts with Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports. He had a career-best ninth place finish in the autumn race in 2023 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Crew chief Davin Restivo will follow him to the No. 35 team after joining forces in the middle of last season.

Monster Energy, a longtime partner of Herbst through a B2B partnership with his family’s Terribles gas station chain will serve as the primary sponsor for the No. 35 Toyota.

“As 23XI enters our fifth season next year, we felt the time was right to continue the growth of our organization by adding a third team, and Riley is a driver we think will be a great fit for us,” said Steve Lauletta, 23XI Racing team president. “We have a very solid foundation with both Bubba and Tyler, and we know they will be a great resource for Riley as he begins his journey in the Cup Series.”