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Since the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season came to a close on Nov. 10 in Phoenix and Joey Logano won his third championship, the Silly Season has been in overdrive. Feels like it's almost every day — one domino falling after another.
On Wednesday, after months of speculation, it was finally confirmed that Riley Herbst will be driving a third car at 23XI Racing in 2025. The 25-year-old, who has eight Cup appearances under his belt the last two seasons, will pilot the No. 35.
During Wednesday's "On Track" show on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Logano's 2018 Cup Series-winning crew chief Todd Gordon, who was subbing for Larry McReynolds, talked with co-host Danielle Trotta about the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver's move when she asked if he thought Herbst was ready for a full-time Cup ride. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images "I think time will tell us that," Gordon said.
"If you ask me to just look at body of work, I would say, honestly, candidly, I'd say no. I'd like to see him be a little more consistent, but the trajectory's been there." That trajectory is what Jeff Burton talked about during NBC's broadcast of the Xfinity Series practice and qualifying sessions in October at the Charlotte Roval when he described Herbst as: "the most improved driver in NASCAR's top three series over the last couple years.
" Is @rileyherbst worthy of a full-time Cup Series ride? @ToddBGordon weighs in. pic.twitter.
com/0mswJSBrj2 The numbers back it up. After recording a total of 30 top 10s and nine top 5s in his first two full-time Xfinity seasons — 2020 at Joe Gibbs Racing and 2021 at SHR — he's steadily improved since 2022 in those same categories (52 top 10s/25 top 5s) and, more importantly, added three wins, once in 2023 at Las Vegas and twice in 2024 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis and the season finale in Phoenix. If anything, moving to 23XI Racing is the perfect place for Herbst because he can use what Gordon and any other doubters have said about him as motivation — a tactic the organization's co-owner Michael Jordan regularly used to his advantage during his Hall of Fame NBA career.
Related: Stewart-Haas Racing Faces Fan Backlash After Excluding Driver in Final Video.
