NASCAR: 5 drivers who could replace Kevin Harvick in 2024
By Asher Fair
Possible Kevin Harvick replacements – No. 2 – Riley Herbst
When it was announced that Cole Custer was going to drop back down to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a lot of people assumed that he was going to outperform Riley Herbst in the same equipment.
Herbst is in his fourth full Xfinity Series season and third with Stewart-Haas Racing. He has never driven for anything other than a top-tier team at NASCAR’s second highest level, and yet he is winless in 122 career starts. He has never finished higher than 10th place in the championship standings.
So that assumption was fair. But early on, he proved that he is just as capable as Custer is of running well. Herbst is still winless in 2023, but he opened up the year with six straight top 10 finishes. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had the best string of results since then, but he has shown that he is capable of bringing the team solid results and points hauls.
If Stewart-Haas Racing turn to the Xfinity Series to replace Kevin Harvick, perhaps Herbst might actually be considered as an option. He can also now say that he has competed in the Cup Series, having made his series debut in this year’s Daytona 500 with Rick Ware Racing with a 10th place finish.
Additionally, with Busch Light’s plans post-Harvick yet to be announced, Stewart-Haas Racing will probably need to fill that sponsorship void, and Riley Herbst has Monster Energy backing. Is the drinks company willing to sponsor yet another Cup Series driver?