Despite rumors that Corey Heim would make the full-time move to the NASCAR Cup Series with 23XI Racing, the team with which he signed as a development driver at the start of the 2025 season, for 2026, the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned team opted to retain Riley Herbst alongside Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace for 2027.
Herbst struggled mightily in his rookie year, but largely due to his sponsorship from his family's Terrible Herbst chain of gas stations, Heim remained without a full-time ride, even after winning the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series championship with 12 series victories. He currently runs part-time for Tricon Garage, his former full-time Truck Series team, and for 23XI Racing in a fourth non-chartered (open) car.
Herbst has made some progress in 2026, but not nearly enough to justify retaining him for 2027, and halfway into the regular season, the team made the confirmation that many had long been waiting for: Heim is set to replace Herbst behind the wheel of the No. 35 Toyota in 2027.
However, Herbst's progression, plus his solid, even if not spectacular, track record in NASCAR's lower divisions, makes his free agency one to watch, even if he's certainly not the biggest-name driver on the market.
With a full 23XI Racing promotion set to come Heim's way in 2027, where might Herbst end up? Here are the five possibilities.
5 possible landing spots for Corey Heim in 2026
Tricon Garage (NASCAR Truck Series)
Despite running five full seasons in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, Herbst never ran full-time in the Truck Series, a stark contrast to Heim, who is literally fifth on the all-time wins list simply because fans would argue he "overstayed his welcome", through no fault of his own.
Tricon Garage run five trucks full-time, and two of those are currently shared entries. Given what Heim was able to do during his time in the Truck Series, perhaps the team could give an opportunity to driver he's set to replace to show them what he's capable of doing at a different level with championship-winning equipment.
Joe Gibbs Racing (NASCAR O'Reilly Series)
While it wasn't surprising to see Herbst only spend one year with Joe Gibbs Racing in the O'Reilly Series (then Xfinity Series) back in 2020, since he spent the entire year without a victory in a top-tier equipment and finished last in the standings among playoff drivers, he clearly made progress after that.
He spent the next four years with Stewart-Haas Racing, and while the first two seasons were similar to his 2020 campaign, he won three races across the 2023 and 2024 seasons before moving to the Cup Series in 2025.
You could make a case that he'd be an upgrade over William Sawalich or Taylor Gray among the team's current roster, possibly even veteran Brandon Jones. But Jones is fifth in points, and both Sawalich and Gray have won this year. Brent Crews is still seeking his first win but is widely considered the best of the bunch and doesn't appear to be going anywhere, unless "anywhere" eventually includes replacing Denny Hamlin.
Legacy Motor Club (NASCAR Cup Series)
Legacy Motor Club had their eye on expanding from two to three cars for the 2026 season, and while that did not happen, it appears set to happen in 2027. Adding Herbst, which would keep him with Toyota at the sport's top level, would be a seamless transition, and as we've already covered, the sponsorship could make the difference.
Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek are two drivers who arrived at Legacy Motor Club seeking career resurgences, and both have had moderate success with the organization, even if the team is still a step behind the two other Toyota teams. It could be a perfect fit for Herbst.
Kaulig Racing (NASCAR Cup Series, Truck Series)
Kaulig Racing is an intriguing option, because despite losing support from Chevrolet as they run their new Ram Trucks program in the Truck Series, A.J. Allmendinger has had enough success to remain in the playoff discussion roughly halfway through the regular season.
Unfortunately, Ty Dillon simply hasn't had that level of success, and that has been the case for years, relative to his teammates. He has just five top 23 finishes all year and sits 30th in the point standings.
Adding Herbst as Dillon's replacement would be a lateral move at worst for Kaulig Racing, and with their Ram Trucks team having that "free agent" truck, Herbst could gain as much additional track time as he needs, since he'd only be in his third full Cup Series season and therefore would not be held to the eight-race limit.
Richard Childress Racing (NASCAR Cup Series)
It's unfortunate, but any free agent from now until Richard Childress Racing name a new full-time driver is going to be linked to Kyle Busch's old car, which is now using the No. 33 instead of the No. 8. While the No. 8 is reserved for the late two-time Cup Series champion's 11-year-old son Brexton, that's just it; Brexton is probably around a decade away from even being considered for a Cup seat.
Austin Hill has been in the No. 33 Chevrolet since Busch's tragic passing, and it wouldn't be surprising to see his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Jesse Love, get seat time as well. But what if Hill isn't a long-term answer in a Cup ride? As for Love, who would appear to be the higher-upside option, he has been linked to other rides as well, most notably at Legacy Motor Club.
Herbst competed in select races for Kyle Busch Motorsports across three different Truck Series seasons, which could be a unique way to keep Busch's legacy going with Richard Childress Racing before any Brexton era potentially comes along.
It would by no means be a glamorous signing, but Herbst has made some progress in 2026, and let's not sugarcoat it; Richard Childress Racing isn't exactly a super attractive option at the moment for some of the sport's big-name free agents, given their ongoing struggles; they might well be the worst Chevrolet team not named Rick Ware Racing at the moment. This is a case where driver and team could be a perfect match as they both aim for rejuvenation.
Add us as a preferred source on Google