NASCAR: New landing spot emerges for Brickyard winner

Riley Herbst has been a name to watch as this year's NASCAR silly season has progressed, as the Xfinity Series veteran's plans are currently up in the air for the 2025 season.

The 25-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native has competed full-time in the Xfinity Series since 2020, and he has done so for Stewart-Haas Racing since 2021.

Herbst has been somewhat of a late bloomer at the Xfinity level. He made it to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons of the series, but he never finished higher than 10th place in the point standings, and he did not win any races during any of those three years.

Then last year, he missed the postseason entirely, but he went on to secure his first career victory in his home race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The 2024 season has been somewhat of a breakout season for Herbst, who finds himself in fifth place in the point standings after winning the most recent race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to lead into the four-week summer break.

Herbst has said that it is possible he could end up competing in any one of NASCAR's three national series next year, but should a competitive Cup Series team come calling, it's hard to imagine him turning that offer down for a ride in the Xfinity Series or the Truck Series.

With Stewart-Haas Racing set to shut down at the end of the 2024 season but team co-owner Gene Haas set to continue running a two-car Xfinity Series program under the name Haas Factory Team, it is believed that Herbst would be welcome to retain his current seat behind the wheel of the No. 98 Ford for what would be a fifth consecutive season, especially with teammate and reigning champion Cole Custer set to move back up to the Cup Series.

But there is indeed a top-tier Cup Series team that could come calling Herbst's name, and that team is 23XI Racing.

Herbst may not stand out as the most desirable young talent available, but his extensive experience and evident progression at NASCAR's lower levels, coupled with the seven Cup Series starts he has made with Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports since the start of the 2023 season, have forced teams to take notice.

And his Brickyard win could not have come at a better time.

23XI Racing are reportedly eyeing expansion from two to three cars next year, likely by acquiring one of the four Stewart-Haas Racing charters. Haas is set to retain one, Front Row Motorsports are set to acquire another to expand from two to three cars, and it is believed that Trackhouse Racing Team will do the same.

It is believed that the third 23XI Racing Toyota, which would presumably be the No. 67 car, will either go to Herbst or to Tricon Garage Truck Series driver Corey Heim, who is arguably the top driver in the Toyota Racing Development pipeline.

But according to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, Heim "is the team's driver of the future, but he might be a year or two away from being fully Cup ready."

That does indeed feel like a completely accurate assessment from one of the sport's top insiders. Heim made it to the Truck Series Championship 4 with three wins in what was his first season as a full-time driver in the series last year. He sits in second place in the point standings with a series-high five wins already in 2024.

But the 22-year-old Marietta, Georgia native has only made select starts in the Xfinity Series, 13 in total since last year, and he has yet to win. So perhaps it would serve the rising star better to spend at least one season as a full-time driver at NASCAR's second highest level before being promoted to the top.

As for Herbst, it's not just his experience that should serve him well. He has been sponsored by Monster Energy during much of his career, and Monster Energy already has a relationship with the team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.

Kurt Busch brought the drinks company with him from Stewart-Haas Racing to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019, and after Trackhouse Racing Team acquired Chip Ganassi Racing following the 2021 season, he took Monster Energy with him to 23XI Racing.

Despite Busch's early retirement due to the head injury he suffered in a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway, Monster Energy opted to remain with 23XI Racing, and they have sponsored Tyler Reddick's No. 45 Toyota ever since.

Herbst is also a former Toyota driver himself, having competed for the manufacturer across K&N Pro Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, the ARCA Menards Series, the Truck Series, and even in the Xfinity Series from 2016 to 2020.

Experience, steady progression, and substantial backing make Herbst the top candidate to join Reddick and Bubba Wallace at the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated Toyota team next year, even ahead of the promising Heim.