While Riley Herbst has struggled in his first full NASCAR Cup Series season with 23XI Racing, sitting second-to-last among the 36 full-time drivers in the point standings with a series-worst top finish of only 14th place, he has made the most of his select Xfinity Series starts with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Joe Gibbs Racing, the team with which Herbst competed in the Xfinity Series part-time in 2019 and full-time in 2020, field the No. 19 Toyota, also known as the "star car", full-time in the series, and the entry is shared by several drivers, including other Cup drivers such as Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs.
Herbst made his first start of the Xfinity Series season at Circuit of the Americas and finished in 13th place, but he improved to finish in third at Texas Motor Speedway in a race won by Kyle Larson. Then this past weekend at Sonoma Raceway, he finished in fifth.
But Herbst will not be back this weekend for Saturday's race at Dover.
Riley Herbst replacement confirmed for Dover race
Aric Almirola is set to drive the No. 19 Toyota in this Saturday's 200-lap BetRivers 200 around the four-turn, 1.0-mile (1.609-kilometer) high-banked "Monster Mile" oval in Dover, Delaware.
Almirola has made seven starts so far this season himself, tops among all seven drivers who have driven the No. 19 Supra at any point in 2025.
After his first three, which included a third place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a win at Phoenix Raceway, and a runner-up finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he has struggled a bit, recording just two top 10 finishes and a top result of sixth at Nashville Superspeedway.
Following this weekend, Almirola is expected to return for additional starts this season, but no further races have been confirmed for his schedule yet. The team still have eight races for which they have not yet confirmed a driver of the No. 19 car, including next weekend's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
As for Herbst, who won at Indy last year, he is set to return to the No. 19 Toyota, but not until next month's race at Watkins Glen International. Aside from that race, he does not have any other Xfinity Series starts lined up for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Tune in to the CW Network at 4:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, July 19 for the live broadcast of the BetRivers 200 from Dover Motor Speedway. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and catch all of the action from the "Monster Mile"!