As Riley Herbst begins his second season driving for 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin has made clear he expects to see tangible progress from the young driver. Demonstrating improvement is key for Herbst’s future with the team, and performance gains will determine if 23XI Racing continues along its current path heading deeper into 2026 and beyond.
Hamlin Puts Emphasis on Competitive Results
Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, has challenged Herbst to raise his performance level with the No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE after a season that fell short of team standards. During a press event before the season-opening Clash, Hamlin set clear expectations for Herbst, whose Cup Series progress is under close scrutiny.
“We’ve got to see better performance, for sure,”
Hamlin said at the pre-Clash press conference. Hamlin further explained that Herbst’s 2024 results did not meet 23XI Racing’s standards and stressed the importance of improvement in the upcoming season, referencing their multi-year agreement as an opportunity for Herbst to prove himself beyond his rookie year.
“And certainly I want to see a gain in performance. Needs to be challenging inside that top 10, top 15, that’s where we expect our cars to run. And certainly the more experienced guys in Tyler (Reddick) and Bubba (Wallace), they need to be competing for race wins more often.”
– Denny Hamlin, 23XI Racing team co-owner
Herbst’s First Year at 23XI Racing
After departing Stewart-Haas Racing, Riley Herbst entered the 2025 Cup Series season with limited top-tier experience: just eight career Cup starts with two top-10s, both coming on superspeedway tracks. Herbst transitioned to Toyota Racing, taking over the No. 35 car as the 23XI team expanded, and continued working with crew chief Davin Restivo, a partnership that previously yielded three wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Herbst’s rookie campaign began with steady, if unspectacular, finishes. He opened with 17th-place results at Daytona International Speedway, EchoPark Speedway, and Circuit of the Americas. A crash at Phoenix Raceway relegated him to 37th, but a rebound came with a 19th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Despite these early efforts, his average finish across the first five events stood at 21.4. The remainder of the season proved difficult: four top-20s in the last 31 races and ten showings outside the top 30 painted a tough learning curve.
Challenges in the Cup Series and Road Ahead
The NASCAR Cup Series is notoriously challenging, especially in the Gen 7 era where consistency is a hallmark among elite drivers. With 44 starts now on his résumé, Herbst is shifting from learning phase to being expected to deliver consistent, competitive results. The team, led by Hamlin and supported by experienced drivers like Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, is watching for Herbst to challenge more regularly inside the top 15 and contend for higher placements that match team ambitions.
If Riley Herbst fulfills these goals during his second full-time season, he could cement his place in the top echelon of NASCAR and earn further opportunities at the sport’s highest level. Falling short, however, could put his seat in jeopardy, with 2027 possibly seeing 23XI Racing consider new options for the No. 35 ride. As the season progresses, both Herbst’s Cup Series progress and Hamlin’s standards will shape the driver’s future in professional stock-car racing.
