Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford, celebrates at the bricks after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 20, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Michael Jordan's NASCAR team is expanding -- again.
After debuting in 2021 and adding a second full-time entry in 2022, the organization announced Wednesday it is adding a third driver starting in 2025.
Riley Herbst will pilot the No. 35 Toyota in his rookie season with backing from Monster Energy. He joins returning teammates Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 and Tyler Reddick in the No. 45.
Herbst has competed in the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series for the last five seasons, winning three races -- including the final event of 2024 earlier this month in Phoenix.
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“It’s an honor to join 23XI and Toyota for the opportunity to race in the Cup Series each week,” Herbst said. “Racing full-time in the Cup Series has been my goal since I started in NASCAR and I’m excited to start my Cup career with such an accomplished and driven team. What 23XI has accomplished in a short time is impressive and I look forward to building on their success as the organization grows. It’s also great to continue representing Monster and I’m excited about adding to their legacy in NASCAR.”
23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Jordan and Denny Hamlin, has won eight races in four seasons -- five by Reddick, two by Wallace and one by Kurt Busch. Reddick won the regular season championship in 2024 and advanced to the Championship 4 (finishing fourth), both firsts for the organization.
The team has not been without controversy, though. 23XI did not sign NASCAR's charter agreement for 2025 and filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and CEO Jim France in September. Both sides have already appeared in court and the legal process is ongoing, but NASCAR will allow 23XI (and Front Row Motorsports, who joined the lawsuit) to compete as "open" teams in 2025. That means those teams will not have guaranteed spots in every race and will receive less prize money, which they would have gotten had they signed the deal.
Still, 23XI is obviously comfortable enough in its situation to move forward with its expansion plans. All three drivers will hit the track in February when the season kicks off at the Daytona 500.
