The future for NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Riley Herbst seems uncertain at the moment with no official confirmation from 23XI Racing. Herbst was heavily speculated to join the Michael Jordan co-owned Cup Series team as they planned to expand to a three-car charter, but with the team not signing the charter agreement, things are still in limbo.
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Talking about his Cup future and chances of signing with 23XI, Herbst said, “Not confident, by any means. Distraction-wise, I think it weighs on all of us a little bit. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t, hopefully, things kind of sort themselves out in the meantime for the future, but I can’t worry about that now.”
23XI Racing is one of the two teams left to sign the agreement. While the other big teams have seemingly agreed with the governing body, Hamlin and Jordan believe the terms of the deal aren’t fair. With this situation, there is no surety that the team will acquire a 3rd charter for the 2025 season.
I have Riley Herbst penciled in as the favorite for the third 23XI Racing car (even with the charter drama going on). Herbst indicated today he’s not confident as far as where he will land in 2025 and has to focus at the moment on an Xfinity title run. pic.twitter.com/VCZnXbhxFP
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 24, 2024
Herbst with an impressive 2025 campaign
The SHR Xfinity Series driver has been an interesting prospect for 23XI Racing. With an increasingly impressive streak of race performances including a win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a lot of teams would have eyes on him moving forward.
In his stint in the Xfinity Series, Herbst has scored two wins, and just this season alone he has five top 5s and ten top 10s under his belt. Herbst has currently secured himself in the 8th position in the playoffs, right above the cut-off bubble at +3 points.
Not knowing what the future holds for him will surely be a lingering thought on his mind. However, he’ll try to brush past this air of uncertainty and concentrate on making the best of his 2024 Xfinity Series campaign. At this juncture, he will have to wait and see if 23XI Racing closes their deal as soon as possible, before deciding if they want him to join the fray starting next.
