23XI Racing, co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, will add a 3rd full-time automotive next 12 months. In addition to the No. 23 automotive, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick's No. 45 can even field the No. 35 Toyota Camry with Riley Herbst behind the wheel.
Herbst, 25, brings with him Monster Energy as a primary sponsor, which already supports 23XI's Tyler Reddick within the Cup Series, in addition to Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs. Herbst spent the last five seasons leading every NASCAR Xfinity race, and 2024 was his best performance up to now with two race wins before ending the season seventh within the championship standings. He also finished the 12 months by earning his third profession victory within the deciding title game on a last-lap pass from newly crowned Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier.
Herbst also has eight Cup Series starts over the past two years, which incorporates a top-10 finish in his 2023 Daytona 500 debut, a mark he bettered later that 12 months when he finished ninth at Talladega. Davin Restivo, who worked with Herbst within the Xfinity Series, might be crew chief within the No. 35 automotive.
Riley Herbst, Rick Ware Racing, Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, FedEx Rewards Toyota Camry and Martin Truex Jr, Joe Gibbs Racing, Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry
Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
23XI already serviced three cars, but to a limited extent. They used the numbers 67 and later 50 part-time, and included several famous drivers, including Juan Pablo Montoya, Kamui Kobayashi and Travis Pastrana.
The original plan for 23XI was to buy the charter from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing, but as a consequence of a legal dispute with NASCAR regarding the 2025 charter agreement, it is feasible they may should run all three as “open” entries that will not be locked to any race . A judge recently denied their request for a preliminary injunction to preserve the charter while the antitrust case is pending.
It is the third two-car company to announce planned expansion ahead of the 2025 season and the second this week, joining RFK Racing, which can add the No. 60 automotive with Ryan Preece, and Trackhouse Racing, which can add the No. 88 with Shane van Gisbergen.
