Riley Herbst Bio
Riley Dederick Kern Herbst, born on February 24, 1999, in Las Vegas, Nevada, is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing with Monster Energy as his primary sponsor. Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing roughly 170 pounds, Herbst has built a versatile résumé that spans ARCA, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the Cup Series, along with off-road Trophy Truck racing.
A third-generation racer from a family with deep ties to desert motorsports, Herbst progressed from karting through Speed Trucks and Super Late Models before joining the NASCAR development ladder. He earned the 2017 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year award and has since added three Xfinity Series victories and back-to-back Baja 1000 Trophy Truck Spec class wins in 2023 and 2024.
Early Life and Background
Herbst was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his family owns the Terrible Herbst gas station and convenience store chain with locations across Las Vegas and Southern Utah. His parents are Troy Herbst and Laura Sosey Herbst, and the family has long been involved in desert racing, including events such as the Baja 500 and Baja 1000.
Herbst began racing karts at age five and quickly moved up through the grassroots ranks. As a teenager, he competed in legends cars, Speed Trucks, and Super Late Models, gaining the kind of seat time that prepared him for national touring competition. In 2015, he raced weekly at Irwindale Speedway in a Super Late Model and captured the track’s Speed Trucks championship, a sign of his early promise on short ovals in the western United States.
During his youth, Herbst also sampled off-road racing through the Junior 1 Kart division of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, drawing on the desert racing heritage of his father, grandfather Jerry, and uncles Ed and Tim. That four-generation connection to the sport was recognized in 2014 when the family was inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
Path to NASCAR
Herbst entered the NASCAR ladder in 2016, running select races in the ARCA Menards Series East and West along with continued Super Late Model competition at Irwindale. The following year, he stepped up to a full-time ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in the ARCA Racing Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota. He won the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at Pocono, posted five top-fives and ten top-tens, and edged Gus Dean for the series Rookie of the Year award.
In May 2018, Herbst was named to the NASCAR Next class, a recognition given to emerging talent in the sport. That June, he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing, beginning a run of part-time Xfinity duty while balancing ARCA starts. By 2020, he had earned full-time status in the Xfinity Series No. 18 Toyota, qualifying for the playoffs and finishing twelfth in the final standings before being replaced by Daniel Hemric.
Riley Herbst Career
Early Career (2016-2018)
Herbst’s national career began in the ARCA Menards Series East and West in 2016, where he logged consistent finishes and finished seventh in the ARCA West standings. His first full ARCA national campaign came in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing, highlighted by his Pocono win and the series Rookie of the Year title.
In 2018, Herbst split time between ARCA, the Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He made his Truck Series debut at Gateway Motorsports Park with Kyle Busch Motorsports, finishing eighth in the No. 51, and later ran at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 46. He also picked up additional ARCA victories, building toward his first Xfinity win five years later.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2017-2021)
Across his ARCA Menards Series career, Herbst earned two wins, 35 top-ten finishes, and one pole. His best championship result was third place in 2018. He opened with the 2017 win at Pocono and added a second ARCA victory in the 2020 VizCom 200 at Michigan. He made his final ARCA national start in 2021 at Watkins Glen, closing out the developmental phase of his career on a high note.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2018-2022)
Herbst made four Truck Series starts and posted four top-ten finishes with one pole. His 2019 race at Talladega Superspeedway became one of the most memorable of his early career. While attempting to pass Johnny Sauter for the win on the final lap, Herbst was blocked across the apron, leading to a penalty on Sauter and the win going to Spencer Boyd. Herbst was classified third. He returned to the series for selected road course and superspeedway events in 2021 and 2022 with David Gilliland Racing.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2018-2024)
Herbst’s Xfinity career spans 88 top-ten finishes, three wins, and two poles across more than 150 starts. After two years of part-time duty with Joe Gibbs Racing, he took over the No. 18 Toyota full-time in 2020 and reached the playoffs. He moved to Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 98 Ford in 2021 and recorded his career-best season in 2022, posting eight top-fives and twenty top-tens.
His first Xfinity win came at his home track, the Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2023, capping a stretch of five consecutive top-five finishes. In 2024, he added victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he made a dramatic last-lap pass on Aric Almirola, and at Phoenix Raceway in the season finale, giving Stewart-Haas Racing its final Xfinity win before the team shuttered its NASCAR operations.
23XI Racing Era (2024-Present)
On November 20, 2024, 23XI Racing announced that Herbst would drive the No. 35 Toyota full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2025, with Monster Energy returning as his primary sponsor. His previous Cup experience came through part-time starts with Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports in 2023 and 2024, including a tenth-place finish in his 2023 Daytona 500 debut and a strong run at the 2023 Talladega fall race.
The 2025 campaign proved to be a learning year. Herbst opened with a seventeenth-place run in the Daytona 500 and recorded a best finish of fourteenth at Texas Motor Speedway, but he did not reach the top ten during the season. A post-race height inspection issue following the Charlotte Roval race led to a disqualification for the No. 35 team. He ended the year 35th in the Cup Series standings.
Driving Style and Strengths
Herbst has shown a knack for superspeedway and intermediate-track racing, with strong runs at Daytona, Talladega, and Las Vegas. His ability to work traffic and execute late-race passes, such as his last-lap move on Aric Almirola at Indianapolis, has become a hallmark of his racing style. Working alongside his 23XI Racing crew, he continues to refine his road course and short-track craft as he builds consistency at the Cup level.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his first Xfinity win at Las Vegas in 2023, his Indianapolis Xfinity win in 2024, the Phoenix finale that closed out Stewart-Haas Racing’s Xfinity program, and his top-ten debut in the 2023 Daytona 500. Off the paved ovals, he is a two-time Baja 1000 Trophy Truck Spec class winner, capturing the title in 2023 and 2024 alongside family and co-driver Jordan Dean.
Riley Herbst Career Wins
Herbst has three NASCAR Xfinity Series victories, two ARCA Menards Series wins, and two Baja 1000 Trophy Truck Spec class championships. His first national stock car win came at Pocono in 2017, and his most recent oval victory came at Phoenix Raceway in 2024. His off-road triumphs at Baja in 2023 and 2024 reflect the versatility he has carried across multiple racing disciplines.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Herbst’s three Xfinity wins are the 2023 Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas, the 2024 Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis, and the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix. Across the series, he has logged 88 top-ten finishes and two pole positions, with his best championship result being seventh in 2024.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his Xfinity and Cup work, Herbst has two ARCA national wins, including the 2017 race at Pocono and the 2020 VizCom 200 at Michigan. He is also a two-time Baja 1000 Trophy Truck Spec class champion in 2023 and 2024, racing alongside his father Troy Herbst and Jordan Dean. His regional résumé includes a 2015 Speed Trucks championship at Irwindale Speedway.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 3 | 88 | 2 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 2 | 35 | 1 |
Riley Herbst Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Herbst comes from a multigenerational racing family. His father Troy Herbst, grandfather Jerry Herbst, and uncles Ed and Tim have all competed in desert events such as the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, and the family was inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. The Herbsts also operate the Terrible Herbst gas station and convenience store chain based in Las Vegas and Southern Utah.
Herbst’s mother is Laura Sosey Herbst, and his racing cousins include Pierce Herbst and Thor Herbst, with whom he competed in the 2020 and 2021 Baja 1000 races. This deep family connection to off-road competition shaped his early driving career and continues to influence his approach behind the wheel.
Personal Life
Herbst makes his home in the Las Vegas area, the same city where he was born and raised. He maintains an active presence on social media, where fans follow his racing updates. Beyond his Cup Series duties with 23XI Racing, he continues to balance stock car and off-road racing, drawing on the versatile background that has defined his career since childhood.
2025 Season Performance
Riley Herbst’s 2025 season marked his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series campaign with 23XI Racing in the No. 35 Toyota. After a seventeenth-place finish in the Daytona 500, he and the team worked through the rhythm of a 36-race schedule while adapting to the demands of Cup competition. His best result of the year was a fourteenth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway.
The season included growing pains, as Herbst did not record a top-ten finish across the year. A highlight low came following the Charlotte Roval race, when the No. 35 entry was disqualified for a post-race height inspection failure, costing the team a strong result and championship points. He finished the year with eight top-twenty finishes.
Looking ahead, Herbst’s Cup tenure with 23XI Racing was confirmed to end when Corey Heim was announced as his replacement in the No. 35 effective for the 2026 season. Despite the difficult 2025 results, the experience gained at the Cup level is expected to shape his next career chapter in NASCAR’s national series.
