As Herbst aims to rise in the Cup Series standings, he says 'the proof is in the progress'

Last spring – May 18, 2025, to be exact – Riley Herbst placed 10th in the NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. One year and three months later, the wheelman of the No. 35 23XI Racing Monster Energy Toyota will again take to the 0.625 mile short track oval for Sunday’s Window World 450 NASCAR Cup Series race.

Sixteen races into the 2026 Cup Series season, the Las Vegas native is currently slotted in at 25th in points with a total of three top 10 finishes. Determined to make it into the top 20 in overall points before the Cup season winds down to its conclusion at Homestead-Miami on November 8, Herbst is looking to continue gaining momentum in an effort to reach his goal.

“I’m excited and getting ready for the weekend ahead," said Herbst. "It’s always fun when you get to stay around the house and local. I mean, North Wilkesboro is only an hour away from everybody, so it’s fun. You get to sleep in your own bed. I’m just really looking forward to it. No airplanes this weekend, so that’s always good.”

Herbst reflected on competing in last year's All-Star race at the track.

“It was just an exhibition race last year with the All-Star stuff, so this will be the first time everybody is going to be racing for points," he explained. "North Wilkesboro is unique. It’s cool. It’s the first time we get a points race there in 30-plus years. It was a fun track to learn on the simulator and to understand. It’s a little over a 5/8-mile, so cool short track racing under the lights in the summertime. It’s just a really exciting time. Hopefully, it should be a good race.”

The last four Cup races have been a mixed bag for Herbst. While the Coronado Street Course (San Diego) and Chicagoland Speedway races brought top 10 finishes for the second-year Cup driver, Herbst finished 30th at Sonoma Raceway and was 35th at last Sunday’s race at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta.

“With our season, our progress is showing. We’re running really well, and we had a bad weekend last week at Atlanta. We got involved in a wreck, so that was very unfortunate and a tough thing to swallow. We were climbing in the points, and we were closing in, and we were getting those top 10s that you and I have been talking about. It was cool. Everything was starting to click. Hopefully, we can get it back on track here at North Wilkesboro and go after another top 10.

“I have to say, the San Diego race was really fun. It was unique. I love the west coast, obviously. I loved swinging by Monster Energy to see everybody. Grabbing a top 10 was a good deal, and we had a shot at the win there. Really cool. Really fun day. Chicagoland was also good. I thought we were a solid car all day. We had good pace. Chicagoland is such a fun track. It’s wide, it’s rough, a lot of bumps. It’s so fast. We haven’t been there in six years, either. Making a return there was fun. The speed we had at Chicagoland was really something.”

Herbst currently sits 51 points behind 20th place driver Ross Chastain in the Cup Series standings and is keen to draft right on up to him.

“Honestly, we’re right there," he said. "Right before Atlanta, we were within reaching distance of it. We’ve got to get back to work. It’s obtainable, and like I told you, that’s our goal and that’s where we should be, for sure. The proof is in the progress. I feel like we’re running way better. Obviously, we had a little slip up, but our speed is there and our confidence is super high. We’ll keep working. The confidence is everything. Confidence in yourself, confidence in your team, confidence in the ability to go out there and perform at the highest level of motorsports in America. Hopefully, we can do that.

"I think confidence takes time. It comes through preparation, and I feel like our preparation is really high. Good preparation puts you in good position for good results. That’s what we’re trying to do, and we’re trying to replicate that every single week. We want to keep working on the consistency week in and week out. I think that's something that makes those top drivers in the sport so special. Their ability to perform each week at a high level is incredible. We’ll get there. We’re getting there. We’re slowly chipping away at it.”

Herbst will not be returning to 23XI Racing for the 2027 season; after a two-year stint with the team, he's set to be replaced by Corey Heim. With his future up in the air, Herbst explained where he's currently at and what will be up next as he searches for a new deal for 2027.

“We’re close, we’re close,” said Herbst. “I wish I cold tell you more, but it’s not even in my hands right now. We’re trying to get everything finalized. I let everybody on the management side kind of handle that and I try to go do my best every weekend and perform at a high level. There are 16 races left in 2026, and it’s going by fast. I think if we continue to do what we do, show up to the racetrack with fast race cars and execute at a high level, I think our goals are obtainable and we can continue to build on that.”