NASCAR Truck Series champion Corey Heim is set to replace Riley Herbst at 23XI in the No. 35 Toyota starting in 2027. The Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-owned team made the announcement on Saturday. But where does this leave Herbst with regard to the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season?
Most of the seats for the 2027 season have already been confirmed, especially with the top teams already having drivers under contract for next year or in talks to extend contracts.
Alex Bowman’s HMS drive for the coming year is in question, but Corey Day is rumored to be the favored replacement. Team Penske is expected to continue with the current lineup, and an extension is expected for the 2027 season.
Let’s have a look at the three potential seats for Riley Herbst going into the 2027 NASCAR season.
#3 Riley Herbst in the No. 67 for 23XI Racing
Corey Heim is driving the No. 67 as a part-time entry for 23XI Racing for the 2026 Cup season. The Michael Jordan co-owned team could have offered Herbst a straight swap, giving him the part-time drive while putting Heim in the full-time No. 35 chartered entry.
Riley Herbst can decide to run the 2027 season as a part-time entry and make moves for the 2028 season when the driver market opens up and contracts expire. With reports of Denny Hamlin potentially retiring at the end of 2027, a seat will open up at Joe Gibbs Racing, and Herbst can continue in the Toyota family.
Given that Herbst has driven for JGR in the ARCA and Xfinity (now O’Reilly), his replacing Hamlin won’t be far-fetched.
#2 No. 33 Chevrolet at Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR icon Kyle Busch’s sudden death has opened up an unexpected seat for the 2027 season at Richard Childress Racing. Austin Hill will be filling the chartered entry for the current season, but a seat for 2027 is up for grabs.
However, the 23XI driver will face competition from the likes of reigning O’Reilly champion Jesse Love Jr. and Austin Hill for the full-time No. 33 Chevrolet.
#1 Riley Herbst in the No. 84 Toyota Legacy Motor Club
Jimmie Johnson has announced the 2027 Daytona 500 as his last NASCAR race before his retirement. With the NASCAR legend set to leave the sport, the No. 84 Toyota driven by him will become available.
In addition, LMC has secured the charter from Rick Ware Racing and will enter the 2027 season with three full-time entries. This is where Riley Herbst comes in. The 27-year-old can partner Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek for the 2027 season to form the team’s lineup.
Many insiders have already reported that Herbst is the favorite to make the move to the No. 84 Toyota for the 2027 season, and the Nevada native will continue with the Japanese manufacturer.
