Kevin Harvick: Riley Herbst at 23XI will be Rookie of the Year contender

Consider Kevin Harvick a believer in 23XI Racing’s newest wheelman, as Riley Herbst is making the jump to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025.

After finding success in the Xfinity Series, Herbst will pilot the No. 35 Monster Energy Toyota, as 23XI expands their operation to three full-time rides. While Herbst has been overlooked at times over the past few years, Harvick believes he’s a major contender for the 2025 Rookie of the Year Award, and the future is bright for the 25-year-old.

“I think bringing Riley into 23XI is obviously the next step in his career,” Harvick stated, regarding the new full-time Cup Series wheelman, via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “He’ll be one of the Rookie of the Year contenders, with SVG. Quite the difference in background and everything. But it’ll be intriguing, to watch that Rookie of the Year battle, as they go through.

“I think, when you look at what it takes to get used to the Cup Series in general, and let alone the Cup Series car, this Gen 7 car — it’s different. It’s going to be a steep learning curve for Riley, to get used to the car and the way that everything works. I think he’s got a lot of experience around him. I think having Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, those guys have all been in the Cup Series for a while. They’ve driven this car every year that it’s been on the race track. To have that experience is great for Riley, and I think adding that third car to that team is the next step for their progression to grow the organization. It’ll be interesting to see that progression.

“I think he’s got 175 starts or so in the Xfinity Series. So, you know, he started to win races, and it was time to move on. … You get to that point, and there’s another step. At some point, you just have to jump in and hope it works out for you and start learning. I think that he’s going to start learning. It will change the dynamic, of the flow of that team. You know, Bubba’s got a new crew chief, and they’ve got the lawsuit. They’ve got a lot going on. A lot of things changing over there as well, over at 23XI.”

All told, Riley Herbst truly came alive during last season’s Xfinity Series campaign, notching wins at Indianapolis and the season-finale at Phoenix. He’ll be hoping to continue that momentum as a rookie in the Cup Series, and Kevin Harvick believes in his talent ahead of his first full-time go-round.