What’s Happening?

One of NASCAR Silly Season’s most controversial questions is whether Riley Herbst or Corey Heim is the best fit at 23XI Racing for 2025. Many look at Corey Heim’s success relative to Herbst and believe it’s time for him to jump up to the NASCAR Cup Series. Well, Eric Estepp suggests, somewhat controversially, that Riley Herbst might be more Cup-ready than Heim. Is this true?

• Riley Herbst turned heads at Indianapolis by dramatically earning his second career win. Herbst has struggled to find victory lane for most of his Xfinity Series career, but that adversity just might be what he needs to succeed at the Cup level.
• Heim is immensely talented, but, as Eric notes, Heim does tend to escalate conflicts further than they should. Would more time in the lower series help Heim mature for the long run?
• Generally speaking, Heim is viewed as the diver with more upside. However, Herbst brings funding and experience, which makes him a prime candidate for a potential third 23XI Racing car.

An Honest Look at Corey Heim

Corey Heim has been ridiculously good in the Truck Series over the past few seasons. In his last 53 starts, he has 41 top-10 finishes and 28 top-fives with 10 wins. His top-five rate is an astounding 52.8%, meaning he is more likely to finish in the top five than not. He’s been even better this year with five wins, 10 top-fives, and 12 top-10s in 15 races.

However, as Eric points out, when things don’t go Heim’s way, and he faces some adversity, he can escalate things a bit too far. Look at the season finale at Phoenix in 2023, where Heim intentionally wrecked Carson Hocevar with two laps to go. Yes, Hocevar did wreck Heim to end the No. 11 driver’s Championship hopes, but to make that drastic move, which affected the final result of the race and the Championship, was not a good look. The frustration was warranted, but the execution was a bridge too far.

Fast-forward to 2024, when Corey Heim got together with Championship rival Christian Eckes at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Contact between the two eventually cut Heim’s tire, causing Heim to hunt down and swerve at Eckes under caution before confronting Eckes on pit road.

Heim handled this incident much more subduedly than the Phoenix incident, but it still showcases that he is young and fiery. Sometimes, that can translate to overaggressive moves on the track and frustrating other competitors; ask Ross Chastain how this can affect things.

However, Heim has also shown maturity at times this season. In his three Cup Series starts, Heim has generally stayed on the good side of competitors. He only failed to finish at Nashville due to multiple overtimes late in the race, when the entire race devolved into chaos.

In the Xfinity Series, Heim has not asked too much out of his Sam Hunt Racing equipment. He’s even squeezed out top-five finishes at Richmond and Iowa, the best finishes the organization has recorded all year.

Heim is not out of control as a driver by any means, but he has moments where he gets carried away. When he’s at his best and stays within himself, he can be one of the best drivers on any grid he’s on. However, has he shown enough maturity to overtake Riley Herbst?

An Honest Look at Riley Herbst

Riley Herbst is an interesting case. He has spent his entire Xfinity Series career in top equipment, but he just won his first race last year in his 107th start. As a result, many felt Herbst was no more than a “Pay driver,” someone who is in their position not through merit or talent but rather because they bring money.

However, Herbst has shown some promise, especially in recent races. He recorded five straight top-five finishes at the end of 2023, and he’s in the midst of his best season yet in 2024. He sits fifth in points, which would blow away his previous career high of 10th, and he beat defending Series Champion Cole Custer and NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola in a clean battle for the win at Indianapolis.

The win caught the eye of everyone watching, including current 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin. Could this be a precursor to the two forming a working relationship?

Herbst is showing genuine improvement, and that race at Indianapolis shows some incredible precision behind the wheel. With multiple years of full-time Xfinity Series experience, is it reasonable to think he could jump into the Cup Series and be at least serviceable out of the gate? It absolutely is, especially if 23XI thinks Heim needs another year.

However, Heim still has an objectively more impressive resume than Herbst. Some view Heim as a future Cup Series Champion-level talent, and maybe 23XI Racing also thinks that. There could be an argument that Heim could benefit from more time in the Cup Series at an earlier age to learn.

Who is more Cup Series-ready of the two? Eric Estepp believes an argument could be made for Herbst, but Heim’s higher ceiling could tip the scales.

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