NASCAR Silly Season: Riley Herbst expresses lack of confidence in 2025 plans amid 23XI Racing's charter dispute

Riley Herbst has touched upon his future in NASCAR and going by his words, the Xfinity Series driver does not seem too confident about his Cup Series endeavor in 2025. Herbst's uncertainty about his Cup Series career comes amid 23XI's recent charter dispute.

Herbst is currently racing in the Xfinity Series with Stewart-Haas Racing. In recent months, he was strongly linked to a move to the Cup Series with 23XI Racing next year. However, the team's ongoing dispute with NASCAR regarding the new charter deal has cast doubt on Herbst's planned transition.

When asked to comment on his future endeavors in the sport, the #98 driver dismissed the topic as a distraction. Here's what he said:

"[I'm] not confident, by any means," Herbst said. "Distraction-wise, I think it weighs on all of us a little bit. I'd be lying if I said it didn't, hopefully, things kind of sort themselves out in the meantime for the future, but I can't worry about that now."

23XI Racing was one of the only two teams that opposed the new NASCAR Charter agreement. This put the team's two existing charters, as well as one reported Charter (the one linked to Herbst) from Stewart-Haas Racing, at risk.

As for Herbst, eager to conclude his four-year stint with Stewart-Haas Racing on a strong note. As the team is set to disband at the end of the season, his contract will also expire.

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Riley Herbst has full focus on Xfinity Series title

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Riley Herbst (98) celebrates after winning the Pennzoil 250 (Source: Imagn)

Riley Herbst is currently competing for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. He secured a playoff berth courtesy of a win in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race and has already advanced to the Round of 12.

Now, qualifying for the next stage (round of eight) and claiming the trophy in the last seven races remains his only goal amid all the drama surrounding his Cup Series career. Speaking about this, the #98 driver said,

"I have to worry about the No. 98 [Xfinity] team and trying to get the best results we can at Kansas to put ourselves higher above the cutline, but yeah, it's been a little bit of a distraction, but I'm not too confident in what's going to happen next year."

Besides the solitary victory, the 25-year-old claimed five top 5s and ten top 10s. He has an average starting position of 10.192 and an average finishing position of 16.154. In the playoff standings, the Las Vegas-born driver is just above the cutline with +3 points to his credit.