Riley Herbst will pilot Rick Ware Racing’s number 15 Cup car at Daytona 500 and other select races

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Riley Herbst will run select Cup Series races for Rick Ware Racing in the upcoming 2024 season, the team announced on Friday (Feb. 2). In his debut Cup race at last year’s Daytona 500, Herbst had an impressive outing finishing 10th in the event.

Herbst, who competes full-time in the Xfinity Series with Stewart-Haas Racing, will drive the RWR’s #15 Ford in his partial schedule with primary sponsorship backing from Monster Energy.

The 24-year-old Nevada native will make his first Cup start of the 2024 season with a season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18. However, RWR did not announce what other races Herbst will compete in 2024.

Herbst will share the #15 entry with Kaz Grala, who will make a total of 25 starts this season.

Team owner Rick Ware is happy to have Riley Herbst in its driver’s lineup with a partnership from Monster Energy in the 2024 Cup Series season.

In a team release, Ware said:

“Riley continues to impress as a driver. He showcased what we could do together by securing a top-10 in his first Cup Series start in last year’s Daytona 500, so we look forward to using that as our benchmark when we return to do it again in a few weeks. Additionally, to partner with a global brand like Monster Energy is something I take very seriously for RWR as a company.”

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Riley Herbst spoke about joining Rick Ware Racing for 2024 Cup season

The Las Vegas, Nevada native ended the 2023 Xfinity Series season in 13th place in the championship standings with a breakthrough victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Riley Herbst feels that he has improved a lot as a racer over the last few seasons and is looking forward to making a second consecutive appearance in the Daytona 500.

In a team release, Herbst said:

“I’ve grown a lot as a racecar driver, especially this past year. I put in the work and try to maximize every opportunity, and I feel like last year that hard work and determination paid off. We were really strong at the end of the year. We never finished lower than fourth in our last five Xfinity Series races.

“I didn’t want the season to end. I’ve kind of been chomping at the bit to get this year started, so to be able to get back to Daytona and run the 500 is something I’m definitely looking forward to.”