Riley Herbst is back in the Toyota camp and using the move to reunite with his former team. He will join forces with Joe Gibbs Racing.
The NASCAR Roster Portal revealed the news on Monday, Feb. 24. It listed Herbst as the driver of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for this weekend's Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas. The Las Vegas native will pull double duty at the Texas road course while continuing his rookie season in the Cup Series with 23XI Racing.
Herbst will follow Justin Bonsignore and Aric Almirola, who controlled the entry at Daytona and Atlanta, respectively. He will have the opportunity to gain some crucial experience on the shorter layout that NASCAR will use for the first time.
Herbst started his Xfinity Series career with Joe Gibbs Racing. He made his series debut with a start at Iowa Speedway in 2018 and finished sixth. He then joined the team for nine starts in 2019 and the full season in 2020.
Herbst did not have the benefit of practice during his rookie season due to COVID protocols at the track, but he made the playoffs. He posted 17 top-10 finishes and four top-fives but also failed to finish eight races. Herbst ended the season 12th in the championship standings.
Herbst's time with Joe Gibbs Racing ended after the 2020 season. He headed to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2021 and remained with the team through 2024 while winning three races in the No. 98 Ford.
Herbst will now have a reunion with his former team while joining what is becoming a packed entry list. He will be one of the multiple guest drivers competing at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday.
He will join Thomas Annunziata, who makes his first start of the season for Cope Family Racing. Herbst will also join Corey Heim, who became 23XI Racing's first-ever development driver last week. Heim will make his first Xfinity start at COTA while driving for Sam Hunt Racing.
The Circuit of the Americas entry list will also feature William Byron, who makes a start for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 Chevrolet. Carson Hocevar will replace Garrett Smithley at SS Green Light Racing for the road course race while Ross Chastain will join JR Motorsports.