NASCAR’s 23XI Racing Team does not allow the interim nature of his future interfere with plans to expand.
The team, co-owned by Michael JordanDenny Hamlin and Curtis Polk, visited the “Going Out of Business” sale at Stewart-Haas Racing and came away with a very good find: Riley Herbst, the veteran Xfinity Series driver who will now drive a third Toyota 23XI starting in next season in the cup series.
All this while the legal machine moves forward with the antitrust suit against NASCAR filed by 23XI and Front Row Motorsports.
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The “interim” mentioned above involves the loss of racing team franchise protections (except that they are called “charters” and not franchises in NASCAR). All 36 licensed teams are guaranteed a starting spot in every Cup Series race, with up to four unsanctioned teams allowed to expand the racing field to a maximum of 40 cars.
Except now there are only 32 chartered teams, since 23XI and FRM failed to sign the new NASCAR racing team charter agreement at the end of last season and instead opted to go to trial. Or maybe there are currently only 30 approved teams.
It’s a long story.
Who will and won’t do the Daytona 500?
Last season, six of the 36 Cup races reached a maximum of 40 entries. The all-important season-opening Daytona 500 actually had 42 cars attempt to qualify, meaning two of them – driven by JJ Yeley and Kaz Grala – failed to qualify for the great race.
So now some calculations. Thirty-two cars, or maybe just 30 (we’ll get to that), will arrive at Daytona with guaranteed entry into the Super Bowl of stock car racing on February 16. Presumably the six unchartered cars owned by 23XI and FRM (FRM purchased a third charter, for 2025 and beyond, last season from Stewart-Haas) will also come to town, putting us at 38 cars.
Or is it 36? Arghh!
If, by chance, six more unchartered cars fell off the haulers at Daytona, as happened last season, we’re down to 44 (or yes, maybe 42) cars and two or four would make the trip. shame to the north. on I-95 after Thursday’s qualifying races.
Charter or not? NASCAR lawsuit complicates matters
Here’s why we cover the numbers here. NASCAR is not giving any updates on the status of an additional charter purchased by FRM and 23XI. You would logically assume that these are now also non-chartered cars since they are part of the non-chartered stables, but again, you are not a lawyer privy to this information.
It’s complicated, as they say, but it will eventually come out in the wash.
Front Row brings NASCAR speed, if not a NASCAR charter
It’s highly likely that the 23XI and FRM cars will be higher quality than any of the other non-chartered Daytona 500 hopefuls, but that doesn’t always translate into better results. Things happen when the green flag drops, as you may have noticed.
If recent history is true, that may not be a problem for FRM as a whole, which fielded the winning pole car in three of four superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega last season. Michael McDowell, who drove the No. 34 Ford to all three of those poles – and finished second in the one he didn’t win – has since left FRM and will now drive for Spire Motorsports.
Michael McDowell won his SIXTH Pole of 2024, tied for the most in a season since 2018
Additionally, he won 5 consecutive poles at superspeedways, the most in almost FORTY years (Bill Elliott 1986/1986) pic.twitter.com/58tc64CCxX
-Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) October 5, 2024
Todd Gilliland remains at FRM with a new teammate, Noah Gragson, and perhaps Zane Smith, if the rumors hold up. And since there’s been no news of turnover within the engineering department, let’s assume the FRM team will have plenty of horsepower when they head south in February.
Oh, Riley Herbst? Meet a new teammate for Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick
Amidst all of this, Herbst could prove to be a quality pickup for 23XI and the Toyota camp as a whole.
Herbst, a Las Vegas native, drove a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing during the 2020 Xfinity Series season, but has been in a Stewart-Haas Ford since then. His three career victories have come in the last two years and include his victory in the 2024 season finale in Phoenix two weekends ago.
He won earlier in the season at Indianapolis and last year at Vegas.
This article originally appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: Michael Jordan takes time out in NASCAR trial to join 23XI team
