Riley Herbst’s Next NASCAR Chapter Has A Monster Energy Footnote

Legacy Motor Club Comes Calling

So why Legacy Motor Club?

At first glance, you might think it could be due in part to the departure of John Hunter Nemechek. Legacy, which is co-owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, and Nemechek had a very unexpected falling out. Up until recently the team and driver seemed very content with each other.

Until they weren’t.

Suddenly, this week, Nemechek was out.

So Herbst would naturally slide into the seat now occupied by Nemechek.

But here’s where the story gets interesting. Whispers in the sport had Josh Berry, a refugee from Wood Brothers Racing, moving to Legacy next season.

On the surface, it might seem that Legacy has a problem: two drivers, one seat. But what the average NASCAR fan might not know, and honestly what the rest might have forgotten, is that Legacy will have three seats to fill in 2027.

They will be moving to a full-time three-car operation in 2027 and will finally have the coveted third charter they have been waiting for. In early 2025, Legacy purchased that third charter, a sort of franchise that guarantees entry into a NASCAR Cup race among other things, for reportedly $150 million.

Rick Ware owned two of them, and Jimmie Johnson wanted one. But there was a problem: Ware said one of his charters had already been leased to another team for 2026, and if Johnson took the remaining one, Rick Ware Racing would cease to exist.

A long legal battle-soap opera followed and, in the end, Johnson and Legacy will get that charter in 2027.

Legacy has entered a No. 84 car for Johnson 16 times in the last three years, all with the team co-owner behind the wheel. But earlier this year Johnson revealed that the organization will expand to a three-car operation in 2027.

And that third car, with the No. 84, is what Riley Herbst will race starting in 2027.

The Driver Becomes the Student

So why Herbst?

Well, Herbst has an answer for that, and it isn’t entirely unreasonable.

He believes he’s still learning.

In fact, he describes his time at 23XI as something of a very expensive graduate course in how to become a better Cup driver.

“There’s just invaluable knowledge that I’ve learned from Tyler (Reddick) on how to prepare in the sim, how to prepare for notes. I’ve learned invaluable lessons from Bubba (Wallace) as well, and obviously when you have a team owner like Denny Hamlin (23XI co-owner), you can go to with questions and he’s still in the car,” Herbst said Saturday at Darlington Raceway.

“So, there’s things that you literally just don’t know because you don’t know, and so once you start asking questions and you start to get answers, you can start to put things together. It’s kind of like a pop quiz, but you have all the answers if you ask.”

That last bit might be the most revealing.

Herbst knows he isn’t Reddick. He knows he isn’t Wallace. And, judging by his results, he knows there is a considerable amount of work to do before anyone starts confusing him with either.

But he also believes the past year and a half has taught him how much he still has to learn.

“I’d rather look stupid asking a question than look stupid doing something stupid on the racetrack because I didn’t ask that question,” he said. “I’ve been a sponge with Bubba and Tyler and Denny and just asking as much as I can.”

That may actually be the best argument for Legacy taking a chance on him.

Then there is the small matter of who is writing the check; the elephant in the room, or in this case, the garage.

Johnson’s appearances in the No. 84 carried sponsorship from Carvana, the same longtime sponsor that followed Johnson through his foray in the IndyCar Series. And it’s Carvana that will be on the No. 48 car when he makes his final start as a driver in the 2027 Daytona 500.

Which begs the question: Who is writing the check for Riley Herbst?

That answer became obvious when, at the end of the hype video used for the announcement, he emerged from a cloud of smoke flanked by two scantily clad women known to most as Monster Energy girls.

That visual told everyone exactly how Riley Herbst was able to make the move to Legacy Motor Club. Monster Energy was the carrot dangling in front of Legacy. Suddenly, the guy driving the car came with a rather substantial side order of funding.

Herbst has carried Monster Energy with him since 2019, including his time at 23XI. They will now follow him to Legacy Motor Club.

“Riley and the entire Herbst Racing family have been a big part of Monster Energy’s racing history,” said Mitch Covington, Chief Partnership Officer of Monster Energy, in the press release announcing the Herbst move. “Riley is continuing a racing legacy that his grandfather, dad, uncles, and cousins have all been such a big part of, and all have represented Monster so well across the board for almost 20 years. We look forward to this new relationship, and we’re happy to team up with Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club.”

There you have it.

Riley Herbst gets a new ride, and Legacy Motor Club gets a fully funded entry, with a charter, for 2027. And with Nemechek’s departure, Josh Berry can still find a place to call home as well.

But there is another reason Herbst sounds genuinely excited about the move, and it has less to do with the sponsorship checkbook and more to do with where he believes Legacy is headed.

“Legacy is growing in a huge way, has a lot of support from the manufacturer and is getting a new compound, a new shop,” Herbst said. “So, looking forward to all those fun things and hopefully we can have some good success.”

Legacy has made progress, too, at least in Herbst’s estimation.

He pointed to Erik Jones’ performance at Michigan as evidence that the organization is beginning to make real strides, saying the team has been “a lot faster than they have in the past.”

That gives Herbst something else he didn’t necessarily have when he arrived at 23XI: the opportunity to grow alongside an organization that is still growing itself.

The Jimmie Johnson Effect

And then there’s Jimmie Johnson.

Herbst’s first start with Legacy will come in the 2027 Daytona 500, which will also be Johnson’s final Cup Series start.

For a kid from Las Vegas who grew up watching Johnson win seven championships, that’s rather a lot to take in.

“I’ve been pretty fortunate to drive for some pretty cool people, whether that be Coach (Joe) Gibbs, Tony Stewart, Gene Haas, Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and now my childhood hero, Jimmie Johnson,” Herbst said.

“Extremely fortunate and blessed just to be in this opportunity to continue to chase my dream of winning a NASCAR Cup Series race.”

A Second Chance, With A Monster Under the Bed

Yes, his results on the track may be underwhelming. There’s no point pretending otherwise. Three top-10 finishes in 61 Cup starts isn’t exactly the statistical equivalent of knocking the door down.

But the deal with Legacy is “multi-year,” so Herbst should have a chance to show improvement. And, perhaps more importantly, he is moving into an organization that is adding a third car, adding resources and seemingly moving in the right direction.

So maybe the question isn’t simply why Legacy hired Riley Herbst.

Maybe the better question is what happens if the driver who spent his first year and a half in the Cup Series asking questions finally starts figuring out the answers.

Though that chance might end if Monster Energy decides to close the checkbook and move on.