Riley Herbst to run Daytona 500 with Rick Ware Racing

Herbst, who competes full-time in the Xfinity Series with Stewart-Haas Racing, made his Cup debut in last year’s 500 driving for RWR and finished a respectable 10th.

RWR announced on Friday Herbst will run a partial Cup schedule this season in its No. 15 Ford, beginning with the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

“I’m excited to be back at the Daytona 500 with Monster Energy and Rick Ware Racing,” Herbst said. “Competing in last year’s race was a dream come true. We ran a smart race and came out of it with a top-10. I definitely learned a lot.

“Track time and experience are key, especially at a place like Daytona. Learning the nuances of the draft, when to ride and when to make a move, only happens when you’re in the seat. I’m really looking forward to applying everything I learned last year to this year’s race.”

The 2024 Daytona 500 will mark Herbst’s fifth career Cup start, with his most recent coming last October at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where he finished ninth.

The 24-year-old from Las Vegas is coming off a strong 2023 Xfinity season where he scored a breakthrough victory on Oct. 14 at Las Vegas.

“I’ve grown a lot as a race car driver, especially this past year,” Herbst said. “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.”

Herbst’s teammate will be fellow 24-year-old Justin Haley, the fulltime driver of RWR’s No. 51 Ford and a former Cup winner at Daytona (2019). Herbst and Kaz Grala will share RWR’s No. 15 ride.