“That poor son of a b*tch can’t drive nothing”: Former driver rips rookie Riley Herbst, claims he got 23XI seat because of sponsors

Jimmy Spencer didn't hold back on his assessment of Riley Herbst's rookie season with 23XI Racing. The former driver believes Corey Heim should be having a full-time ride instead.

Herbst spent five years in the Xfinity Series before transitioning to the Cup level. Across 165 races in the lower-tier series, the Las Vegas native scored three wins and 34 top-5s. His final win came on the 2024 finale race at Phoenix Raceway.

Heading into the Cup Series, Herbst partnered with Monster Energy to helm the No.35 Toyota. His rookie season, however, has left much to be desired. The 26-year-old hasn't notched up a single top-10 in his 34 starts so far. With an average finish of 26.2, Herbst has been a fixture among the backmarkers.

Meanwhile, Corey Heim drove a part-time schedule with 23XI Racing and logged a sixth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. In addition, he's the current Truck Series points leader and is locked into the championship race at Phoenix.

On the latest episode of Door Bumper Clear podcast, Spencer argued for more opportunities for up-and-coming talent.

"We need to get the talent from the dirt, cars, the flow racing, you know," he said, "I mean, the other thing that I believe in is that that shows the talent. I mean, who's that Riley Herbst? That poor son of a b*tch can't drive nothing." [29:49 onwards] "Evidently, that kid's bringing a sponsor. Makes a lot of sense because that damn Heim can drive a truck....That's all I'm saying. So if your daddy got a lot of money, somebody's got a fat pocketbook," he added.

Riley Herbst's best result this season comes from a 14th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Denny Hamlin shares update on Corey Heim's future with 23XI Racing

Denny Hamlin's 23XI Racing is locked into a legal dispute with NASCAR. The team is facing an uncertain future due to the ongoing litigation, which will go to trail in December if a settlement is not reach before then.

The team will permanently lose its charter status if the case doesn't go their way. That said, Hamlin spoke to NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass and shared an update on Corey Heim's 2026 schedule with 23XI Racing.

"Well, I mean, I think that obviously the outcome of December 1st will dictate a lot of things. But he’s again a development driver for 23XI. He’s got races on his schedule right now as of now, and we don’t see any changing," he said.

With ten wins to his name, Corey Heim is the most winningest driver in the Truck Series. Notably, he's the only NASCAR driver in 2025 without a single DNF across all three National Series. Moreover, the Tricon Garage driver has led a mamoth total of 1450 laps so far, making him one of the most promising prospects in NASCAR.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna