Burton replaces Herbst in 23XI’s Daytona No. 35
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 29, 2026
Burton takes over
Harrison Burton took over the No. 35 Toyota after Riley Herbst qualified fifth for the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway but did not start the race. 23XI Racing said lingering effects from Herbst’s crash in the previous weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway made it best for him to step out of the car. The change pushed the No. 35 to the rear of the field and put Burton in line to receive credit for the race finish. It also turned the Daytona entry into a late switch, with the team moving quickly from a strong qualifying spot to a different driver before the race got underway.
The move gave 23XI Racing a replacement who brought real Daytona history with him. Burton is making his first NASCAR Cup Series start since 2024, and his last win in the series came in the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He earned his first Cup victory that night while driving for Wood Brothers Racing. That connection mattered for the No. 35 because Burton already knew the venue and the event. He returned to a place where he had already won at the Cup level and stepped into the same race that delivered his breakthrough victory two years earlier. The assignment did not change the fact that Herbst had qualified well. It did change who carried the car into the race and who was credited with the finish.
Herbst steps out
Herbst’s absence at Daytona came after the crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway left lingering effects that kept him out of the car. 23XI Racing made the call to pull him from the No. 35 rather than press forward with a driver who was still dealing with the aftermath of that incident. The team’s decision kept the focus on his condition and on the immediate demands of the race weekend. Herbst had put the car fifth on the qualifying sheet, which showed the speed was there before the change. He still did not start the race. The result was a sharp turn for a driver who had done the work to place the entry near the front, then had to watch the event unfold from outside the car.
Herbst is in his second full-time NASCAR Cup season and had three top-10 finishes in 2026. Those results gave his year a solid base even as the Daytona weekend cut short another chance to race. The team’s move put a pause on his run in the No. 35, but it did not change the larger context around his season. Herbst had already shown pace and consistency at times. At Daytona, the lingering effects from the New Hampshire crash became the deciding factor. That left 23XI Racing to adjust the lineup and Burton to take over the seat for the race.
23XI plans ahead
23XI Racing has already announced that Corey Heim will take over the No. 35 car in 2027, which gives the organization a clear future path for the entry. That plan sits beyond the Daytona substitution, but it adds context to the move. The team was already working with a known long-term change while making a short-term adjustment at Daytona. Burton filled in for one race. Herbst remained the driver tied to the current season. Heim is the next name connected to the car. The sequence shows how 23XI is handling the No. 35 across different stages, with one decision driven by the situation at Daytona and another already set for a later season.
The Daytona move also underscored how quickly a race weekend can change for a team. Herbst’s qualifying run gave the No. 35 a strong starting position, then the crash recovery situation forced a different plan. Burton stepped into the role and brought a recent Cup win at the same track with him. Herbst’s season line still includes three top-10 finishes, and his second full-time Cup campaign remains in the books even with the missed start. 23XI Racing now has one race-race replacement, one current driver and one future driver all tied to the same car, with each piece already defined by the facts of the weekend and the plans ahead.
