2025 season preview: 23XI Racing

Editor‘s Note: Today‘s 23XI Racing preview continues NASCAR.com‘s countdown of team previews for the 2025 Cup Series season.

23XI RACING

Manufacturer: Toyota
Engine: Toyota Racing Development
Driver-crew chief pairings: Bubba Wallace-Charles Denike (No. 23), Riley Herbst-Davin Restivo (No. 35) Tyler Reddick-Billy Scott (No. 45)

Team outlook: This is certainly a significant season for the team with a new driver-crew chief pairing in Bubba Wallace and Charles Denike and also an expansion to a third car bringing on a rookie, former NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Riley Herbst. Reddick‘s dramatic 2024 regular season championship and push toward the Cup Series trophy bring high expectations and optimism. Wallace failed to make the playoffs, after a career-best 10th place showing in the final standings a year earlier, but excelled statistically and is hopeful a fresh start with a new crew chief will raise the game. The organization — co-owned by NBA superstar Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin — now has four seasons under its belt and is thriving enough for a significant expansion to three teams bringing in the 25-year-old Herbst.

RELATED: Inside 23XI’s Airspeed headquarters

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 23 TOYOTA

Experience: Seven full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series
2024 stats: 18th in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 6 top fives, 14 top 10s
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 65-1

Outlook: Despite career highs in top-five and top-10 finishes last season, Wallace just missed out on the playoffs. The team reacted with a change atop the pit box and will now have a rookie crew chief in Charles Denike, a longtime engineer in the Xfinity and Truck series who most recently led Christian Eckes’ title challenge for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Wallace — a two-time winner in the Cup Series at Talladega (2021) and Kansas (2022) — is looking to celebrate a victory for the first time in three seasons. A third-place finish at the Bristol Night Race was his best showing of 2024. Four of his 14 top-10 finishes came in the 10-race post-season stretch. Now, with seven full seasons at NASCAR‘s elite level, expectations have increased. Wallace has proven himself a legitimate playoff contender and this team has proven itself fully capable of putting multiple cars in the championship hunt.

RILEY HERBST, NO. 35 TOYOTA

Experience: Rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series
2024 stats: 7th in final Xfinity Series standings; 2 wins, 7 top five,15 top 10s
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): Not listed

Outlook: In eight previous Cup Series race starts — four in 2023 and four in 2024 — Herbst has a pair of top-10 finishes — an impressive 10th place in his Daytona 500 debut in 2023 and a ninth place at Talladega Superspeedway that same season. He has spent the last four years competing for Stewart-Haas Racing’s Xfinity program, earning his first career win at his hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2023. He won at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway and answered with a bold statement winning the season finale at Phoenix last year. All three career victories came with crew chief Davin Restivo, who is moving with Herbst to 23XI Racing to sit atop the pit box for the No. 35 crew. Herbst qualified for the Xfinity Series Playoffs in four of his five full-time seasons and is coming off his career-best championship showing (seventh) and laps led (273) mark. The success he and Restivo bring from last year will no doubt help in Herbst‘s transition. It is a fairly rare instance when both driver and crew chief will be rookies together on the Cup grid, but 23XI Racing is the defending regular season championship team meaning resources will be plentiful and expectations high despite the rookie status.

TYLER REDDICK, N0. 45 TOYOTA

Experience: Five full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series
2024 stats: 4th in final Cup Series standings; 3 wins, 12 top fives, 21 top 10s, 3 pole positions
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 8.5-1

Outlook: Following up and raising the bar on a tremendous 2024 season — his single-season wins, top-five and top-10 totals all equal or set career highs at NASCAR‘s top level — is a good task to have. Last year‘s regular season champion comes into the year as one of the favorites to win the title. The two-time Xfinity Series champion advanced to the Championship 4 last year for the first time, ultimately finishing fourth. Despite a bountiful regular season showing, Reddick only scored three top-10 finishes in the 10-race playoff run — albeit a strong win from pole position at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His 597 total laps led on the season were the most among the Championship 4. Having continuity in crew chief Billy Scott will certainly help in his drive to raise the game in 2025 after a career year at the Cup level.

MORE: Reddick’s off-season to-do list

BOLD PREDICTION: This organization enters the 2025 season highly motivated and equipped with plenty of talent — in the car and in the garage — to make championship runs. Expect both Reddick and Wallace to celebrate in Victory Lane and qualify for the playoffs. Herbst should make a legitimate run at Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. The big question will be how long it takes for the new combination of Wallace and Denike to find their footing and how long it takes Herbst and Restivo to up their game now as a full-time entry in the sport‘s premier league.