While all eyes were locked on the intense street fight between Shane Van Gisbergen and Christopher Bell in Mexico City, chaos was erupting further back in the field, and fans were fuming. Piloting the No. 35 Toyota for Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, Riley Herbst, who started a respectable 15th, quickly found himself at the center of controversy.
On lap 73, Herbst made contact with William Byron while battling for 13th place. Exiting turn 11, his car snapped around and spun right back into the traffic, nearly collecting Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the process. NASCAR Insider Jeff Gluck did not waste time in sharing this update on X, as the fans in the comment sections went wild, posting, “Wow, almost a wild crash with Riley Herbst! He spun back around across traffic!!” What looked like a simple misjudgment turned into a flashpoint online, as fans are calling for Herbst to be benched!
Wow, almost a wild crash with Riley Herbst! He spun back around across traffic!!
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 15, 2025
“What was he thinking, bro?” one fan posted on X in utter disbelief. Another record of growing sentiment, with people thinking Corey Heim should have been driving this race: “Heim wouldn’t have done that.” “Driver and spotter should be parked immediately. And be suspended next week. That was some ARCA-level idiocy,” one fan posted, while another roasted, “Please park the 35; he’s a liability.”
Well, road course racing is no easy task, and Riley Herbst had his work cut out at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday. Herbst, known for his Monster Energy sponsorship and strong Xfinity resume, is still finding his footing in the Cup Series. But with Denny Hamlin’s rising star Corey Heim waiting in the wings and fan pressure mounting, the calls to bench Riley have never been louder.
Meanwhile, Corey Heim has been absolutely dominating the Truck Series in 2025 with 4 wins and 8 top-5 finishes in just 13 races! Hamlin has claimed that he feels Heim is head and shoulders above his peers in NASCAR’s this tier, so it’s only a matter of time before his move up, but will it be replacing Riley Herbst?
Stay tuned for updates!
The post Denny Hamlin Told to Bench His Driver as Diabolical Maneuver in Mexico Leaves Everyone Infuriated appeared first on EssentiallySports.
