RILEY HERBST
Atlanta NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview
• Event: Credit Karma Money 250 (Round 18 of 33)
• Date: Saturday, July 10
• Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Layout: 1.54-mile oval
• Time/TV/Radio: 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Riley Herbst Notes of Interest
• Riley Herbst comes into Saturday’s Credit Karma Money 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway fresh off a seventh-place drive last Saturday in the Henry 180 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The finish kept Herbst and his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang in the playoff hunt with only nine races remaining before the cutoff to make the 12-driver playoff field. Herbst is currently 43 points behind 12th-place Brandon Brown. Herbst can either use the next nine races to point his way into the playoffs or score a win and immediately earn a playoff berth.
• Intermediate tracks are the most prevalent on the Xfinity Series schedule, and Herbst has found himself close to winning on that style of track. Second is Herbst’s best career Xfinity Series result, which he has earned twice, with the most recent coming last July at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta – an intermediate-style track similar to Atlanta. In Herbst’s most recent trip to Atlanta back in March, he delivered a sixth-place finish.
• The Credit Karma Money 250 will mark Herbst’s 61st career Xfinity Series start and his third at Atlanta. He has six top-fives and 26 top-10s dating back to his first career start on June 17, 2018 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, where Herbst finished an impressive sixth. Of Herbst’s 30 starts on intermediate tracks, the 22-year-old has scored 22 top-12 finishes. In addition, seven of the past 13 winners on intermediate tracks have been under the age of 26.
Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang
You’re heading back to Atlanta where you scored a sixth-place finish in March. What are your thoughts heading into Saturday’s race?
“I’m excited. It’s going to be interesting to race at Atlanta in the middle of the summer. When we came here back in March, it was a good race for us with the top-10 finish. Hopefully, we can take the momentum from this past weekend and what we learned last time at Atlanta to be competitive this weekend. We’ve had the speed to run up front, now we just need to stay out of trouble.”
You’re below the cutoff line for the Xfinity Series Playoffs at the moment, but that point situation can change from one race to another. How are you strategizing with only nine races left in the regular season?
“Obviously, a win would be the perfect solution to our points situation, but I think we’re still in a place where we can point our way into the playoffs, if needed. Luck hasn’t been on our side this season, so hopefully that’ll change in the next nine races. We’re working on getting there with some great runs at the next few tracks.”
You’re fresh off a strong top-10 run at Road America and you finished in the top-10 at Atlanta in March. Does that help your confidence heading into the race weekend?
“Yeah, I think so. We know that we’ve had fast cars all season long and it’s just a matter of doing what we need to do and staying out of trouble most race weekends. Road America is a tough track, but I was able to pull off a great finish for the Monster Energy team. The last time we were in Atlanta, I also had a strong race, too. We just have to keep our heads straight and keep pulling off strong finishes.”
No. 98 Monster Energy Team Roster
Primary Team Members:
Driver: Riley Herbst
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Crew Chief: Richard Boswell
Hometown: Friendship, Maryland
Engineer: Justin Bolton
Hometown: Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Engineer: DJ VanderLey
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan
Over-The-Wall Crew:
Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois
Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson
Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina
Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas
Fueler: James Keener
Hometown: Fortuna, California
Jackman: Sean Cotten
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Road Crew Members:
Truck Driver: Steve Wood
Hometown: Eatontown, New Jersey
Front End Mechanic: Mike Brill
Hometown: Woodsville, New Hampshire
Engine Tuner: Willie Pelotte
Hometown: Oakland, Maine
