RILEY HERBST
Darlington NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview
• Event: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 (Round 24 of 33)
• Date: Saturday, Sept. 4
• Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
• Layout: 1.366-mile oval
• Time/TV/Radio: 3:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Riley Herbst Notes of Interest
• With only three races to go in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, Riley Herbst is riding a wave of consistency heading into the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 Saturday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. After playing catch-up in the race for the playoffs for the majority of the season, the No. 98 Monster Energy team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has a solid hold of the 12th and final playoff spot thanks to three consecutive top-10s. Herbst and Co. look to keep the momentum rolling at a track where SHR has won in the past. The team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and Haas Automation founder Gene Haas has two Xfinity Series wins at Darlington – Cole Custer in August 2019 and Chase Briscoe in May 2020.
• The past five races have propelled Herbst from being outside of the playoff bubble to inside the top-12 cutoff to make the seven-race playoffs, which start Sept. 25 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After a 19th-place finish July 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Herbst was 13th in the standings, 54 points outside of the top-12 cutline. But after finishing 10th July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, 13th Aug. 7 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, eighth Aug. 14 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, seventh Aug. 21 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, and 10th last Friday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Herbst gained a total of 122 points, erasing that 54-point deficit and replacing it with a 68-point margin over the top-12 cutoff. A win in these final three races of the regular season would lock Herbst into the playoffs, but the 22-year-old racer from Las Vegas can also point his way into championship contention by continuing his string of strong finishes through the regular-season finale Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
• Saturday’s race will mark Herbst’s fourth Xfinity Series start at Darlington. In his three previous Xfinity Series starts at the 1.366-mile oval, Herbst scored a top-10 and two top-20s. He earned a best finish of fourth in last year’s Labor Day weekend race.
• Darlington has proven to be “Too Tough To Tame” for many drivers as they navigate its tight confines, but the odds might be in Herbst’s favor this weekend as he takes on the “The Lady In Black.” In addition to his front-running consistency in the past five races, Herbst has both youth and history on his side. Xfinity Series regulars have been favored by the track as they have won the past four races there, and three of the past four winners have been under the age of 26.
Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang
Darlington is a tough track, but you had a good run in the Labor Day weekend race last year with a strong fourth-place drive. What are your thoughts heading into Saturday’s race?
“Darlington has definitely been a rollercoaster of a track for me. I’ve always brought a fast car, but it definitely lives up to its ‘Too Tough To Tame’ nickname. I was never able to practice at Darlington, so everything I’ve learned about the track has been through the three races there. The No. 98 Monster Energy team had a good run going at this year’s race in May, but an incident on the last lap ruined our chance of a good finish. We’re riding a wave of top-10s right now, and I hope to keep it going this Saturday and run up front all day.”
The playoffs are only three races away and you’re currently sitting 68 points to the good in the standings. Talk about your journey these past five races that got you back into playoff contention.
“This whole season has been a wild ride. We’ve worked hard to prove that we’re better than where we were running and we’re showing that we’re a strong team that can run up front. I think we’ve made up over 120 points in the past five races by just being consistent and using strategy to get those much-needed stage points. The battle isn’t over yet, but this team deserves to be in the playoffs come Vegas. We’re in a good spot, but we just have to stay out of trouble and keep on putting together good runs.”
What are your expectations heading into Darlington and these last remaining races of the regular season?
“The No. 98 team has worked hard all season long to get to a point where we’re running up front and staying out of trouble. Last weekend, we led nine laps and put together a solid day. We had a car that should’ve been in victory lane. This weekend, we hope to end up there. Our cars have been fast all season, but now we’re in a spot where we’re staying out of trouble, getting good finishes and contending for wins. The plan is to continue that this weekend.”
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: Brandon Banks
Hometown: High Point, 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
