Monster Energy Driver Earns Third Top-Five of 2022
Overview:
Riley Herbst wheeled his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang to a strong fifth-place finish in the Richmond 250 Saturday at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The 23-year-old from Las Vegas started 24th in the 250-lap race around the .75-mile oval, but he didn’t stay there long. Herbst was 13th at the end of the first stage and thanks to quick pit work by his Stewart-Haas Racing crew, Herbst was among the top-10 for the start of the second stage, ultimately finishing ninth to pick up two valuable bonus points. The third and final stage consisted of 100 laps and Herbst was methodical on every tour of the track as the race stayed green through to the finish, with Herbst rising to fifth when the checkered flag waved to earn his third top-five of the season.
Event: Richmond 250 (Round 7 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 250 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/75 laps/100 laps)
Start/Finish: 24th / 5th (Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
Point Standing: 11th (179 points, 124 out of first)
Race Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“That was good from qualifying so far back to finishing fifth. It’s just frustrating. I feel like we need to fire off better on runs and then start up front and we can win some races. We’ve just been coming from behind the whole year and it’s frustrating. All in all, though, fifth is better than a DNF (Did Not Finish).”
Notes:
● Ty Gibbs won the Richmond 250 to score his seventh career Xfinity Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Richmond. His margin over second-place John Hunter Nemechek was .116 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 24 laps.
● Nineteen of the 38 drivers in the Richmond 250 finished on the lead lap.
● AJ Allmendinger leaves Richmond as the championship leader with a 20-point advantage over second-place Ty Gibbs.
Next Up:
The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Call 811 Before You Dig 250 Powered by Call 811.com on Friday, April 8 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
