Stewart-Haas Racing revealed that Riley Herbst will be returning to the organization and continue to pilot the No. 98 Ford Mustang with primary sponsorship support from Monster Energy for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
The news comes as the 24-year-old Herbst from Las Vegas, Nevada, is currently competing in his fourth full-time season in the Xfinity Series. Through 29 current starts, Herbst has achieved six top-five results, 13 top-10 results, 45 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 16.6 as he is currently ranked in 13th place in the driver’s standings despite not making the 2023 Xfinity Series Playoffs.
Herbst, who made his Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway in 2018 with Joe Gibbs Racing before returning for nine starts in 2019, became a full-time Xfinity competitor in 2020, where he piloted JGR’s No. 18 entry to four top-five results, 17 top-10 results, 15 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.0 throughout the regular-season stretch. He also made the Playoffs during his rookie season before settling in 12th place in the final standings.
In 2021, the Las Vegas native transitioned to Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the No. 98 Ford Mustang, where he recorded his first career pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. He also recorded five top-five results, 13 top-10 results, a career-high 57 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 17.1 before finishing in 11th place in the final standings after making the Playoffs for a second consecutive season.
This past season, Herbst notched career-high stats in top-fives (eight) and top-10s (20) along with a personal-best average-finishing result of 13.0. He also recorded a pole position at Nashville Superspeedway before making the Playoffs for a third time in his career and ending up in 10th place in the final standings.
Through 138 previous starts in the Xfinity Series, Herbst, a two-time ARCA Menards Series race winner, has achieved two poles, 23 top-five results, 67 top-10 results, 130 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 15.7 as he continues his pursuit for his first Xfinity victory. He also made his first four career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, which occurred during both Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway events between Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports and has made 11 Craftsman Truck Series career starts between 2018 and 2022.
With his plans for next season set, Herbst’s next Xfinity Series start of this season is set to occur this Saturday, October 14, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Herbst’s home track. The event’s broadcast time is slated to occur at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
