RILEY HERBST
New Hampshire NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview
• Event: Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 (Round 19 of 33)
• Date: Saturday, July 17
• Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon
• Layout: 1.058-mile oval
• Time/TV/Radio: 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Riley Herbst Notes of Interest
• Riley Herbst has 61 career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, but none at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The 1.058-mile oval is the site of Saturday’s Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200, and it marks the first Xfinity Series race at the track since 2019 as COVID prevented the series from racing at New Hampshire last year. Last season was Herbst’s rookie year in the Xfinity Series, but the division’s absence from the track last year doesn’t mean Herbst doesn’t have experience at New Hampshire. The driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has a pair of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts at New Hampshire. He finished fourth in 2018 and sixth in 2019.
• With eight races remaining in the Xfinity Series’ regular season before the NASCAR Playoffs begin Sept. 25 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Herbst is just one spot shy of the top-12 cutoff to make the seven-race playoffs. Herbst enters New Hampshire 13th in the championship standings, 54 points behind 12th-place Jeremy Clements. A win would give Herbst a playoff berth, but the 22-year-old racer from Las Vegas can also point his way into the top-12 with a string of strong finishes between New Hampshire and the playoff cutoff race Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
• The Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 will be Richard Boswell’s 100th career race as an Xfinity Series crew chief. The 37-year-old from Friendship, Maryland, has been atop the pit box for nine Xfinity Series victories along with 37 top-fives and 61 top-10s with drivers Cole Custer, Chase Briscoe, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and, of course, Herbst. Boswell’s first race as an Xfinity Series crew chief was on Nov. 19, 2016 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Custer.
• SHR has made four career Xfinity Series starts at New Hampshire and never finished outside the top-10. In 2019, Briscoe drove the No. 98 Ford Mustang to a sixth-place finish. Custer owns the other three starts, with his best result being a second-place drive in 2019 behind the wheel of SHR’s No. 00 Ford Mustang.
Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang
You have 62 career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, but none at New Hampshire. However, you do have two K&N Pro Series East starts at the track. What are your expectations heading into Saturday’s race?
“I’m pumped to get to New Hampshire. I’ve had some good runs there in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and I’m hoping to do the same in the Xfinity Series. It’ll be tough with no practice again this weekend, but I’m lucky to have gotten some experience at the track, even if it wasn’t in the Xfinity Series. Laps are laps when it comes to this situation. Hopefully, I can get my Monster Energy team a win on Saturday.”
You’re currently 13th in the championship standings, 54 points back of 12th-place Jeremy Clements, who holds the final transfer spot for the 12-driver NASCAR Playoffs. Eight races remain before the seven-race playoffs begin. Is your mindset to win and secure your playoff spot, or gather as many points as possible to get into the playoffs by being among the top-12 drivers in points?
“We’re just chipping away at that points deficit. It’s definitely a process and our goal is to be higher in the points standings. We deserve to be in the playoff picture at Vegas. Our goal is to find some speed now and make up some more points at New Hampshire.”
The Monster Energy colors are so iconic in NASCAR and in the action-sports world in general. What’s it like representing such a strong brand?
“It’s super cool. Honestly, it’s just so awesome to have their support throughout almost my whole career. They’re like family to me. That flat black scheme is pretty iconic in NASCAR now, and you know that the car will be black with the green claws. I’ve always really loved the paint scheme, and fans seem to like it, as well.”
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
