Tag: Riley Herbst

Putting an exclamation mark on the end of his five NASCAR Xfinity Series seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, Riley Herbst led 167 laps to motor to victory in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Shortly after that, 23XI Racing announced that it was tapping Herbst to drive its No. 35 Monster Energy Toyota in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.

The 25-year-old fills us in on how it all came about, and what’s next….

You’re now a full-time Cup racer. Just how does that feel?

“It’s awesome. It’s been a lifelong dream, for sure, to have a full-time ride in the Cup series. We worked really hard at it. It’s exciting and I can’t wait to get to Daytona.”

When Stewart-Haas Racing announced its impending closure, you were, in essence, left in no-man’s land. Was that a tough time for you?

“A little bit. It was just because I didn’t know what was going to happen. I know I had good people around me, but just the outcome was kind of uncertain. So that’s where the nervousness came from. Like, we heard the rumors about SHR back in March, and so we worked with everybody to try and find a good landing spot for next year and I think we found the best spot possible. It’s been a heck of a process and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity that I have in front of me.”

What did you think of the 23XI Racing team before you became a part of it?

“Well, just watching with Kurt Busch and Tyler Reddick and everybody, I could see just really fast race cars, and a really fast team. So obviously I thought that team was top notch, and just to be mentioned in that name with that team is awesome, and hopefully we can capitalize on the opportunity now.”

Do you know Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace at all?

“I’ve met them in passing, but I don’t know them. I’ve just seen them around the track and whatnot but yeah, I’m gonna grow that relationship with them and I am excited for the future.”

Have you been by the 23XI Racing Airspeed race shop?

“Yeah, I went to the shop one time. It’s world class. It’s so beautiful — really, really pretty. And it’s very advanced technology thinking, forward thinking, which is really cool to see in our NASCAR industry.”

You’ve done eight Cup races. Did you get any kind of read off of them?

“A little bit. It was a lot there, so I’m excited to now have a stable foundation knowing how the cars drive. But I think it’s going to be totally different. The cars are going to be a lot better prepared, a lot faster than I drove last year. I’m excited for the resources I have, and to continue to learn. It’s a huge change, for sure, so it’s gonna be a lot of work but I’ve got really good people around me to get me ready. I’m excited for the challenge.

“I think everybody progresses at their own pace but I’ve been proud of the work that I put into my craft and how I’ve been getting better and better over a short period of time, and the results are starting to show. I’m excited about who I’ve become as a race car driver, about all the hard work I’ve put in the last couple years in the Xfinity Series.”

Looking back on your Xfinity Series career, how would you sum that up?

“It was a lot of learning in the beginning but the last year and a half, man, I felt like we’re as good as anybody. We had a lot of speed, and we won those races pretty handedly, so it’s cool to see that and to go out on top at Phoenix, to win and to beat everybody in the championship race, was pretty special.”

Your crew chief Davin Restivo is coming with you into Cup too.

“Yeah, Davin’s a young, eager person like myself. He’s been in the Cup Series before as an engineer, so excited for him to take this journey, and he’s already at the shop, working, preparing for next year, which is exciting for me.”

What’s it like to be back with Toyota?

“Yeah, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the Toyota building. That organization is first class, so excited for all the resources that they can help me to develop and to become a better driver. Just excited — I keep saying it, but I truly am that just, there’s so much good stuff in front of us.”

How important is it to be coming out of Xfinity as a race winner?

“Yeah, that’s the biggest thing. Knowing you can win is everything in the sport and really good people surrounding me is also very important.”

Who’s been helping you as you started to gravitate towards Cup? Anybody been lending a hand?

“Kevin Harvick, a bunch. Just with his knowledge and his wisdom. He’s been to the peak of the of the mountain, and then he’s won the championship in the Cup Series. So having somebody like him to lean on, to ask questions is invaluable to me as a young driver.”

As far as goals and expectations, how can you do? What’s going to make you happy as we look to Daytona and the rest of the 2025 Cup schedule?

“It’s going to be a learning process. I think it’s going to be extremely difficult, but I’m set for the challenges ahead. I think there’s going to be some really good days and I think there’s going to be some hard days, hard learning days, but that’s a part of racing, so I’m excited. I want to complete all the laps. I want to learn as much as I can. I want to learn every single time I’m in the race car, from my teammates, from everybody around Toyota, just try to be better and better.”

Seems you’ve improved every year — more competitive, more confident, you get faster. That should serve you well.

“I sure hope so. The grueling schedule like that, you gotta be strong minded and confident in who you are and just continue to get better. That’s our main goals. We want to be better next week than we were the previous week, and if we do that every week, and I think we’ll have a very solid year and something to be proud of.”

You ran the Baja 1000 last weekend. How cool was that to go down there and win the Trophy Truck Spec classification with your family? What did that mean to you?

“Yeah, it’s special. My family’s been going down there since the ’60s. So to go down there and continue the tradition, and that’s back-to-back wins for the Herbst family. It’s just so special to go down there with your cousins and your uncles and your dad and go have a good time. And on top of that, go win the race. So yeah, I’m proud of my cousins from winning the championship in that division, and hopefully we can go do it again next year.”

But now it’s time to go Cup racing…

“Yeah, it’s been a lifelong dream so everybody’s been pulling the rope in the same direction. We’ve all done this together. It hasn’t just been myself; it’s been my whole family. So it’s just really cool. Everybody at Monster Energy has been along every step of the way, so it’s a weight off the shoulders. But now it’s time to go to work.”

Riley Herbst is not perfect.

The 25-year-old Las Vegas native knows he’s not perfect and has no problem admitting as much. In fact, Herbst thinks anyone who tries to say they are is a liar. Needless to say, he’s open and accepting of constructive criticism.

“If you’re not willing to learn and get better, I think that’s a fault of your own,” Herbst says. “It’s obviously a shock when somebody tells you that you’re not good, but they care about you enough to let you know, and they see something in you that they want to come out and help you grow into a better race car driver and hopefully a [better] person.”

Such a shock has gone to Herbst’s core last few years. On and off the track, he’s worked individually and with his Stewart-Haas Racing team to grow. There’s been a need for more patience and maturity, finding a way to be less temperamental, and using all of that to reach his potential on the track.

He’s been surrounded by the best to help that happen. Kevin Harvick and KHI Management are among them. Davin Restivo, who was paired with Herbst one year ago, has been another critical piece of the puzzle. The list goes on.

“It’s a step back…reflecting and leaning on people who are wiser than you and have more experience,” Herbst says. “I’ve been lucky enough to do that with probably one of the best of all time with Kevin. He’s helped me tremendously. My former crew chief, Richard Boswell, helped me grow up. Davin has been a great mentor to me as well. There’s just been [immeasurable gains].

“Sometimes as we go, we don’t see the results and people start asking all the normal questions and all you can say is, ‘It takes time. It’s a process.’ I feel like we are the definition of that, and I’m excited and proud of where we’ve come from and where we’re right now.”

Herbst joined Stewart-Haas in 2021 to drive the No. 98 Ford Mustang. In each of his first three seasons, he made gains that reflected in the numbers. Last season was a single-season career-high in top-five finishes (10) and he finally broke through for his first career victory. Fittingly, it came in Las Vegas, a dominating performance where Herbst continuously drove away from the field and led 101 of 201 laps.

“It’s just a grind,” says Herbst. “It’s a small-step process. You don’t wake up one night and be a Hall of Fame race car driver — at least not for me. I know that’s not in [the] cards that I’ve been dealt. It’s an honest climb up the ladder and hope to be better each week, and that’s where our mindset has been.

“We want to be better than we were last week, and if we’re not, then we take that as a failing grade for the weekend and we go onto the next.”

Having a victory on his resume was a massive weight off Herbst’s shoulders. He didn’t hide the emotions in victory lane or his post-race interviews, mentioning those who had given up on him and those whose support has never wavered. Now he jokes the questions went from, “When are you going to win?” to, “Well, there are a lot of one-win wonders out there. When are you going to win a second time?”

There is always something to chase, which Herbst is accustomed to, but he feels fortunate to be in a position where he believes his team is one of the top three in the series when at their best. Restivo stepped up as a leader, addressing the No. 98 team about focusing on what they can control.

“We’ve worked at it,” Herbst says. “It’s not going to come by happenstance; we’ve worked hard and there’s been some up times and a lot of down times, and now I think we’re reaping the rewards of our hard work.

“It’s been a long four years.”

Even then, Herbst smiles when he talks about the journey.

“It’s been fun,” he says. “It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a dream come true. I get to drive race cars for a living at the best teams in NASCAR and that’s what so many people dream of. That’s what I dreamed of as a kid, and sure, I wish some things had gone differently, but it’s all part of the journey, and it’s been a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”

As he sits now, Herbst is fifth in the Xfinity Series championship standings and looks on track for a postseason berth. Grabbing that second career victory would make his path easier.

When asked about his reputation or what the perception around him might be nowadays, he says, “I’m extremely comfortable in my skin. I’m excited for the future. I’m excited for the opportunities that are in my grip if I can capitalize on them. I’ve always said I thought I could get to this point and I’m nowhere finished; there is still a long way to go to where I want to be. It might have taken longer and more work than I wanted when I first hopped into the No. 18 car at Joe Gibbs Racing, but that’s long past now and we’re in the No. 98 car and have climbed the ladder and gotten better each year. That’s something I’m proud of.”

Now, Herbst might potentially be looking for his next opportunity. Stewart-Haas Racing is shutting down, but Gene Haas is staying in the sport and will continue to field two Xfinity Series cars. Time will tell if Herbst stays or goes, but he knows one thing: if an owner is looking for a driver, he hopes he’s at least a consideration.

“I hope they are able to see where I started and where I currently am, and I feel like that’s unrivaled in the top three series,” Herbst says. “It might not be the best thing to say, but I’m proud of the growth that I’ve had and I feel like it’s some of the best I’ve ever seen. I’m excited about that, and hopefully that’s enough to keep us racing. This is a performance-based business, and winning cures everything.”