Imagine being told just a few years ago that Riley Herbst would be one of the strongest prospects for a ride in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025. You might’ve laughed at the thought. When Herbst came onto the scene in Xfinity, he exuded rich-dad-pay-driver vibes. Fast forward to today and you’ll see the talent seems to have caught up to the money.
At the beginning, Herbst seemed a little like the second coming of Dylan Kwasniewski. Both drivers are natives of Las Vegas, Nev. Both had an edgy look with an energy drink as a primary sponsor. Both struggled to execute in their rookie seasons despite driving for established teams. Believe it or not, Kwasniewski finished 11th in the 2014 Xfinity points. In 2020, Herbst’s rookie season, he finished 12th.
That is where the comparisons between the two drivers end. While Kwasniewski only had three top 10s in his rookie season, Herbst had 17. More of the doubt attached to Herbst’s name came about in his second full-time season, 2021. That year, he slid back in average finish and had four fewer top 10s. Those with a quick trigger made their judgement: that dog couldn’t hunt.
The sophomore slump could’ve been attributed to it being his first year with a new team, having moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Stewart-Haas Racing. One step back soon led to two steps forward. In his second season with SHR, Herbst had an impressive 20 top 10s in 33 races, to go along with only five DNFs. He was running closer to the front, but the expectations were to win races and, at the end of 2022, he still hadn’t.
Last season was a roller-coaster year for Herbst. Seven races into the season, he was second in points. That high-water mark preceded a steady decline down the point standings while he failed to finish four of the next six races. When the dust settled on that slump, he had fallen down to 10th in points. When the playoffs began, Herbst was the first driver to miss the cut. He had more points than both Sammy Smith and Jeb Burton, but Herbst was winless while Smith and Burton had each won a race. Anyone who was paying close attention remembers how many of those poor finishes were not actually Herbst’s fault. There was a mix of bad luck and bad execution by the team. Still, Herbst hadn’t won a race and missed the playoffs because of it.
The doubt surrounding Herbst crept back in. But on Saturday, Oct 14, he turned the corner, scoring his first career victory at his home track of Las Vegas Motor…
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