Monster Energy Racing: Riley Herbst Atlanta NXS Advance

Riley Herbst Notes of Interest

•  Riley Herbst comes into Saturday’s EchoPark 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway fresh off a fourth-place drive last week at Phoenix Raceway. It was Herbst’s fifth career top-five finish and his first of the season. The driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has endured a difficult start to 2021, getting caught up in accidents in three of the year’s first four races. Herbst’s fine run at Phoenix has expectations rising like a Phoenix as the 22-year-old prepares for his 49th career Xfinity Series start, but just his second at Atlanta.

•  Herbst got by with a little help from his friends last Saturday at Phoenix. His fourth-place result was greatly aided by his pit crew. The Monster Energy team gained Herbst six spots on their final pit stop, allowing him to start inside the top-10 for the race’s final restart. In the last two laps, Herbst drove from seventh to fourth to earn his best finish at the desert mile.

•  Herbst was an Xfinity Series rookie in his one and only start at Atlanta, which came in last June’s EchoPark 250. He completed all 163 laps en route to a 17th-place finish.

•  Atlanta is one of the many intermediate-style tracks on the Xfinity Series schedule. Herbst has performed well at these venues, with two of his best career finishes coming last year at intermediate ovals – Feb. 29 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and July 9 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. In fact, of Herbst’s 22 career top-10 finishes, nine have been at intermediates.

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang

What are your expectations this Saturday at Atlanta?

“Atlanta is a unique track. I only have one start there, but I know my SHR teammates have had some success there in the Cup Series. We’ve had a fast car this season, but we’ve just had some bad luck up until last weekend. I plan to get some advice from my Cup teammates, continue to put the bad luck behind us, and get another good run this Saturday in our Monster Energy Ford Mustang.”

What has it been like adjusting to Stewart-Haas Racing this season after racing at Joe Gibbs Racing the past three seasons?

“The culture is quite a bit different. Both are good cultures, they’re just different. I’m really liking and really gelling with the new guys over at Stewart-Haas Racing. I feel like me and Richard (Boswell, crew chief) have worked really well together these last couple of races, so I think things are going in the right direction. I’m just looking forward for a whole race to be put together from start to finish, and I feel like we’ll have pretty good speed at Atlanta.”

What’s your learning curve been like as you compete in the Xfinity Series?

“I’m learning a lot. I’m learning how to carry myself. I’m trying to walk that fine line between cockiness and confidence. If you’re not confident in this sport, then you’ll get run over and get eaten alive. So I think that you have to be confident and know who you are. You know that you worked hard to get here and that you have to go win races for your team.”

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