Riley Herbst
Driver, No. 98 Ford Mustang
Birth Date: Feb. 24, 1999
Birth Place: Las Vegas, NV
Home Town: Las Vegas, NV
Residence: Huntersville, NC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RileyHerbst1999
Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/RileyHerbst
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RileyHerbst
Bio:
Riley Herbst is the driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He is a third-generation racer from Las Vegas who is taking his family name from the deserts of the southwest to the asphalt tracks of NASCAR.
Herbst began racing go-karts at age 5, competing in events up and down the West Coast. He soon followed in his family’s footsteps, transitioning to off-road racing in 2006 where his grandfather, Jerry, and uncles Tim and Ed, and father Troy, are all Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame inductees for being championship-winning off-road racers.
By age 10, however, Herbst sought a return to pavement. It began with Legends cars before moving up to Speed Trucks and Super Late Models, where in 2015 Herbst was a regular at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, running both classes and winning the Speed Trucks track championship.
That set the stage for Herbst’s NASCAR path as he competed in the K&N Pro Series beginning in 2016. This developmental league is regionally split into two divisions – K&N Pro Series East and K&N Pro Series West. Herbst ran the full Pro Series West schedule, scoring seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. He made three Pro Series East starts and finished among the top-10 each time.
Herbst advanced to the ARCA Menards Series in 2017 and won his first career ARCA race on June 9 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. He had scored his first career pole a week prior at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, and his six top-fives and 10 top-10s on the year earned him the series’ rookie-of-the-year title.
Another season of ARCA followed in 2018 with Herbst tallying eight top-fives and 15 top-10s. He complemented that ARCA lineup with a smattering of races across the NASCAR Truck Series, K&N Pro Series and CARS Tour. Herbst even made his Xfinity Series debut June 17 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, qualifying ninth and finishing an impressive sixth.
Herbst ran a similar schedule in 2019 before a full-time drive in the Xfinity Series in 2020. As a rookie running all 33 Xfinity Series races, Herbst scored four top-fives and 17 top-10s, with his best result being a pair of second-place drives – Feb. 29 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and July 9 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. All the while, Herbst continued to run select ARCA races, earning his second career victory Aug. 9 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
Herbst made the NASCAR Playoffs in his rookie year and he has been a playoff contender ever since. His third and most recent Xfinity Series campaign in 2022 was his best, earning single-season career highs in top-fives (eight) and top-10s (20) to secure 10th in the final championship standings.
Herbst began racing go-karts at age 5, competing in events up and down the West Coast. He soon followed in his family’s footsteps, transitioning to off-road racing in 2006 where his grandfather, Jerry, and uncles Tim and Ed, and father Troy, are all Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame inductees for being championship-winning off-road racers.
By age 10, however, Herbst sought a return to pavement. It began with Legends cars before moving up to Speed Trucks and Super Late Models, where in 2015 Herbst was a regular at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, running both classes and winning the Speed Trucks track championship.
That set the stage for Herbst’s NASCAR path as he competed in the K&N Pro Series beginning in 2016. This developmental league is regionally split into two divisions – K&N Pro Series East and K&N Pro Series West. Herbst ran the full Pro Series West schedule, scoring seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. He made three Pro Series East starts and finished among the top-10 each time.
Herbst advanced to the ARCA Menards Series in 2017 and won his first career ARCA race on June 9 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. He had scored his first career pole a week prior at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, and his six top-fives and 10 top-10s on the year earned him the series’ rookie-of-the-year title.
Another season of ARCA followed in 2018 with Herbst tallying eight top-fives and 15 top-10s. He complemented that ARCA lineup with a smattering of races across the NASCAR Truck Series, K&N Pro Series and CARS Tour. Herbst even made his Xfinity Series debut June 17 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, qualifying ninth and finishing an impressive sixth.
Herbst ran a similar schedule in 2019 before a full-time drive in the Xfinity Series in 2020. As a rookie running all 33 Xfinity Series races, Herbst scored four top-fives and 17 top-10s, with his best result being a pair of second-place drives – Feb. 29 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and July 9 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. All the while, Herbst continued to run select ARCA races, earning his second career victory Aug. 9 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
Herbst made the NASCAR Playoffs in his rookie year and he has been a playoff contender ever since. His third and most recent Xfinity Series campaign in 2022 was his best, earning single-season career highs in top-fives (eight) and top-10s (20) to secure 10th in the final championship standings.
