"I don’t see anything happening": Tony Stewart's driver comments on his NASCAR future amid SHR's imminent shutdown

Tony Stewart's Xfinity Series driver Riley Herbst opened up about his NASCAR future. Stewart-Haas Racing will terminate its operations after the 2024 season, and all but two drivers remain, whose fate are yet to be decided.

Earlier this May, SHR announced they wouldn't run the 2025 season, leaving Cup Series drivers- Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, and Xfinity drivers Cole Custer and Riley Herbst's future hanging by a thread. But, as the season progressed, Briscoe landed a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, Gragson with Front Row Motorsports, and Josh Berry with Wood Brothers Racing.

Gene Haas, the co-owner of SHR, retained one Cup charter for his new team, Haas Factory Team. The team will kick off operations next year, with defending Xfinity Series champ Custer behind the wheel in the #41 Cup car.

Ryan Preece's future is yet to be ascertained, but he might secure a place at Brad Keselowski's RFK Racing, provided the team fields a third car next year. Riley Herbst is Tony Stewart's only other driver whose NASCAR future is undecided.

Ahead of the Ambetter Health 302 scheduled at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Herbst, during a media availability, commented on his NASCAR future, outlining several aspects preventing his future from landing stable ground. He said (via Speedway Digest):

“There’s a lot of things holding back the dominoes to fall and I’m not the first one to initiate the fall of the dominoes, so I'll leave at that. Hopefully, everything will sort itself out here shortly, but I don’t see anything happening in the meantime."

Herbst is placed 11th in the Xfinity rankings and is out of the playoffs, while his teammate Custer is contending for the championship at P2.

"A lot of anger": Tony Stewart's Riley Herbst reflects on his Charlotte playoff disappointment

The #98 Ford driver entered the Drive To Cure 250 as a championship contender but suffered from a disastrous turnaround. Herbst kicked off his run from 12th and climbed to an eighth-place finish in the first stage. However, on Lap 34, the Nevada native's machine made contact with Anthony Alfredo's #5 Chevy, cascading into a 12-car stack-up.

Even though the SHR driver wasn't put on Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP), the wreck's ill effects destroyed his championship chase. Lap 57 marked the final one for Herbst as his driveshaft failed to work and the #98 Ford couldn't transfer the engine's power to the wheels. As a result, Tony Stewart's driver was given a DNF and finished 32nd.

When asked how much of a challenge he encountered at Charlotte, the SHR driver said (via Speedway Digest):

"I think last week the mindset was just a lot of anger, just like that gimmick of a racetrack at the Roval, and then focusing on this round, which is so much better of a round for us with the two-mile-and-a-halves and a short track."

"I was definitely filled with anger and disappointment for not making this Round of 8, where I have so much confidence coming into these next three racetracks (Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville)," he added.

Tony Stewart's #98 driver has secured a solitary win, six top-5s, and 12 top-10s in his final year with Stewart-Haas Racing.