Riley Herbst discusses consistent growth with crew chief Davin Restivo after almost leaving Stewart-Haas Racing last year 

In 2023, Riley Herbst almost left Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) after being informed that he would have a new crew chief, Davin Restivo, in the middle of the season. Ahead of the Chicago race last year, Stewart-Haas Racing shook things up across the board by shifting Richard Boswell from the #98 Xfinity Series car to reunite him with Chase Briscoe in the Cup Series.

Riley Herbst has been associated with Tony Stewart's Stewart-Haas Racing since 2021, and Boswell had served as his crew chief since that same year. Together, the duo delivered solid performances on the track, leading Herbst to finish 11th and 10th in the driver standings at the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively.

Riley Herbst was skeptical about the change and didn't think it was fair that his crew chief was changed just for the latter to be paired with Chase Briscoe in the NASCAR Cup Series.

"I didn’t think it was to the best standards of the company to change my crew chief a little bit more than a [third] of the way through the season. I didn’t think that was truly fair, just because higher-ups wanted Briscoe and Boswell back together because of their 2020 campaign," Riley Herbst said via NASCAR.com.

"I think that’s what frustrated me the most about the whole thing. Not that Richard was leaving or that I was getting Davin because ultimately Davin is awesome, and I like him, it’s just the fact of how they did it," he added.

And despite not starting well from the Chicago race, the duo paired well and has been going strong since then.

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Journey of Riley Herbst and Davin Restivo working together

Starting from the Chicago race last year, Restivo had already started implementing his own tactics. Initially, Herbst did not fare well, with his first three finishes being 20th or worse.

But then the pair followed up with consistent performances, securing two top-5s and one P6 at Pocono, Road America, and Michigan, respectively. With finishes of sixth and P23 to end the regular season, Riley Herbst missed the playoffs.

Yet, the duo stuck together through tough times. After that, Herbst and Restivo set their sights on chasing wins. The season concluded with Herbst achieving a career-high of five consecutive top-five finishes, highlighted by a commanding 15-second victory in Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track.

The upcoming week's SciAps 200 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway marks the one-year anniversary of their first race together. Over this period, they've grown more accustomed to each other's styles.

Riley Herbst is in a much stronger playoff position than last year, currently sitting seventh in the regular season standings—just one point shy of fifth with 441 points, a solid 91 points clear of the elimination line. Of the 15 races, the 25-year-old has accumulated three top-5s and six top-10s.