SHR’s former driver Riley Herbst savors back-to-back title win in alternate discipline as NASCAR future tensions mount

NASCAR driver Riley Herbst's team recently emerged victorious in the SCORE Trophy Truck Spec Class in the Baja 1000. This is the second consecutive year that the former SHR driver has secured this title. Meanwhile, his future in NASCAR remains in a cloud of doubt.

Riley Herbst piloted the #98 Ford Mustang for Stewart Haas Racing and competed full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In 175 race starts in the series, Herbst has secured three trips to victory lane, with his most recent triumph coming in the Xfinity Series Championship Race, where he passed 2024 Xfinity champion Justin Allgaier in the final lap.

However, Stewart Haas Racing announced its closure of operations in NASCAR following the end of the 2024 season, leaving the 25-year-old's NASCAR career in jeopardy.

Despite being unclear about his future in stock car racing, the former SHR driver recently added another trophy to his collection. Herbst piloted the #219 Terrible Herbst Motorsports truck along with his brother, Thor Herbst, in the SCORE Trophy Truck Spec Class of the Baja 1000 event, which is an off-road motorsport race held in the Baja California Peninsula. Following the end of the Baja 1000 race, Riley Herbst shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), updating his fans about the victory.

"Back 2 Back Baja 1000 champs!! So much fun racing with my family down in Mexico. Been coming here since I was a kid watching!" the post was captioned

Meanwhile, Riley Herbst's SHR teammate, former Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer, has secured his berth in the Cup Series, where he will pilot the #41 Ford Mustang for Gene Haas' Haas Factory Team.

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"Can’t explain how grateful I am": Riley Herbst pens down emotional note following SHR's last victory in NASCAR

Riley Herbst secured his spot in the 2024 Xfinity Series playoffs following a victory at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, despite his best efforts, the SHR driver could not advance to the Round of 8.

Nevertheless, SHR's #98 Ford piloted by Herbst dominated the Xfinity Series championship race at Phoenix from the moment it started. The Nevada native started the race in P3 and went on to lead 167 of 213 laps of the race.

Following his third career victory and Stewart Haas' last trip down victory lane, Riley Herbst expressed his gratitude and thanked SHR and its employees for his time with the team.

"@StewartHaasRcng has been my home for 4 years, I can’t explain how grateful I am for all the men and women there. It’s a special place that won’t be forgotten. Thanks for the ride it’s been an honor 🫡"Herbst wrote

Herbst was heavily linked with a move to the Cup Series to pilot 23XI Racing's potential third entry. However, the antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI and FRM has complicated the three-time Xfinity race winner's chances to retain his future in the sport.