“We had a lot of emotional people at the shop”: Riley Herbst closes Tony Stewart’s SHR chapter with a win at Phoenix

Riley Herbst wrapped up his time with Tony Stewart's co-owned team Stewart Haas Racing with a win in the Championship Four race at Phoenix Raceway on November 9, 2024. Herbst shared a heartfelt farewell post on X capturing the final moments at the Stewart Haas Racing facility.

Stewart Haas Racing announced its departure from NASCAR in May 2024. The team has won two Cup Series Championships and one Xfinity Series Championship. SHR has won 70 Cup Series and 30 Xfinity Series races, clinching 78 pole positions. However, they started losing sponsors and the owners eventually decided to shut down operations.

Riley Herbst dominated the Championship Four race from the very start, having qualified in P3 with a best time of 26.832 seconds and a top speed of 134.168 mph. He was 0.238 seconds behind William Sawalich, the leader of the pack. The #98 driver took command of the race in lap 10, finishing stage one in P1, and dominated stage two, clinching one more stage win. He led 167 laps in the 213-lap race and won the race.

After wrapping his time with SHR with a win, Herbst said (via PRN Live):

"I'm so proud of all these guys, everybody at SHR. It was a really, really tough week. We had a lot of emotional people at the shop. This place has been home for me for four years. It's been a hell of a run."

Riley Herbst joined Stewart Haas Racing in 2010 and has secured two race wins. He wrapped the 2024 season with a career-best seventh-place finish, securing one win, six top-five finishes, and 14 top-ten finishes.

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"I don’t see anything happening": Riley Herbst on his NASCAR future amid SHR's shutdown

Stewart Haas Racing's departure from NASCAR left Cup Series drivers Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, and Xfinity Series drivers Cole Custer and Riley Herbst's futures hanging by a thread.

But as the season came to an end, Briscoe landed a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing and will be Denny Hamlin's teammate. Noah Gragson partnered with Front Row Motorsports while Josh Berry joined Wood Brothers Racing.

Gene Haas, the co-owner of SHR, retained one charter for his new team, Haas Factory Team in the Xfinity Series, retaining Cole Custer behind the #41 Cup car. The team will start its operation in the 2025 season.

Ryan Preece's future is yet to be decided; he might land a spot in Brad Keselowski's RFK Racing in their third car in the next season. Riley Herbst is Tony Stewart's only driver with an uncertain future in NASCAR. During a media availability before the Ambetter Health 302, he commented on his future (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 finished seventh in the 2024 season after winning the Championship Four race, and this last victory might help him find a ride for the 2025 season.