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Riley Herbst clinched his maiden NASCAR Xfinity Series victory by clinching the race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 14.
Driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, Herbst delivered a commanding performance, finishing 14.9 seconds ahead of second-placed John Hunter Nemechek. Over the course of the 201-lap Playoff race, the Las Vegas native led for an impressive 103 laps.
Despite missing out on playoff qualification, the race proved to be a defining moment for the hometown hero. Many of his friends and family members were among the crowd and witnessed his historic triumph in Vegas.
In the aftermath of this victory, Riley Herbst exuded confidence while speaking to media in the press conference following the Xfinity race, expressing:
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“We just beat everybody, trying to go to Phoenix. They all brought their best stuff, and we whooped them by about 10 seconds.”
Reflecting on his journey, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver declared:
“Everybody said 'I can't do it,' 'won't do it,' 'won't win,' 'not good enough.' I just flat out beat them. So, I'm pretty happy with myself. Happy with Stewart-Haas Racing for sticking behind me. This is a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Riley Herbst's immediate reactions following historic win
A jubilant Riley Herbst he spoke to NBC Sports directly from the grid post-race following his maiden triumph in the Xfinity Series. The 24-year-old racer expressed his profound attachment to his hometown, stating:
“I love this town. I love this team. You don’t even know what this means and what this takes off my chest. I can’t believe it. I love you, Las Vegas.”
Herbst also took a moment to extend his gratitude towards his crew chief Davin Restivo and team director Richard Bosswell for believing in him, even in the face of doubters. He said:
“I’ve been working on myself and everything I can control. I knew all I could do is all I could do and if there was a caution, there was a caution and we were gonna race them straight up, but oh my goodness.”
The 24-year-old then acknowledged the crucial support from Monster Energy, as well as his family, including his grandfather, and parents.
“I can’t fathom it. I can’t thank Monster Energy enough. I can’t thank my grandfather and mom and dad enough. I’m so emotional, but everybody here at Las Vegas, I love you guys. This is my home. I was born and raised here, so let’s go party and we’re going to celebrate tonight.”
