Riley Herbst started running in the xFinity Series full time in 2020 where he ran for powerhouse team Joe Gibbs Racing. After a very average season with no wins, but many chances to fight for wins and be there at the end, and almost always running inside the top 10, he moved to Stewart-Hass Racing fill the big shoes of the previous driver of Chase Briscoe. Briscoe was one of the best drivers in the xFinity Series last year taking the 98 car to victory lane many times.
Herbst has not been nearly as successful as his predecessor, but still has been improving in almost every stat, and most importantly the eye test. Herbst last year was not always a driver you would see march through the field, but he was fighting at least. This year there is a lot less fighting for his spots and he has made his climb up look more smooth and easier. While this is a good thing for Herbst there is the talk about his huge flaw, he does not keep a car in 1 piece too well. 8 DNFs last year and already on 3 this year (2 if you dont count the big one at Daytona) he is not always great at staying out of trouble and holding the car off the walls and away from other cars.
There is one saving grace that he has going for him and that is the same issue a lot of the newer drivers have faced, no practice and coming into tracks brand new and not knowing what to do. Herbst has proven that he runs best on the tracks that he is given more time to run, or has already previously ran in the xFinity car and is getting better in the car each week. Sitting 41 points out of the playoffs behind Michael Annett, a win is not necessary but would go a long way in his playoff push that he needs to prove the haters wrong and show that he is more than a kid in a good ride.
The Slow Restart 