NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP

November 9, 2024

Riley Herbst

Press Conference

An Interview with:

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by the race winner of tonight's race, and that is Riley Herbst.

RILEY HERBST: How about that s---, eh?

Q. Your first win you had a 14-second lead and dominated. Second win, you had a crazy last-lap pass on Aric Almirola. How on earth did you manage to combine the two into one race?

RILEY HERBST: I don't know. People -- the first win was a fluke; didn't count. The second win didn't count because it was a weird package and I just moved him. So I'm curious to see what they'll say about this one, how they'll discredit me, everybody in the media.

But yeah, I don't know, the car was really fast. Davin brought a really fast 98 car. I felt like I executed to our biggest potential. We didn't run away with it. I'm very, very happy that late-race caution come out so I had to race them on the restart, and I showed that I could pass them on the restarts, and if they wanted to move me I could move them back.

I lost the lead on pit road, still came back, still took the lead and won the race. Excited to see what Twitter has to say.

Q. Following up on that, when these things happen, it can disrupt an entire race, but you're at this point in your career where obviously it's not bothering you if there are issues on pit road or a late caution. How long did it take to get to that point?

RILEY HERBST: I don't know, four years probably. Every year at Stewart-Haas Racing I felt like has been such a big improvement. I've grown so much. I'm a completely different race car driver than when I walked into when I walked into Greg Zipadelli's office four years ago about this time.

And I'm excited of who I've become and I'm excited for what's ahead and how far more I can grow and I can achieve and how much better I can be.

Q. What would you say to your detractors?

RILEY HERBST: I don't know. A lot of people -- I'm not going to say names, but a lot of people say that X driver is the future of the sport and now I have the same number of wins as him.

I don't know how people can discredit me now. One win, I get it. One-win wonder. A second win, sure they can still do that.

But now I'm matching people's win totals. I'm matching people's win totals in the Cup Series that were in the Truck and Xfinity Series and they're doing really good on Sundays. I'm just curious to see what they'll say.

I'm not going to respond to them, but it's just interesting to see how it progresses after each win. But it fuels me. I'm excited. I'm so much better than I was last week. I'm so much better than I was last year, four years ago, 2020 when I hopped into the 18 car not knowing nearly anything.

I'm excited for the future, and I'm excited to get better. I'm eager to learn, and I'm eager to go chase the better version of myself.

Q. Coming down the stretch, Allgaier is leading, you're coming up on him. I'm not asking if you're going to lay off or anything like that, but are you cognizant of the stakes when you're making the move, hey, I don't want to do anything that's going to screw him up?

RILEY HERBST: No, I was going to move him. He luckily, I think -- I listened to the spotter replay. Eddie said that we're not racing him, so he kind of gave me the bottom. But I was going to move him off the bottom in 3 and 4.

Q. What's next for you for next year?

RILEY HERBST: I don't know. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I don't know what's going to happen.

Q. Why are you nervous?

RILEY HERBST: I don't know what's going to happen.

Q. Your confidence is obviously there. Of course this is SHR, Tony at the helm, this is farewell for this whole weekend. How special is it to have a dominant car and get one for Tony to leave on top as far as a race win is concerned?

RILEY HERBST: Yeah. It's not even just Tony, it's for the 300 plus employees that -- it was an emotional week last week. There was a lot of crying people in that race shop. It's been home to a lot of good people for a long time, including myself.

It was validating to win for myself, to win for Davin and everybody on the 98 team, but all the men and women at the shop who don't get the notoriety and they work 9:00 to 5:00 every single day of the week, even the off-season. Those guys mean the most to us, and this win is just as much theirs as it is mine. I'm excited for all of them and to go out on top.

Q. Was there ever kind of a point in either practice, qualifying or at the start of the race where you realized you guys had a really special car, one that would dominate as much as it did?

RILEY HERBST: Yeah, in practice. We could keep refiring in the 60s where my teammates in the 20 and the 18 would refire in the 80s and 90s, so I knew it was really fast.

I still really wasn't happy with my balance in practice. You can ask Davin. He got upset at me for using choice language.

But he reeled me back in, and the car was really good, and I thought qualifying was okay. I missed my entry to 1 a little bit which I felt like cost me the pole, and then you saw it there on the drop of the green flag. We went to the front fast, and it was a really, really fast race car.

Excited to leave on top and see what's going on next.

Q. You said the first win was viewed as a fluke. The second win was the package. Then the third win tonight. I'm curious, you said for the media to discredit you. Who's been discrediting you in that regard? I'm not trying to poke the bear but I'm curious.

RILEY HERBST: They all know where they are. I've heard the podcasts. I've seen the comments. I've seen Twitter. I've seen it all. They know who it is. I know who it is. This is the championship race. I would assume all 36 cars brought their best stuff.

The final five brought the really, really best stuff, the new spec motors, all that stuff, and we beat them. I don't know what to tell you about that. So we'll see what online has to say about that.

But then they threw the caution, tried to lose little spots on pit road and we battled back and won. We'll see what happens there.

Q. How does this dominating win state your potential to potential team owners on Sundays and possibly Saturdays for next year?

RILEY HERBST: I don't know if this has anything to do with it. Mainly just more to myself. Just more validation to myself. Now I'm a multiple time winner in this series at the highest level and really unique circumstances, all three different circumstances.

Mainly to myself, mainly to Davin to give him the confidence, mainly -- yeah, it's just an all-around good win for myself to be confident in whatever I hop into next year and to know that I can run with the best of them and go win.