When a driver is eyeing a potential move into the NASCAR Cup Series, there always seems to be a defining moment that proves they’re ready to make that jump. The final laps of Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway appear to be those moments for Riley Herbst.
The 25-year-old driver made an incredible rally in the final laps of the event, closing a gap of nearly two seconds to make a pass on Stewart-Haas teammate Cole Custer, and then having to re-make that same pass on Aric Almirola coming to the checkered flag.
“This is Indianapolis. This is the most famous racetrack in the world and it is an honor just to walk in this place, let alone win. We had speed all year and I felt like we could win but I just messed up on the restarts a little bit,” said Herbst. “It was a good fight. I thought I had Cole clear and then he slid bottom of three with the 20 and I thought it was going to be tough. I just continued to work.”
“This is hallowed ground,” Herbst continued. “This is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Every person in the world wants to race here, and I won here. I don’t care if it is the Xfinity Series, the Cup Series or the go-kart track out back. This is the Brickyard. This is the coolest racetrack in the world. I love you guys. This is pretty sweet.”
Defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer squeaked by Almirola at the start-finish line for a runner-up finish, while Aric Almirola came home in third place, less than a quarter of a second behind Herbst, the race’s eventual winner.
Shane Van Gisbergen put together an incredible drive through traffic to finish in fourth place, while Sheldon Creed collected another top-five result, in fifth, after having to start at the rear of the field due to a post-practice engine change on Friday.
Austin Hill came home with a solid sixth-place result, with Daniel Dye recording a career-best seventh-place finish at the 2.5-mile speedway, driving the No. 10 for Kaulig Racing. AJ Allmendinger dropped a couple of spots in the closing laps to finish eighth, with JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil rounding out the top-10.
RESULTS: 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis
A couple of incidents plagued the afternoon at the 2.5-mile speedway, the first of which happened about three corners into the event, when contact between Sam Mayer and AJ Allmendinger triggered a 12-car accident, taking out both Mayer and Josh Berry, while damaging several others.
The second big incident of the afternoon happened late in the afternoon when a mechanical issue sent Anthony Alfredo directly into the path of oncoming traffic, collecting both Parker Retzlaff and Josh Williams.
Herbst becomes the eighth full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver to score a victory this season and has all but guaranteed his spot in the 2024 Xfinity Series Playoffs, joining his teammate Cole Custer, who punched his ticket last weekend with a victory at Pocono Raceway.
Leaving Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and preparing for the Olympic break, Cole Cuter how holds a 56-point advantage in the regular-season point standings over Justin Allgaier, with Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, and now Riley Herbst rounding out the top five.
After a three-week break, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to the racetrack with a trip to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan on August 17th.
