The National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled Thursday to uphold the penalties issued to Denny Hamlin for his incident with Ross Chastain during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
The decision affirms the fine of $50,000 issued to the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in addition to the deduction of 25 driver points in the championship standings.
The initial penalty stemmed from contact Hamlin delivered to Chastain on the penultimate lap at Phoenix on March 12, squeezing Chastain into the outside wall in Turns 1 and 2 as Hamlin slid high. Recording his podcast, “Actions Detrimental,” the next day, Hamlin admitted his intent to wall Chastain.
With his points already reduced, Hamlin remains 12th in driver standings, 75 points behind series leader Alex Bowman.
The initial penalty report cited Sections 4.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book, which pertains to the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. Within that section, these items were detailed: B. Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship and wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result. D. Actions NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock racing or NASCAR.
The Appeals Panel members for this hearing were: Hunter Nickell, Dale Pinilis and Lyn St. James.
Hamlin has the right to appeal the ruling to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sun Drop announced a multi-year extension to their partnership that will see the Keurig Dr Pepper-owned company serve as the primary sponsor for the NASCAR Hall of Famer in one late model race in both 2023 and 2024.
This year’s race will be the CARS Tour event at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 17.
The pairing returns to the site of last year’s Racetrack Revival at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This time around, the partnership will see the relaunch of the Sun Drop’s Instagram and Facebook social channels and another major surprise for fans to be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’re excited to team back up with Sun Drop,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Sun Drop has been a part of my life since I was a kid. It’s special to be able to work with a company that is authentic to who I am. I appreciate all Sun Drop has done for me over the years and for them hearing me out last year when I wanted to bring that car back to North Wilkesboro.”
The Earnhardt-Sun Drop relationship dates back to the late 1980s and quickly became a fan-favorite combination that coupled the Earnhardts with Sun Drop’s regional popularity in the southeast. That initial partnership also included a sponsorship on Earnhardt Jr.’s late model stock car in 1994.
At North Wilkesboro, Earnhardt Jr. will join JR Motorsports late model standout Carson Kvapil to round out the team’s two-car lineup. In addition to primary sponsorship on Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet, Sun Drop will also be featured as an associate partner on Kvapil’s No. 8 entry as the 19-year-old driver seeks his second-consecutive CARS Tour championship. The CARS Tour race kicks off the weeklong festivities at the historic venue which will culminate with the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, May 21.
Fans can add to their Sun Drop x Earnhardt Jr. collections with new throwback merchandise available now.
Stay up to date with the North Wilkesboro event by following along on the CARS Tour Twitter account and watching on FloRacing.com.
Bristol Motor Speedway trades in asphalt for dirt in its third annual Food City Dirt Race. Cup Series drivers will navigate the Tennessee clay in hopes of securing bragging rights in the specialty event at one of NASCAR’s most iconic venues.
Ahead of the Easter Sunday showdown (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), check out the trends to watch, notable moments from Bristol, the on-track schedule for the weekend and rule changes to know.
Setting the lineup for the third Bristol Dirt Race follows previous years of using heat races to set the running order.
Saturday’s qualifying consists of four heat races. Each is 15 laps. The first starts at 6 p.m. ET on FS2, the second at 6:15 p.m. ET, the third at 6:30 p.m. ET and the final at 6:45 p.m. ET.
Heat assignments and lineups will be determined by a random draw, conducted in order of team owner points.
During the heat races, drivers accumulate points for finishing and passing. First place earns 10 points, second gets nine and so on down to one point for 10th — it’s the same way stage points are determined during a regulation race.
In addition to finishing points, drivers gain one point for each car passed from their original starting position. For example, a driver who starts fourth and finishes second will receive two points. Drivers who finish where they started or ultimately lose spots on the grid get zero passing points. There are no deductions for drivers who finish below where they started.
Only green-flag laps count. Free-pass and wave-around procedures operate as normal. NASCAR Overtime is not an option.
Once all four heat races are complete, point totals determine the field’s starting lineup for the main event. The driver with the most points wins the Busch Light Pole Award. All ties are broken by team owner points.
CHOOSE RULE DRONE
The choose rule remains in place at Bristol, but with an interesting and technologically savvy twist. Drivers will still get to pick which lane they want prior to a restart, but instead of the choose arrow on the track — which would be impossible to see on Bristol’s dirt — NASCAR will use a drone to display an orange LED marker above the racing surface, which is what drivers will use to make their picks.
Drivers will choose the inside or outside lane as they pass the flag stand and make their final decision no later than the designated “orange LED drone marker,” as NASCAR is calling it.
Tyler Strong | NASCAR Studios
CELEBRATING DIRT ROOTS
Before the Bristol Dirt Race was instituted in 2021, Cup drivers with backgrounds in dirt racing didn’t have a track on the circuit where they could show off their skills on the disciplines that launched their careers into NASCAR’s premier series. Road-course ringers and local short-track enthusiasts have their chance to shine multiple times throughout the year and with having a dirt track now on the schedule annually, it allows drivers like Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell to flash their talents on this type of track.
“I think it’s super important,” Briscoe said in a Zoom teleconference on Tuesday. “The dirt guys don’t have any opportunity to go back to their roots like those other two disciplines. Everybody says we’re the best drivers right? Well I want to see the best drivers challenged at every discipline. We have superspeedways, mile-and-a-halves, short track, road courses, now street circuits. There’s no reason in my opinion for us not to have at least one dirt race.”
Entered into Sunday’s race from the dirt ranks is Jonathan Davenport. He will pilot the part-time No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— The driver that led the most laps failed to win both Bristol Dirt races.
— Four different drivers and teams have won the first two stages in both Bristol Dirt races.
— Six different drivers have won the first seven Cup races of the year.
Cup teams will run the same tire setup as last year’s Bristol Dirt Race. The tire is a block-style pattern to help grab the dirt. For the weekend, teams will be supplied three sets of tires for practice, one for the qualifying races and six sets for Sunday’s race.
Cup cars will run the same tire codes that were used last season at Richmond in the first year of the Next Gen car. With Richmond being a track with high tire wear, teams will be issued nine sets of tires for the 400-lap event.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty, plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled Wednesday to uphold the L2-level penalties issued to Kaulig Racing for unapproved parts modifications entering the March 12 weekend at Phoenix Raceway but amended the points deductions.
The decision upheld the fine of $100,000 issued to the No. 31 NASCAR Cup Series team of driver Justin Haley and the loss of 10 owner and driver playoff points, as well as the four-race suspension levied to crew chief Trent Owens. However, the team was restored 25 driver and owner points for the regular season, bringing the total penalty down to 75 points in each category, rather than the initial 100 levied by NASCAR.
Thursday morning, Kaulig Racing announced on Twitter their decision to take their case to a final appeal hearing with the Appeals Panel. The time and date of the final appeal hearing is to be determined.
The Appeals Panel members for this hearing were Hunter Nickell, Shawna Robinson and Steve York.
While NASCAR discovered the hood louvers from all four Hendrick cars before practice at Phoenix on March 10, Kaulig Racing’s louvers were discovered during pre-qualifying inspection on March 11. NASCAR officials confiscated the parts from all five vehicles and took them back to the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further examination. The team used an unmodified louver in the March 12 race, in which Haley finished 27th.
The hood louvers — which you can see on this Next Gen 3D model — are openings or vents in the hood that serve as a release point for ducts that transfer air out of the radiator. The system is intended to decouple engine performance from aero performance, offsetting the practice of teams taping off air intakes and placing undue pressure and heat strain on the car’s engine.
In the initial penalty report, the following sections of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book were cited: Sections 10.5.1.A Guiding Principles Relative to Penalties; 14.1 C&D&Q Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules; 14.5.4.2.A Radiator Duct. The penalties issued were the loss of 100 championship owner points and 10 playoff points to the No. 31 team; the loss of 100 championship driver points and 10 playoff points to Haley; and a $100,000 fine and four-race suspension to Owens.
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — All American Speedway in Roseville, California is charging toward its season opener on April 29 with an armada of sponsors set to reward racers with the richest weekly purses ever at the speedway.
Thanks for JM Environmental, the Wild West Super Series will carry the largest weekly division purse in the speedway’s storied history with $3,000 to win, 100-lap features during five rounds of racing. Many local businesses have embraced delivering larger purses for the competitors such as Velocity Solar. The Velocity Solar Modifieds will compete for a total of $1,000 to win, across twin features on opening night. They will also race for national, state, and local NASCAR Division I Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championships.
Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts will once again present the NASCAR Super Stocks division with $175 in nightly bonus cash and will present the fan-favorite $1,000-to-win Trailer Bashes on April 29, May 20, June 17 and Sept. 9.
Later this spring, May 13 will be the opening night for the Berco Redwood Pro Late Models and AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Model divisions with bonus cash up for grabs in both classes. The drivers ages 10-16 years old in the Jr. Late Models will compete for a guaranteed $500 to win and up to $850 to win. The Berco Redwood Pro Late Models compete for $500 on bonus cash each night.
Bill McAnally Racing Promotions has worked throughout the offseason to acquire sponsors to assist with racers payouts and deliver more exciting racing to the historic one-third mile, located at the Grounds in Roseville.
Pre-registration for the Wild West Super Series season opener is open now at www.AllAmericanSpeedway.com Car number registration for all weekly divisions is also available while links to register or renew a driver’s NASCAR license is also available online.
Tickets go on sale soon for the highly anticipated season opener on April 29th.
2023 NASCAR WEEKLY RACING SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
April 29 NASCAR SEASON OPENER – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Velocity Solar Modified Twin Features, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, Trailer Bash
May 13 NASCAR ARMED FORCES NIGHT – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models, Legends Tour Series
May 20 NASCAR SPRING SMASH – Velocity Solar Modifieds Twin Features, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4 Shootout, NCMA Sprints, Trailer Bash
June 17 NASCAR EDGE OF SUMMER – Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models, Trailer Bash
June 24 NASCAR PLACER COUNTY FAIR – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, F4s
Sept. 9 NASCAR TRIBUTE TO HEROES – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models, Legends Tour Series, Trailer Bash
Sept. 30 NASCAR ARCA WEST NAPA 150 – JM Environmental Wild West Super Series Late Models, Berco Redwood Pro Late Models, Velocity Solar Modifieds, Riebes / NAPA Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, AAMCO of Auburn Jr. Late Models
A project more than two years in the making will finally be finished later this summer. When it’s done, drivers in Idaho will have a new race track where they can compete.
In early 2021, Travis Milburn and his uncle, John Wood, began the process of building a new track in Emmett, Idaho. Milburn, a former driver who competed in the ARCA Menards Series West, opened a go-kart track, Kart Idaho, in 2020. He owns and operates the track on the same grounds as a concert venue and drive-in movie theatre.
Using the funds from all three businesses, Milburn and Wood decided to add a full-sized track on the outside of the go-kart track.
“We thought with all the COVID stuff going on, we’re just going to take a break from racing. So beside a couple starts that I did in 2021, neither one of us has raced since 2019. So in 2020 we decided we’ve got this go-kart track and everything, let’s build a race track,” Milburn said. “We have the property, it’s a 127 acre property… We were like the thing that’s going to pull this all together will be a race track.”
The track will be called Blue Valor Motorplex, a nod to Chris Lowden, co-owner of the Lowden-Jackson Motorsports team in the ARCA Menards Series West, and his Blue Valor Whiskey company, which gives a percentage of sales to the families of fallen police officers.
“We thought, just to really kind of symbolize being in tune with our local community and officers and service men, we thought that would be a cool name for it,” Milburn said.
The track’s top racing division will be Modifieds. It’s currently 50 feet wide on the straightaways and 70 feet wide in the turns with 5-10 degrees of progressive banking in Turns 1-2, and 14-16 degrees of progressive banking in Turns 3-4.
Both Milburn and Wood are longtime drivers who’ve competed at more than 30 tracks across the country. They used input from other local and nationwide drivers on how to make Blue Valor the best track possible.
“It’s not just what we think; it’s a combination of a bunch of different opinions of people we respect and want to make sure we do it right,” Milburn said.
“For us, we want to put on the best show we can, so when we talk to these different racers we’re like, ‘Hey, what do you think is going to put on better racing? What do you think we can do here to make sure there are a couple grooves, you can perform certain passes? What can we do to make sure it’s racey and fast and all that? So we’ve taken a lot of their advice on things, especially the guys who have travelled to a bunch of different tracks, and taken that into consideration.”
The initial plan was for Blue Valor to be a dirt track, but about four months in, they decided to pave it with asphalt, instead.
The paving process has been the main hold-up on the construction. The walls, fencing, grandstands, concessions and bathrooms are complete, and the banking has been built.
But Idaho has experienced record rainfall over the last two years. When they initially planned to pave the track last summer, the persistent rain showed the track was within the water table of a nearby river, and the middle of the track was filling with puddles.
The crew had to tear out parts of track and put in piping and pumps so water can be pumped into a nearby escape pond.
“That took a lot of time and effort to put in because the stands were already in and the banking was already for the most part in there, so we had to kind of engineer it and figure out a way to do it without making us really go backwards,” Milburn said. “That was like six months last year figuring that out… We’re past all that now though so, even though we’re having even worse weather this year, the track maybe gets some puddles the day of but by the next day the pump is pumping it all out and we’re good to go.”
Plans were initially made to pave two weeks ago, but even more rain this month pushed the project back again. Milburn said they’re now slated to be paving in May.
“We’re just waiting for the weather to turn so we can finish the track off,” he said.
If everything goes as planned, paving will take place at Blue Valor Motorplex in May. (Photo: Travis Milburn/Blue Valor Motorplex)
Milburn’s kart track will be inside of the race track, and there will also be areas on the track built for drifting, too.
“We kind of built with a multi-purpose use in mind, because we wanted to hit as many areas of motorsports as possible,” Milburn said.
Even though the project has taken years and completion has been delayed several times, Milburn said he’s OK with the delays because they made sure everything was paid for before moving forward. He and Wood did a lot of work themselves and kept work crews small to keep costs down.
“As we went along the way, whether it was getting money from the concert venue or different projects that have been done in the past, all the money went to the track,” Milburn said. “We wanted to make sure that when the track was done there weren’t any outstanding loans, there was nothing that could keep it from being open. When we’re done it’s 100 percent paid for. Zero money taken out on loans or anything… We just took our time with it.”
Milburn has also kept the outlook that waiting longer to make sure everything is done right is better than rushing to meet an artificial time schedule.
“My kind of go-to quote to everyone who asks me locally, ‘When are you going to be done?’ is, in 2028 no one is going to care if in 2023 we were done in June or if we were done in August,” he said. “They’re just going to care that it was done right. So our goal right now is June, but if it ends up being July or August when we get going, then it’s July or August.
“We’re going to make sure we finish it off right. We’ve been taking our time for two years so we’re not going to rush it right at the end just to start at the date we would like to start.”
When racing does begin at Blue Valor, drivers will compete at a NASCAR-sanctioned track. That was important to Milburn and Wood.
Wood is a former owner of Meridian Speedway, a NASCAR-sanctioned track in Meridian, Idaho, about 45 minutes from Blue Valor. As owner, Wood won several NASCAR awards and worked closely with the sanctioning body.
“He’s very in tune with NASCAR themselves and has kind of had similar visions with different things that NASCAR has had, and it just made obvious sense to be a NASCAR track,” Milburn said. “With all the incentives that NASCAR is doing now, especially with the short tracks, I think they’ve been putting way more focus and energy on their short tracks, which I think they’re going to really start reaping the benefits from. We were like, there’s no other direction we want to go. We want to go this way. It was an easy decision for us.”
When racing does begin this season, fans shouldn’t expect to see Milburn behind the wheel. He’s grown fond of being on the other side of the track.
“I kind of joke with everyone here, because a lot of people locally want me to race, and I usually tell everyone, someone’s got to make sure they’re putting in the time and effort so everyone else can race,” Milburn said. “So that’s kind of been my role. I just embrace knowing whatever I have to do to make sure these races are happening and they’re put on well and they perform well, I’ve got to do.
“My whole job, I feel like, is to make the best racers I possibly can in my area, as well as making sure every single racer feels like what they’re doing is important and make it feel as big as possible. A lot of these local racers, sometimes they don’t feel that way when they’re at the track, so I want to make sure they feel like they’re important, so I’ll put in extra time for the little guy when I can, which, obviously, takes away from my racing, but that’s OK.”
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — NASCAR and RTIC Outdoors announced today multi-year agreements that establish RTIC as “The Official Cooler” and “The Official Drinkware of NASCAR.” Adding to the excitement, RTIC has also debuted officially licensed NASCAR coolers and drinkware for purchase on its website.
Dedicated to delivering outdoor enthusiasts reliable gear at affordable prices, RTIC also becomes the “Official Cooler of Talladega Superspeedway” and will be the entitlement sponsor of RTIC Qualifying for both Talladega NASCAR Cup Series races — the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 23 and the YellaWood 500 playoff race on Sunday, Oct. 1.
The partnership includes on-site activations at multiple races throughout the remainder of the 2023 season, including the Talladega race weekends and NASCAR’s Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
“From the campgrounds to the competition and beyond, the RTIC brand and their exceptional products pair perfectly with NASCAR,” said Jeff Wohlschlaeger, senior vice president and chief sales officer at NASCAR. “We’re thrilled to welcome RTIC onboard as an official partner during our milestone 75th anniversary season, and we can’t wait for them to continue to experience the passion of NASCAR fans firsthand.”
In conjunction with the announcement, RTIC also unveiled a variety of officially licensed NASCAR and track-branded coolers and drinkware that are now available for purchase at rticoutdoors.com, with driver and team gear planned for the future. Fans can add their own touches to these co-branded products using RTIC’s personalization tool, MyRTIC. The partnership and collection enable RTIC to enhance race day for fans in attendance along with those at home, as NASCAR’s unique at-track experience allows attendees to bring coolers and drinkware inside the track and even into the grandstands in many venues.
“RTIC is thrilled to be partnering with NASCAR, helping fans keep the good times going longer,” said Bill Pond, Chief Executive Officer of RTIC. “We know NASCAR fans value well-made, durable products like ours, and we are excited to help them show their love of NASCAR with our personalized tumblers and race track ready coolers for a great race weekend.”
The NASCAR season rolls on to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for a special dirt race weekend. Fans can tune in to the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race this Sunday, April 9, at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Tickets are available for purchase at www.nascar.com/tickets.
With a well-versed dirt racing background, Chase Briscoe strived to be in Victory Lane after last year’s Bristol Dirt Race.
Approaching race leader Tyler Reddick in the closing laps, it was inevitable the Hoosier would send it on Reddick if given the opportunity. That opportunity opened and ended with both of them spinning down the high banks of the Tennessee short track, allowing Kyle Busch to steal the checkered flag.
“It’s one of those things I wish that I could do a hundred things different, right?,” Briscoe said in an interview Tuesday. “Like, I wish I could’ve caught him earlier so that the one lap, the one opportunity I had to even attempt to pass wasn’t the last lap, the last corner.”
While speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s race (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Briscoe noted the track conditions last year allowed for multiple grooves to work but in desperation on the final lap, he threw a Hail Mary.
“I still think that it’s hard to say that I would’ve done anything different, truthfully. Just being in that moment, your adrenaline is pumped up,” Briscoe said. “I ran him down almost a straightaway in 10-15 laps, so this whole time you just see him getting closer and closer to me, and your adrenaline and anxiety is getting higher and higher as the laps dwindle down, so being in that position, you’re running dirt.
“I was running the cushion super, super hard, and you just get in this mindset of, ‘You’re dirt racing,’ and if I would have caught him with five to go versus the last lap, it would’ve been a little bit easier to try some different things, but in that moment in time it felt like that was my best opportunity to win the race, and I went into the corner to slide him and really quickly remembered that I was in a car that you cannot throw slide jobs from even half a car length back and I did everything I could at the time to try to stay off of him, and I think even Tyler was talking about in his interview he could hear me running wide open trying to stay off of him.”
It would not be the only time in 2022 Briscoe went for broke in his hunt for win No. 2 of that season.
With two laps to go in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he tried a similar move that led to the same result as he spun trying to avoid contact with Kyle Larson.
The third-year Cup veteran pointed out that racing fellow dirt enthusiasts like Reddick and Larson the way he did last year is why cordialness played out on pit road over the expected fisticuffs race fans anticipate after short-track competition.
“I think the only reason I didn’t get a black eye after that race was because it was a dirt guy I did the move to,” Briscoe said. “If that’s somebody that isn’t Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse [Jr.], Christopher Bell or Tyler Reddick in the field, I’m probably getting a black eye after, but all four of them guys understood where that move was coming from, and even Tyler said that he would’ve done the exact same thing because that’s just what you do in those situations when you grow up dirt racing.”
A sluggish start to 2023 for Briscoe means that Sunday’s race could be one the opportunity where the 28-year-old can flip the script on the year so far for the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team and score his second career Cup victory.
There’s no sugarcoating it: Riley Herbst believes he needs to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In 116 starts, he’s yet to stand triumphant in Victory Lane.
But winning isn’t something he stresses much about. It wasn’t long ago when he was barely a threat for the top 10 with Joe Gibbs Racing. He had a disappointing first year in 2021 with Stewart-Haas Racing, taking over the No. 98 Ford that won nine races the previous season with Chase Briscoe behind the wheel.
“In 2020, I had some speed in the 18 car but would put myself in bad positions and wrecked,” Herbst recalled to NASCAR.com. “In 2021, in the 98, we were not that great. We got a pole, but we weren’t good.”
Ahead of the 2022 season, Herbst signed on with Kevin Harvick Inc. Management as a client. Being in the Stewart-Haas family, it was an easy transition, already having a relationship with Harvick himself.
Over the past 14 months, Harvick has stressed to Herbst the importance of finishing races. He believes that to be frequently running inside the top five, you must first place inside the top 10. And to even sniff a win, the team must be consistently in the top five.
“He’s done great; you’ve got to take what it will give you,” Harvick said. “He’s doing exactly what he needs to do, and it’s been a great start to the season and seems comfortable.”
Comfortable, indeed. Before getting spun by Brandon Jones and finishing 23rd at Richmond Raceway last weekend, Herbst was the lone driver to have top-10 finishes in the opening six races of the 2023 season. Comparing his average finish of ninth through seven races to 14.3 in the same amount of events last season — and 22.1 in 2021 — it’s easy to tell the Las Vegas, Nevada native has made great strides for SHR. He is coming off leading a career-high 27 laps at Richmond, in what he says is his favorite track on the schedule.
Adam Glanzman | Getty Images
“I think the only way we could have started the season better was being in Victory Lane,” Herbst said. “Other than that, we’re doing well in stage points, we’re finishing well and that’s what we planned for. We want the best, but we’re doing what we planned.”
Richard Boswell, crew chief of the No. 98, credits Herbst’s preparation to the team’s early season success. It doesn’t hurt to have another year of experience under his belt and be among the longest-tenured drivers with a top team in the series, either.
“Things are just starting to click,” Boswell said. “He’s not making mistakes that he made before. He’s learned from those mistakes and has taken good notes going back to tracks. He’s progressing as a driver.”
Like many young drivers, Herbst doesn’t have a multitude of laps on tracks, given most weekends have between 15 and 20 minutes of practice. In his first two seasons, there was little to no practice because of COVID-19.
By Boswell’s tally, Herbst is just getting to the number of laps that a typical second-year driver would have in previous seasons. And progress is evident.
“That preparation and experience is coming together,” Boswell noted. “It’s a testament to everybody working hard and keeping a good core group together for a couple of years.”
Herbst stated that he began focusing on things that mattered and not reading social media. In the past, comments from people who already have him “labeled” weighed him down. But even away from the race track, his personal life is thriving. Coming full circle, he believes that also boosts his confidence.
“It took me a while to understand that I’m Riley,” Herbst said. “I’m not Cole Custer, I’m not Chase Briscoe. Once I felt like I got that settled and would be able to be myself, have fun and try to drive the race car the way I want to drive the race car, things started to turn.
“I have so much confidence in Richard and everybody on the 98 team. I know that they have confidence in me, and that’s what matters.”
Herbst knows he will have naysayers no matter what the stat sheet reads. But as he said, “I’ve grown to laugh at it now because I went from getting hate because of wrecking race cars to now I’m getting hate for getting too many top 10s. If I start winning every week, then I’ll get hate from winning too much.”
Candidly, Herbst believes his No. 98 team can win at just about any circuit. He has top-five finishes this season at two distinctly different race tracks in Phoenix Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Before Richmond last weekend, he put together a streak of nine straight top-10 finishes, which is tied for the longest in SHR’s Xfinity Series history.
But that win still eludes him. He believes it’s the only thing he has left to check off. His next try comes in two weeks at Martinsville Speedway, where he finished third last fall.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we won any of the next five races; if we won all of them, if we won one of them,” Herbst said. “It doesn’t matter because I know the progression that we’re taking and where we want to be when it comes late summer.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Sugarlands Distilling Co., an award-winning craft distillery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and NASCAR today announced the release of an officially licensed limited-edition moonshine to commemorate NASCAR’s 75th anniversary. The Sugarlands NASCAR 75th Anniversary Moonshine will make its debut at Bristol Motor Speedway during the Food City Dirt Race weekend April 8-9. It will be available at the Sugarlands 360 Bar inside the track that weekend and also available for purchase at retailers nationwide while supplies last.
Moonshine played a pivotal role in the birth of NASCAR, which was founded by Bill France Sr. in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1948 and has since grown into the No. 1 motorsport in America. A moonshine still on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame tells the story of how many of NASCAR’s early stars got their start running moonshine.
Tying together both elements of NASCAR’s beginnings, the Sugarlands NASCAR 75th Anniversary Moonshine boasts a tropical piña colada flavor as a subtle nod to the sport’s beachside start. The label features a photo from a July 10, 1949, NASCAR race in Daytona along with NASCAR’s official 75th-anniversary diamond logo.
“Few products provide a more authentic homage to NASCAR’s roots than a commemorative moonshine,” said Megan Malayter, managing director of licensing and consumer products at NASCAR .”We’re thrilled to collaborate with Sugarlands to give fans a taste of the sport’s origins with a modern twist and provide a fun, fitting toast to NASCAR’s milestone 75th anniversary.”
Sugarlands has a history of supporting NASCAR and collaborating with the racing industry, including currently serving as the “Official Moonshine of Bristol Motor Speedway.” Since launching in 2014, Sugarlands has released limited-edition products to commemorate anniversaries at Bristol Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Earlier this year, Sugarlands announced a season-long partnership with JTG Daugherty Racing and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 47 Camaro ZL1 and 2023 Daytona 500 champion. Sugarlands also partners with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy Earnhardt to produce High Rock, a premium, handcrafted vodka. High Rock recently announced a partnership with JR Motorsports and Josh Berry, making High Rock the “Official Vodka of JR Motorsports.”
“Moonshine and NASCAR go hand-in-hand, both born from a spirit of rebellion and ingenuity,” said Ned Vickers, Sugarlands president and founder. “We have a deep appreciation and respect for motorsports, due to the deep-rooted history moonshine shares with NASCAR, and it’s an honor to help them commemorate this significant milestone for the sport by producing a 75th–anniversary moonshine.”
Sugarlands produces a full line of craft moonshines and Appalachian Sippin’ Creams with flavors like Dynamite Cinnamon, American Peach, Dark Chocolate Coffee and Butter Pecan. Sugarlands also produces Roaming Man Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey, winner of nearly three dozen gold and platinum awards, including Best in Class Whiskey in the 2019 American Craft Spirits Association Awards.
To find the Sugarlands NASCAR 75th Anniversary Moonshine at a retailer, visit FindMoonshine.com. Sip Wisely! The NASCAR 75th Anniversary Moonshine is produced and bottled by Sugarlands Distilling Company, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. 35% alc/vo., 70 proof, available in 750 ml jars. Must be 21+ to purchase.
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