There have already been plenty of driver moves across all three of NASCAR's top series, and now yet another driver knows his fate for next year. Riley Herbst will return for his fourth full-time season with Stewart-Haas Racing, piloting the Monster Energy No. 98 Ford Mustang.
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With that big sponsor-backing, Herbst probably could have looked elsewhere, but SHR was able to keep Herbst in the fold for yet another year.
Herbst will enter his fifth full-time season in the Xfinity Series with plenty of confidence as he has made a handful of Cup Series starts the last two seasons, including a recent strong qualifying effort and a ninth-place finish at Talladega. Add in his Cup Series debut run in the Daytona 500 in 2022, which saw him finish inside the top 10 as well and Herbst has proven to be a strong superspeedway racer.
SHR's post on X clearly showed they are happy to have Herbst back for another season.
The Monster is back.@rileyherbst returns to the No. 98 Ford Mustang for 2024. pic.twitter.com/QlKZJvIhlz
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) October 12, 2023
Herbst has a real shot for a breakout season in 2024, after just missing the playoffs in 2023. He had a simple response to the news on his X page.
"I'm excited to continue my relationship with @Stewart-Haas Racing driving the No. 98 in 2024!" Herbst said.
I’m excited to continue my relationship with @StewartHaasRcng driving the no. 98 in 2024! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/AV0IOMLrHv
— Riley Herbst (@rileyherbst) October 12, 2023
He has shown he has the talent and skill, but if he can't finally get the job done in 2024, it will be hard for SHR to keep him. He showed promise in the NASCAR ARCA Menards Series, winning twice at Pocono and Michigan. Since making the climb into the Xfinity Series, his ARCA success hasn't been replicated, which is a bit puzzling. In his five seasons in Xfinity, he has yet to win but has 63 top 10s.
With a strong sponsor and obvious support from his team, 2024 may finally be the year that propels the 24-year-old Las Vegas native into victory lane and more potential Cup Series drives. Herbst will surely feel plenty of pressure to take the next step.
