Riley Herbst scores emotional first Xfinity win at Vegas

Herbst used a last lap pass of Cole Custer to take the lead for the first time to win Stage 2 then completely dominated the final stage.

He built a solid lead then expanded it through the final round of green flag pit stops before cruising to a 14.959-second win over John Hunter Nemechek for his first career win in 139 starts.

Race winner Riley Herbst, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

The 24-year-old Las Vegas native and driver of Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 98 Ford had finished second three previous times, most recently earlier this season at Nashville. The win was a bit of redemption for Herbst, who failed to qualify for the playoffs this season.

“Oh, my goodness. I love this town, I love this team,” an emotional Herbst said after the win. “Everybody said I couldn’t do it. You don’t even know what this means – what this takes off my chest. I can’t believe it.

“I’ve been working on my working on myself and what I could control. I knew all I could do was all I could do and if there was a caution then there was a caution, and we were going to race them straight-up.

“This year was such a failure to me not to make the playoffs. It was so embarrassing to be in a car like this that doesn’t make the playoffs and walk in the garage in the garage with your head down.”

Custer finished third, Chandler Smith fourth and Sam Mayer rounded out the top five.

Completing the top-10 were Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones, Daniel Hemric and Layne Riggs.

With two races remaining in the semifinal round of the playoffs, the four drivers lowest in points without a win and in danger of elimination are Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, Mayer and Chandler Smith, who is 15 points behind the cutline.

Race winner Riley Herbst, Stewart-Haas Racing, Monster Energy Ford Mustang

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

Stage 1

Custer passed Chandler Smith with 10 of 45 laps remaining and held on by 0.392 seconds to take the Stage 1 win. Sammy Smith was third, Hemric fourth and Hill fifth. Nemechek, who started from the rear of the field, made his way to sixth.

Stage 2

Herbst ran down Custer and passed him on the final of the 45 laps to earn the Stage 2 win, just his second career stage victory. Nemechek was third, Allgaier fourth and Hemric fifth.

The engine on Kaz Grala’s No. 26 blew on the start of Stage 2 which dropped fluid all over the track and ignited a multi-car wreck that collected Anthony Alfredo, Rajah Caruth and Kyle Weatherman. The race was red flagged for nearly nine minutes to clean the track of debris.

Stage 3

During the break between Stages 2 and 3, the lead-lap cars all pit with Herbst first of pit road. He was followed by Custer and Nemechek.

With 75 laps remaining, Herbst had built an almost 4-second lead over Custer with Nemechek in third, almost six seconds behind the leader.

Hemric and Creed were among the first of the lead-lap cars to hit pit road for a final round of green flag pits for new tires and fuel to make it to the finish.

Once the cycle of stops was completed, Herbst cycled back to the lead with 56 laps to go.

Several laps later, playoff driver Sammy Smith was forced to pit a second time for a loose wheel – the second time that had happened to him in this race.

With 30 laps remaining, Herbst had built a commanding lead over more than 11 seconds over Nemechek as Chandler Smith ran third.

Race winner Riley Herbst, Stewart-Haas Racing, Monster Energy Ford Mustang

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

Cla	Driver	#		Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Interval	Pits	Points
1	R. HERBSTStewart-Haas Racing	98		Ford	201	2:18'32.411		5
2	J. NEMECHEKJoe Gibbs Racing	20		Toyota	201	+14.959	14.959	6
3	C. CUSTERStewart-Haas Racing	00		Ford	201	+19.493	4.534	6
4	C. SMITHKaulig Racing	16		Chevrolet	201	+20.840	1.347	6
5	S. MAYERJR Motorsports	1		Chevrolet	201	+28.560	7.720	6
6	J. ALLGAIERJR Motorsports	7		Chevrolet	201	+29.046	0.486	6
7	A. HILLRichard Childress Racing	21		Chevrolet	201	+29.235	0.189	7
8	B. JONESJR Motorsports	9		Chevrolet	201	+29.489	0.254	6
9	D. HEMRICKaulig Racing	10		Chevrolet	201	+31.032	1.543	6
10	L. RIGGSKaulig Racing	11		Chevrolet	201	+32.716	1.684	6
11	M. SNIDERJoe Gibbs Racing	19		Toyota	200	+1 Lap	1 Lap	6
12	J. BERRYJR Motorsports	8		Chevrolet	200	+1 Lap	10.315	6
13	P. KLIGERMANBig Machine Racing Team	48		Chevrolet	200	+1 Lap	2.884	7
14	P. RETZLAFFJordan Anderson Racing	31		Chevrolet	200	+1 Lap	4.450	6
15	S. CREEDRichard Childress Racing	2		Chevrolet	200	+1 Lap	5.530	6
16	R. SIEGRSS Racing	39		Ford	199	+2 Laps	1 Lap	7
17	S. SMITHJoe Gibbs Racing	18		Toyota	199	+2 Laps	0.302	8
18	K. SIEGRSS Racing	29		Ford	199	+2 Laps	13.275	6
19	C. MOSACKSam Hunt Racing	24		Toyota	199	+2 Laps	6.192	6
20	R. REEDMotorsports Business Management	66		Chevrolet	198	+3 Laps	1 Lap	6
21	D. DYEAlpha Prime Racing	44		Chevrolet	198	+3 Laps	7.138	7
22	J. BURTONJordan Anderson Racing	27		Chevrolet	197	+4 Laps	1 Lap	8
23	R. CARUTHAlpha Prime Racing	45		Chevrolet	197	+4 Laps	13.629	9
24	B. MOFFITTAM Racing	25		Ford	197	+4 Laps	2.629	10
25	B. POOLEJD Motorsports	6		Chevrolet	197	+4 Laps	6.965	10
26	S. PARSONSSS-Green Light Racing	08		Chevrolet	197	+4 Laps	5.175	9
27	R. ELLISAlpha Prime Racing	43		Ford	197	+4 Laps	0.008	6
28	B. PERKINSOur Motorsports	02		Chevrolet	195	+6 Laps	2 Laps	6
29	C. MCLAUGHLINRSS Racing	28		Ford	194	+7 Laps	1 Lap	6
30	J. CLEMENTSJeremy Clements Racing	51		Chevrolet	193	+8 Laps	1 Lap	9
31	D. CRAMCHK Racing	74		Chevrolet	193	+8 Laps	15.917	8
32	J. GASEEmerling Gase Motorsports	35		Toyota	193	+8 Laps	2.370	8
33	J. WILLIAMSDGM Racing	92		Chevrolet	56	+145 Laps	137 Laps	6
34	A. ALFREDOBJ McLeod Motorsports	78		Chevrolet	54	+147 Laps	2 Laps	4
35	K. GRALASam Hunt Racing	26		Toyota	53	+148 Laps	1 Lap	3
36	K. WEATHERMANDGM Racing	91		Chevrolet	53	+148 Laps	0.448	4
37	J. JR.RSS Racing	38		Ford	12	+189 Laps	41 Laps	3
38	E. PATRICKEmerling Gase Motorsports	53		Chevrolet	3	+198 Laps	9 Laps	2