MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Seven races into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Sequence, Riley Herbst is positioned thirtieth within the standings.
The 23XI Racing driver’s finest outcomes coming via with an eighth on the season-opening Daytona 500 and an 18th on the Straight Speak Wi-fi 500 at Phoenix Raceway, the No. 35 Monster Vitality Toyota Camry XSE wheelman has posted up a median ending place of twenty fifth.
Now in his second full Cup Sequence season, the Las Vegas native has targeted in on bettering his ending outcomes and scratching and clawing his approach up the Cup Sequence outcomes board. Straight off thirty fifth ending positions on the final two races at Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway, Herbst will now look to frantic Bristol Motor Speedway and this Sunday’s Meals Metropolis 500.
Eager to attain one other top-10 end, Herbst is wanting ahead to 0.533-mile concrete oval and all that comes with it.
“I’m simply preparing for this upcoming race at Bristol,” stated Herbst on Wednesday afternoon. “Bristol is a variety of enjoyable. I’m excited for the upcoming weekend. Bristol is a cool place. It’s a kind of pure NASCAR tracks. It’s simply a lot enjoyable to driver round there in a inventory automobile. Loads goes into it. There’s the bodily demand and the psychological demand. 500 laps round Bristol isn’t any joke. There are such a lot of transferring items. The monitor is consistently altering and also you’re on the sting of management for 500 laps.”
And what does Herbst hope to realize at Bristol Motor Speedway come this Sunday?
“Man, I believe we will get a strong prime 15 and get again on monitor what we have been doing at first of the yr,” answered Herbst. “Yeah, we’re excited. It’s an ideal alternative for us.”
Herbst believes his staff has been higher than the outcomes present.
“Actually, every race we’ve been prime 15 apart from final week at Martinsville the place we simply struggled,” defined Herbst. “However at Darlington, we have been having a profession day and we have been on the lookout for a top-10 end and we received wrecked, so that actually damage us within the level standings. And at Martinsville we have been working round in twenty fifth and we received wrecked once more with our teammate.
“So two DNFs again to again, which actually sucked. However yeah, this yr has been approach higher than final yr. We’ve realized a lot and we simply have a lot extra tempo this yr, so we’re excited to maintain that going into this weekend.”
Following Bristol, Herbst will look to races at Kansas Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen Worldwide.
“Kansas is a enjoyable monitor,” stated Herbst. “It’s tremendous difficult. We will exit and win Talladega, so we’re tremendous excited to go right down to Alabama and go win that race. Texas was certainly one of our strongest races final yr the place we completed 14th. Watkins Glen is a wonderful monitor. Like I stated, truthfully there isn’t any dangerous race on the calendar.
“All these races are alternatives for us to exit and have a very robust run. We’re rising every week. I assumed our first 5 races and our first moth of the yr was distinctive. We have been proper there in twentieth in factors and seeking to get into the NASCAR Chase and these final two weeks have actually derailed us, nevertheless it didn’t actually shake us an excessive amount of.
“We’re able to get again to the place we belong. We’re excited. The morale is tremendous excessive at 23XI Racing, We’ve received an ideal group of fellows and an ideal staff. Like I stated, and I do know I sound like a damaged report, however we’re wanting to get again to the place we belong and again on monitor.”
A major objective for Herbst is to maintain bettering.
“Yeah, I imply final yr was a wrestle, for positive,’ stated Herbst. “You’re going to wrestle in your first yr within the Cup Sequence, so this yr it’s vital to capitalize and take all the things we’ve realized final yr and apply it and simply be higher. I assumed we have been doing a very good job with that the primary moth of the season. The final two weeks sort of received away from us, however we’ll get our focus again collectively and get again to the place we should be.
“And firstly, I believe our general uncooked velocity is so significantly better than it was final yr. Our qualifying efforts are approach higher, in order that simply units you up for a very robust weekend. So we have to capitalize on that and maintain it going.”
Herbst has been engaged on strengthening his self-confidence.
“Sure, confidence comes out of your preparation, so I really feel like our preparation is super-high proper now. We’ve actually quick race vehicles and I’ve all the arrogance on the earth in my staff and so they have all the arrogance in me,” Herbst stated. “And to what Denny (Hamlin, staff co-owner) is saying, we need to be within the prime 10 and prime 15 dialog every week. And I believe that can be very passable to all people. Particularly myself.”
As a member for 23XI Racing, the outcomes have been considerably gradual in coming for Herbst and the NASCAR media and fanbase has been essential. Herbst realizes it.
“To be sincere with you Eric, I don’t learn an excessive amount of,” identified Herbst. “I don’t know what you’re speaking about. I persist with my individuals round me and my staff and I attempt to do one of the best I can every weekend and that’s all I can ask for and all I can do. We’re excited to get to Bristol this weekend. It’s such a enjoyable race monitor. We’ll have a very quick automobile and like I stated, we’re making ready the way in which we have to put together and we’re bringing quick race vehicles to the monitor. That’s an enormous step in the proper course. These guys are superior and the staff is superb and we’re constructing one thing nice.”
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