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