Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 NASCAR Ford Mustang Dark Horse, was not part of the elite Championship 4 this year. While he was a contender on track at Phoenix on November 10th, 2024, he wasn’t in the running for the championship, but that certainly didn’t deter him from putting his best foot forward during the race. In fact, he swept past eventual 2024 champion Justin Allgaier on the last lap, driving straight to the victory.
Herbst led 167 of 213 laps on Saturday, defending his lead through a series of two Overtime finishes that almost turned the race on its head. He took the final green flag alongside Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevy Camaro SS, and for a short while, he fell behind the championship contender. However, with just a few corners left, Herbst mounted a charge and galloped past Allgaier, spoiling the champion’s shot at the race win, too.
The victory marked the the third of Herbst’s career and the final for his NASCAR Ford team, Stewart-Haas Racing, which will not return in 2025.
“I knew we were going to have a fast race car, these guys have been working on this race car and I knew we were going to be really really fast,” said Herbst. “It’s been a really tough week at the shop, really emotional time. I’m forever grateful to every man and woman at Stewart-Haas Racing they gave me a really fast car today and I can’t thank everyone enough.”
Championship hopeful, Cole Custer, just didn’t have the speed to pace Allgaier. He brought his No. 00 NASCAR Ford across the line in seventh, and left Phoenix without defending his 2023 Xfinity Series title.
“I’m really happy for Justin, that was a long time coming,” said Custer, who is moving back to the Cup Series in 2025 as part of the Haas Factory Team. “He’s definitely a deserving champion and they ran a great race, especially there at the end.”
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Monster Energy Ford | 213 | 167 | Ford Mustang |
| 2 | 37 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | BRANDT Chevrolet | 213 | 4 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 3 | 38 | 20 | Aric Almirola (P) | He Gets Us Toyota | 213 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 4 | 21 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Jarrett 25 Years Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 5 | 4 | 81 | Chandler Smith | QuickTie Toyota | 213 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 6 | 6 | 2 | Jesse Love # | Whelen Chevrolet | 213 | 6 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 7 | 2 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota | 213 | 20 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 8 | 7 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Andy's Frozen Custard/Haas Automation Ford | 213 | 7 | Ford Mustang |
| 9 | 9 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger (P) | Celsius Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 10 | 5 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Bennett Transportation Chevrolet | 213 | 5 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 11 | 8 | 1 | Sam Mayer | 10X Health Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 12 | 17 | 97 | Shane Van Gisbergen # | WeatherTech Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 13 | 1 | 19 | William Sawalich(i) | Starkey/Soundgear Toyota | 213 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 14 | 31 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet | 213 | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 15 | 15 | 8 | Sammy Smith | Pilot Flying J Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 16 | 16 | 27 | Jeb Burton | AO Smith Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 17 | 13 | 10 | Daniel Dye(i) | Champion Container Chevrolet | 213 | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 18 | 33 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Menards/Klearvue Cabinetry Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 19 | 24 | 15 | Dylan Lupton | Lupton Excavation Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 20 | 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Alliance Driveway Solutions Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 21 | 32 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | Rita's Ice Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 22 | 25 | 29 | Blaine Perkins | Ashurst American Honey Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 23 | 23 | 28 | Ryan Sieg | Sci Aps Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 24 | 28 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Macc Door Systems Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 25 | 20 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Tablo Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 26 | 11 | 38 | Matt DiBenedetto | ReMA Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 27 | 34 | 35 | Joey Gase | Donate Life AZ Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 28 | 30 | 07 | Patrick Emerling | MMI Tank Chevrolet | 212 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 29 | 29 | 39 | Kyle Sieg | Tap and Sons Ford | 212 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 30 | 36 | 53 | Garrett Smithley | Dozer Winch Parts.com Ford | 212 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 31 | 26 | 42 | Leland Honeyman # | Distributor Wire & Cable Co Chevrolet | 210 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 32 | 27 | 92 | Dawson Cram(i) | Trade With The Pros Chevrolet | 209 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 33 | 19 | 11 | Josh Williams | Alloy Chevrolet | 208 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 34 | 10 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | FUNKAWAY/REALTREE Chevrolet | 204 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 35 | 18 | 26 | Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) | Synergy Modular Toyota | 169 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 36 | 12 | 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Dead On Tools Chevrolet | 152 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 37 | 35 | 14 | Greg Van Alst | Prescott Tire Pros Chevrolet | 108 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 38 | 14 | 45 | Stefan Parsons(i) | Prime Bites Mini Muffins Chevrolet | 61 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible
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