In a season of misery for Stewart-Haas Racing, Riley Herbst pulled off an impressive victory at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. The driver of the #98 took his first-ever win in the Xfinity Series. The 24-year-old had started in over 130 races in the competition, but this was the first time he managed to be on victory road. Herbst took his maiden Xfinity win at his home track and made more than just the home fans happy. Tony Stewart’s prodigy’s win was good news for Joe Gibbs’ title contender as well. And he didn’t shy away from expressing that!

Tony Stewart has had a forgettable season in 2023. Stewart-Haas Racing has yet to register a single victory in the Cup Series so far this year. They are also losing one of the most seasoned drivers Kevin Harvick who is set to retire after the current season, and there are question marks over Aric Almirola’s future. In these trying times, Herbst’s victory at Vegas surely puts a smile on his boss’ face who has been desperate for a win.

Joe Gibbs’ title favorite expresses satisfaction as rivals miss out

But Riley Herbst is not a playoff driver. The points that he won will go towards the owner’s championship. However, the result has helped one playoff driver that everyone is familiar with. He is one of Joe Gibbs’ best drivers in NASCAR today and is a contender for the Xfinity Series title. Perhaps the strongest contender for the crown.

The man in question is, of course, John Hunter Nemechek. The 26-year-old missed out on the victory in Vegas but settled for an impressive P2 finish. The driver of the #20 has accumulated an incredible 7 wins so far this season and is only getting better. He earned 48 points in the first round of 8 race and already looks set to make it through to the championship race.

Nemechek currently sits atop the Xfinity Series table with 3103 points. The Xfinity Series driver has unarguably been the best driver in the competition this year and it will be well-deserved if he manages to win the crown. The 26-year-old was happy for Riley Herbst after the race, but made sure to let his own personal agenda show.

“Congrats to Riley,” said John Hunter Nemechek. “I know he’s been trying to win one of these for a long time and he finally did it so congrats to that whole group, but overall solid points day for us. We were able to get stage points in the first stage after starting at the back and if a guy is gonna win, I’m glad it’s not a chase guy if it’s not us. We made some points up today and looking forward to Homestead next week.”

It was an incredible effort from John Hunter Nemechek, who had to start from the back of the grid. The reason is an issue that the crew at Joe Gibbs Racing needs to sort out at this crucial point of the season.

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It was not the first time. For the second week in a row, John Hunter Nemechek was forced to start from the back of the pack. He could not compete in the qualifying session last weekend at Charlotte and he couldn’t do it at Vegas either. The reason was the same on both occasions: an oil leak.

It is quite disappointing for a driver when they are not able to compete, despite no fault of their own. Joe Gibbs will be hoping that his crew can sort these issues out so that his star driver can go out there and claim a few victories. But Nemechek has done a fine job starting from the back of the pack. He finished P8 in Charlotte and an outstanding P2 in Vegas.

Racetrack hindrances aside, John Hunter Nemechek is still a strong favorite for the Xfinity Series title. Will he be able to get the job done? Let us know your thoughts.

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