Go Bowling Racing: Riley Herbst Richmond NXS Advance

RILEY HERBST Richmond NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance No. 98 Go Bowling Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing     NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview   • Event: Go Bowling 250 (Round 25 of 33) • Date: Saturday, Sept. 11 • Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway • Layout: .75-mile oval • Time/TV/Radio: 2:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio   Riley Herbst Notes of Interest   •  It’s all Go Bowling all the time, as the consumer-facing brand of the bowling industry will adorn on the hood of Riley Herbst’s No. 98 Ford Mustang in Saturday’s Go Bowling 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Go Bowling has been a partner of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) since 2018, and its entitlement of the Xfinity Series race at Richmond began the same year. SHR has always fielded a Go Bowling Ford Mustang in the Go Bowling 250, and it was Cole Custer who delivered the best result, finishing third in 2019. Go Bowling leverages the partnership to promote its Go Bowling America league program, which provides bowlers of all age groups the opportunity to bowl in a fun, non-competitive league and receive a new, entry-level performance bowling ball. For details and to find a participating bowling center, visit www.GoBowling.com.   •  The Go Bowling 250 will mark Herbst’s fourth career Xfinity Series start at Richmond. In his three previous Xfinity Series starts at the .75-mile oval, Herbst has scored two top-10s. He earned a best finish of ninth in his first start at the track in September 2019 and followed it up with a 10th-place drive in the first race of the Richmond doubleheader last September. Herbst was on his way to another good finish in the second race of the doubleheader when an accident took him out of the race just 23 laps shy of the finish.   •  Heading into the Xfinity Series’ prior race last Saturday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Herbst had scored back-to-back top-10 finishes and was charging toward another top-10 at the “Track Too Tough To Tame” until lap 107. That’s when the car of Tommy Joe Martins slowed abruptly on the backstretch and Herbst, with nowhere to go, collided with Martins. Herbst and Martins were both OK, but their racecars were not. For Herbst, that meant a once promising day turned into a dismal 38th-place finish.   •  Despite the result at Darlington, Herbst remained well above the top-12 cutline to make the seven-race playoffs that start Sept. 25 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Thanks to a string of solid finishes beginning with a 10th-place drive July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Herbst erased a 54-point deficit to not only climb back into the top-12, but secure a 46-point margin over 13th-place Michael Annett. A win Saturday at Richmond would automatically advance Herbst into the playoffs, but the 22-year-old racer from Las Vegas can continue to point his way into championship contention by starting a new top-10 streak through the regular-season finale Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.   Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Go Bowling Ford Mustang   Richmond has been a good track for you in the past as you scored top-10s in your first two starts there. What do you need to do this weekend to get a good finish and compete for the win? “Richmond’s definitely been good to me in the past, but it’s also a tough short track. I’m hoping we can get back on track there this weekend after a tough weekend at Darlington. We’ll have some work to do, but we need to focus on getting the points we need. A win would be the ideal situation, but I’m hoping to use my experience at Richmond to bring home a top-10 for this team.”   The playoffs are only two races away and, despite being in an accident last weekend at Darlington, you’re still 46 points above the top-12 cutline to make the playoffs. What do you need to do to stay there? “We definitely didn’t want that finish last weekend, but we’re still above the cutline. The plan now is to stay there and get more of a cushion heading into Bristol next week. We were on a top-10 streak there and I was hoping to keep that up, but Darlington lived up to its nickname of being ‘Too Tough To Tame.’ Now we have to get focused and really go for stage points and get some good finishes in the final two races of the regular season.”   You have a new partner on the car this weekend in Go Bowling, and they’re also the title sponsor of the race. How good would it feel to deliver a win to them? “I’m excited to have Go Bowling on my car this Saturday. I’m thankful for their support on our Ford Mustang. They’ve been with SHR for a few years now, and it’s awesome that they’re going to be on our car for the Go Bowling 250. I want to get them a good finish but, most of all, I want to put their car in victory lane for their race. That would be the ultimate goal.”   No. 98 Go Bowling Team Roster

Primary Team Members:   Driver: Riley Herbst Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada   Crew Chief: Richard Boswell Hometown: Friendship, Maryland   Engineer: Justin Bolton Hometown: Latrobe, Pennsylvania   Engineer: DJ VanderLey Hometown: Mobile, Alabama   Spotter: Tim Fedewa Hometown: Holt, Michigan Over-The-Wall Crew:   Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois   Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina   Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons Hometown: Tyler, Texas   Fueler: James Keener Hometown: Fortuna, California   Jackman: Brandon Banks Hometown: High Point, North Carolina Road Crew Members:   Truck Driver: Steve Wood Hometown: Eatontown, New Jersey   Front End Mechanic: Mike Brill Hometown: Woodsville, New Hampshire   Engine Tuner: Willie Pelotte Hometown: Oakland, Maine