Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finally accomplished what every driver strives for when they get behind the wheel of a race car – a trip to Victory Lane. His first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series came after 139 starts, 24 top fives, 68 top 10s and three Xfinity Series Playoff appearances (2020, 2021, 2022). Herbst is the 15th different winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, tying 2023 with the 1987, 2004, 2014 and 2018 seasons for the fourth-most different winners through 30 races.
As a Las Vegas, Nevada native, the win was all the more special as Herbst was able to share the moment with 60 of his closest friends and family. He definitely put on a show, leading 103 of the 201 laps and crossed the finish line with the largest margin of victory of the season in the series – an impressive 14.9 seconds over current Xfinity Series standings leader John Hunter Nemechek.
Although Herbst didn’t make the Playoffs this season, he’ll aim to carry this momentum into this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track that his treated him well. In his four starts, he’s posted three top 10s. His only finish outside of the top-10 at the track was in 2021 when he raced his way up to an 11th-place finish after starting from the 29th position.
Setting the stage in South Beach: Homestead-Miami Speedway up next
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will be heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Contender Boats 300 on Saturday, October 21 at 3 p.m. ET on the USA Network, the NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio for the second race in the Round of 8.
The 1.5-mile South Florida track has hosted 29 Xfinity Series races, producing 22 different race winners and almost as many pole winners (21). Only five races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Harrison Burton in 2020.
The name Nemechek is a popular name at the track, thanks to Joe Nemechek who sits as the winningest driver with three victories and also has the most lead lap finishes (11) and laps completed (3,514). Although he hasn’t made a start in the Xfinity Series since the 2020 season, now his son and current Playoff contender John Hunter Nemechek will look to keep the Nemechek name prevalent as he heads into the weekend for his third-ever start at the track in the Xfinity Series.
This will be the second time that Homestead-Miami Speedway plays host to the fifth race in the Xfinity Series Playoffs (second race in the Round of 8). From 2016 to 2019, the track was home to the championship race. Daniel Suárez (2016), William Byron (2017) and Tyler Reddick (2018, 2019), took the checkered flags in those seasons. In 2020 and 2021, the track was not a Playoff track but was on the regular season schedule.
Only two previous winners are entered in this weekend’s Contender Boats 300 – Cole Custer and Myatt Snider. Custer, who is in Playoff contention, snagged his win in 2017, beating runner-up Sam Hornish Jr. by 15.405 seconds and leading 182 of the 200 laps. Snider, who will be getting behind the wheel of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for his fifth Xfinity Series start of the season, grabbed his win in 2021 by a mere .085 seconds.
Not only does Custer know what it takes to win at Homestead, he also knows what it takes to win the second race in the Round of 8, or 31st race of the season. In 2018, he won the second race of the Round of 8 at Texas Motor Speedway. He went on to run in the Championship race that season where he ultimately finished second in the final standings.
| Track | Race Winners | Race Number | Date |
| Texas | Kyle Larson | 31 | Saturday, November 5, 2016 |
| Texas | Erik Jones | 31 | Saturday, November 4, 2017 |
| Texas | Cole Custer | 31 | Saturday, November 3, 2018 |
| Texas | Christopher Bell | 31 | Saturday, November 2, 2019 |
| Texas | Harrison Burton | 31 | Saturday, October 24, 2020 |
| Kansas | Ty Gibbs | 31 | Saturday, October 23, 2021 |
| Homestead | Noah Gragson | 31 | Saturday, October 22, 2022 |
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will kick off their weekend on Friday, October 20 with practice at 6:05 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 6:35 p.m. ET on the USA Network and streamed on the NBC Sports App.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Contender Boats 300
The Place: Homestead-Miami Speedway
The Date: Saturday, October 21
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,433,590
TV: USA, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
Clinch Scenarios: Homestead-Miami Speedway
With a win by non-Playoff driver Riley Herbst last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, all four Championship 4 spots are up for grabs. Let’s take a look at clinch scenarios as the drivers head to South Florida for the penultimate race in the Round of 8:
Already Clinched
No drivers have clinched a spot in the four-driver field of the next round.
Can Clinch Via Points
If there is a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 4th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier or Austin Hill.
- John Hunter Nemechek: Could only clinch with help
- Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help
- Austin Hill: Could only clinch with help
If there is a new winner from Cole Custer or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 3rd winless driver in the standings.
- John Hunter Nemechek: Could only clinch with help
- Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help
Can Clinch Via Win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed
Scouting the Playoff field at Homestead-Miami
With only two races left for drivers to prove they have what it takes to compete for a championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 4, the eight Playoff contenders will be giving it everything they have this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
With a lot on the line, let’s see how the competition runs on the South Florida track:
John Hunter Nemechek: Leading the standings, Nemechek has made two starts at the track (2018, 2019). In 2018, he posted a third-place finish and in 2019, he finished sixth. He’s led a total of 52 laps at the track.
Justin Allgaier: The most experienced driver in the Playoffs and second in the standings, Allgaier has made 14 starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, posting three top 10s and leading a total of seven laps.
Austin Hill: Third in the standings and 19 points above the cutline, Hill heads to the track with one start under his belt (2022). He posted a ninth-place finish and led 19 laps.
Cole Custer: Currently in the final Championship 4 spot on points and 15 points above the cutline is Cole Custer. He’s the only Playoff driver with a Homestead-Miami win (2017). In his four starts, he’s posted one win, three top fives and three top 10s and has led 292 laps. In his last two stints at the track in the series, he posted runner-up finishes (2018, 2019).
Chandler Smith: Just outside the cutline, Smith heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway with one start (2022) where he posted a seventh-place finish.
Sam Mayer: Right behind Smith is Sam Mayer who is 16 points under the cutline. He has made one start at the South Florida track (2022), posting a fifth-place finish.
Sammy Smith: Thirty-five points under the cutline is rookie Sammy Smith. He will be making his series debut this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Sheldon Creed: In the final Playoff spot 41 points back is Sheldon Creed, who has made one start at the track (2022). He finished 17th.
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
John Hunter Nemechek to pull double duty in South Florida – John Hunter Nemechek, who is currently leading the Xfinity Series standings, will have a full weekend ahead of him at Homestead-Miami Speedway as he will be pulling double duty.
After running in the Contender Boats 300, he will get behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Legacy Motorsports (the car he will drive full time next season) for his first start in the Cup Series of the 2023 season. He’s made a total of 40 starts in the Cup Series (2019, 2020, 2022), posting three top 10s.
His last start in the Cup Series was last season at Homestead where he finished 27th.
Two-time Xfinity champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to the series at Miami – NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be making his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the season this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
Earnhardt is a two-time series champion (1998-99) and will look to make his seventh series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. In his previous six career starts at the 1.5-mile track he has put up two top fives and four top 10s.
In his series season debut at Bristol a few weeks ago, Earnhardt qualified 15th and raced his way into the lead, leading 47 laps, before a fire started in his car that relegated him to a 30th-place finish.
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