Daring overtaking maneuver on the last lap puts Riley Herbst on the road to victory in the Xfinity Series race in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – Riley Herbst had a chance on Saturday and capitalized on it with a trip to Victory Lane at the Brickyard.

The 25-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Series driver chased Aric Almirola on the final lap, then got close enough to touch Almirola’s car with his front bumper on the final turn, shot up the inside, took the lead and held on to his sliding car to win his first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Herbst gave Stewart-Haas Racing its second consecutive victory, finishing 0.167 seconds ahead of teammate Cole Custer. Almirola finished third.

“This is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, everyone in the world wants to race here and win,” Herbst said, explaining that he could barely hold onto the car when it started to tip sideways. “I don’t care if it’s the Xfinity Series or the Go Kart Series. This is Indianapolis.”

Herbst’s only other career win came in October at his home track in Las Vegas. And just a week after his teammate, Custer took his first win of the season at Pocono.

The back-to-back wins give SHR, a team that closes its doors after the season, some momentum heading into the final six races of the regular season.

Herbst also won the first Xfinity race since 2018 to be held on Indy’s historic 2.5-mile oval in thrilling fashion.

Each of the top three drivers held the lead for the final three laps, and Custer came close to capping his perfect weekend with his second consecutive win when he passed Almirola on the inside of the front straight. Earlier on Saturday, Custer was named the Haas Factory Team’s Cup driver for 2025.

“I just needed one less lap,” said Custer. “I think being in the lead was a disadvantage all day. Being second loosened up the car and saved the tires. But what a great day for SHR.”

With these results, Custer remained atop the series standings while Herbst secured a playoff spot. Custer led the most laps, 47, while Herbst led 30 in a race marred by seven caution periods and a major accident on Lap 2.

Herbst also won the first stage and came third in the second stage.

Almirola, meanwhile, was in the lead for five laps, but could not maintain his advantage at the crucial moment.

“Maybe just not carry so much speed into Turn 3,” he said when asked if he would have done anything differently.

That mistake was all Herbst needed to get past Almirola and take a milestone win.

“It’s fun, it’s fun,” said Herbst. “I’m going to go have a beer and turn on my phone. This is cult.”