CUP: First in a series of brake issues sends Riley Herbst into the wall, out of Pocono race
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
ALL PHOTOS: Matt Miller, @MGMiller17
Riley Herbst picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 at the Pocono Raceway when his #35 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Toyota crashed after 41 of 160 laps.
The finish, which came in Herbst’s 25th Cup Series start, was his second of the year and first since Phoenix, 13 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 12th for the #35, the 197th for Toyota, and the 689th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 36th for the #35, the 427th for Toyota, and the 1,422nd from a crash.
With the finish, Herbst takes the lead from A.J. Allmendinger in the 2025 LASTCAR Cup Series standings.
In these last several races, Herbst has been locked in a tight battle with Shane van Gisbergen for Rookie of the Year as each have faced similar struggles running mid-pack. That battle may well have ended last Sunday, when van Gisbergen took a decisive win at Mexico City, unless Herbst can also advance to the Playoffs. But since Phoenix, Herbst has only twice finished better than 22nd, taking a 19th at his home track in Las Vegas and a season-best 14th in Texas. He’s run much better in his two XFINITY races in Joe Gibbs Racing’s “all-star” car, taking 13th in COTA, then 3rd in Texas.
Herbst was not among the many drivers running double-duty during the triple-header at Pocono. Of the 37 drivers entered, he ranked 29th in opening practice with a lap of 53.571 seconds (168.001mph), then qualified 29th with a lap of 53.159 seconds (169.303mph).
Securing the 37th and final starting spot was Brennan Poole, who returned to the Cup Series as Members 1st Credit Union, his sponsor for Saturday’s XFINITY race with Alpha Prime Racing, also afforded him a start in the NY Racing Team’s #44. But Poole’s car failed inspection three times before it passed, preventing him from making a qualifying attempt, costing him pit selection, ejecting car chief Mark Mabretone, and handing him a pass-through penalty after the green flag.
Six other drivers incurred tail-end penalties for unapproved adjustments: 20th-place Ryan Blaney in the #12 Wabash Ford, 27th-place Ty Dillon in the #10 Sea Best Chevrolet, 31st-place William Byron in the #24 Valvoline Chevrolet, 34th-place Bubba Wallace whose starter failure on the #23 McDonald’s Toyota damaged the flywheel, 35th-place Josh Berry in the #21 Eero Ford, and 36th-place Cody Ware in the #51 Parts Plus / Costa Oil Ford. After running fastest in practice, Byron nearly went to a backup car after he crashed off Turn 1, but the crew managed to complete repairs. Ware’s crew also repaired the rear bumper after he spun into the Turn 3 wall in practice. Like Poole, the cars of Wallace, Berry, and Ware did not turn a lap in qualifying.
Brennan Poole serves his pass-through at the end of Lap 1.
When the green flag dropped, Poole remained in the last spot, 2.515 seconds back of the lead, two-tenths behind both Berry and Ware. This gap allowed Poole to safely make it to pit road, where he completed Lap 1 showing 14.358 seconds back of the lead. By the time he returned to the track and began Lap 3, he was 30.710 back of the lead, about 23 seconds back of 36th-place Ware. From there, Poole’s deficit to the leader steadily increased while his deficit to Ware decreased.
On Lap 4, Poole was 32.293 back of the lead to Ware’s 10.137, a difference of 22.156 seconds.
On Lap 11, Poole was 42.351 to Ware’s 21.667, a difference of 20.684. Poole reported his car was running tight in the corners from the center-off.
On Lap 14, Poole was 45.095 behind to Ware’s 25.557, a difference of 19.538. Poole was told he was faster than both 36th-place Ware and 35th-place Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the #47 Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls Chevrolet. Ware had himself lost touch with Stenhouse, now five seconds apart.
On Lap 15, Poole was 48.147 to Ware’s 30.055, a difference of 18.092.
On Lap 16, Poole was 49.653 to Ware’s 32.415, a difference of 17.238.
On Lap 17, Poole was 51.417 to Ware’s 35.046, a difference of 16.371.
And on Lap 19, when Ware had fallen 11 seconds of new 35th-place runner Todd Gilliland in the #34 Grillo’s Pickles Ford, Poole was the first driver to be lapped as then-leader Denny Hamlin pulled to his inside halfway down the Long Pond Straight between Turns 1 and 2. From there, Poole continued to make up ground. On Lap 22, he entered Turn 2 as Ware entered Turn 3. By Lap 28, both were at opposite ends of the Long Pond Straight. And on Lap 31, when the caution fell to end Stage 1, Poole had whittled down his 23-second deficit to only eight. Poole discussed adjustments as Ware earned the “Lucky Dog,” putting him back on the lead lap.
On the Lap 36 restart, Poole trailed the field by open track into Turn 1, then set after both Ware and Gilliland heading into Turn 2. By the end of the lap, Ware remained last on the lead lap in 36th, showing 5.341 seconds back of the lead. That gap increased to 7.829 on Lap 38 and 10.092 on Lap 39.
On Lap 42, Herbst had yet to contend was running in the 30th spot, following Michael McDowell’s #71 Gainbridge Chevrolet into Turn 1. Just after corner entry, the right-front brake rotor exploded, cutting down the right-front tire and sending him into the outside wall. Herbst pulled to the inside and stopped, awaiting the tow truck. The crew noticed no tire marks as Herbst went into the wall, indicating what the driver thought what a steering issue was actually the brakes. NASCAR had their team retrieve pieces of Herbst’s rotor, relaying where each piece was based on the closest billboard around the track.
By Lap 45, Herbst lost a second lap, putting him in last as Poole awaited his “Lucky Dog.” The car was towed behind the wall through an opening just before pit opening, where it sat until Lap 46, when the truck brought him into the infield, then the garage. The car was dropped off in Garage Stall 22 for possible repairs under the “Damaged Vehicle Policy.” But by Lap 49, NASCAR declared Herbst out, and the car’s on-board camera was shut off.
Bubba Wallace comes to pit road after his wreck in Turn 2.
The brake issues for 23XI Racing continued through the afternoon. Taking 36th was Bubba Wallace, whose #23 McDonald’s Toyota also blew a right-front brake rotor, putting him into the outside wall in Turn 2. Michael McDowell’s #71 Gainbridge Chevrolet, who led Herbst into the corner, also lost the right-front rotor on the frontstretch, putting him in the wall and out of the race. Both issues led to 23XI bringing their third car, Tyler Reddick’s #45 Monster Energy Toyota, into the garage to inspect the brakes. Reddick returned to the track two laps down and only got one back by the finish, leaving him 32nd. He still finished outside the Bottom Five as Poole pulled the #44 behind the wall after 111 laps. Ty Dillon completed the group after damage to the right-rear toe link during a wreck off Turn 2, costing him ten laps.
For McDowell and Wallace, it was their first bottom-five finish of the 2025 Cup season.
Michael McDowell comes to pit road after his brake failure and flat tire.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #35 in a Cup Series race at Pocono.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
37) #35-Riley Herbst / 41 laps / crash
36) #23-Bubba Wallace / 54 laps / crash
35) #71-Michael McDowell / 73 laps / crash
34) #44-Brennan Poole / 111 laps / drivetrain
33) #10-Ty Dillon / 140 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) 23XI Racing, Kaulig Racing, Legacy Motor Club (2)
2nd) Garage 66, Hendrick Motorsports, Hyak Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, NY Racing Team, Penske Racing, RFK Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Spire Motorsports, Trackhouse Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (8)
2nd) Toyota (5)
3rd) Ford (4)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
