Gragson, Herbst hoping luck will turn in hometown race

Based on their racing luck during the first two weeks of the NASCAR season, you’d never know Noah Gragson and Riley Herbst grew up in Las Vegas.

Gragson appeared on his way to racing in his first Daytona 500 when he was collected in a crash that wasn’t his fault during his qualifying race. He was running third in the Xfinity opener before being struck from behind entering pit road.

The following week on the infield road course, his car wouldn’t fire and he started three laps down.

Then, last week, came the cruelest cut of all: Gragson was running away to a victory at Homestead, Florida, when a slower car had a tire go down and brushed the wall, taking the star-crossed Las Vegan with him.

Herbst led the opener at Daytona for 12 laps and was battling with the leaders before being collected in a late-race crash. In the road course event, he drove into the infield to avoid a wreck, tore up his car in the soggy grass and was credited with 39th place before soldiering to an 11th-place finish at Homestead.

Both 22-year-olds are coming off playoff seasons and are threats to win Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 on their hometown track. Both could use some good luck right now.

Gragson won at Daytona and Bristol last season, finished fourth and second at LVMS and fifth in the season championship. Starting his third full season behind the wheel of the Junior Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet, all the pieces would seem to be in place for a championship run.

“I’m more than confident; I don’t think I could be any more confident right now,” Gragson said even after his luck turned for the worse. “I feel like we have the best team out there. Everything is rolling smooth.”

Herbst is embarking on his second full Xfinity season after being eliminated from last year’s playoffs after the first round. At last season’s end it was announced he would be leaving the high-profile Joe Gibbs Racing stable for the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford that carried Chase Briscoe to nine wins, including both Las Vegas races, and earned Briscoe a promotion to the Cup Series.

“Winning races, finishing the race, and putting all of the pieces together,” Herbst said of his goals heading into the 2021 season.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.