Riley Herbst had a fairly uncomfortable reminder of Talladega waiting for him at Martinsville. He was back behind the wheel, completing practice laps and preparing for another race, but his left forearm was still giving him trouble. The injury could have cost him the rest of the season. Instead, he was back racing, although the crash that caused it had left him with much more to explain.
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“We did around 115 laps today, plus two for qualifying. I’m stiff, sore and definitely feeling it. It’s all going to be about pain mitigation,” Herbst told reporters, as reported by Bob Pockrass. “I’ve talked to a bunch of hand surgeons across the country, and they all have the same conclusion.”
The good news was that Herbst would not need surgery. He had torn part of a ligament in his forearm, but not the section that would have required an operation. The difference was significant.
Had he torn the other side, he would have faced a 12-week recovery. With just two races left in the season, his 2026 campaign would have been over.
“I got lucky in that sense. I got lucky in every sense to walk away from that,” he said. Now, the priority is controlling the pain and allowing the injury to heal. He has been working with Atrium Health through 23XI Racing and Toyota, using resources he previously did not know were available. He also admitted that Tylenol has become part of his routine.
However, the injury was only one part of what Herbst took away from the October 25 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The frightening part came when he realized he had no control over where his car was going.
The wreck began on Lap 183 when Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford was sent airborne following contact involving Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar. Chase Briscoe then made contact with Logano, triggering a chain reaction that collected several cars. Herbst’s No. 35 Toyota was among them.
After the initial impact, Herbst’s car crossed the track and slammed into the inside wall. He tried to slow it down before the next hit, but neither the brakes nor the transmission responded.
Herbst then attempted to downshift, even if doing so meant sacrificing the engine. That option was gone, too. The transaxle and drivetrain had already been knocked out of action. There was nothing left for him to do but brace for impact.
That helpless moment stayed with him longer than the initial collision. “That’s how the first hit was. I didn’t even know it had happened by the time it happened,” Herbst said. “But with the second one, I think I calculated two and a half seconds looking at the wall and staring at it. That’s the most uneventful, worst part of the whole ordeal.”
The crash was serious enough to require assistance from the AMR Safety Team when Herbst exited the car. He finished 26th, but the condition of the Toyota became another talking point after the race.
NASCAR took the wreckage to its Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, where damaged components can be examined. That is particularly relevant after a crash involving multiple impacts, a failed braking response and substantial cockpit damage.
However, taking a car to the center does not, by itself, establish that a safety component failed. Herbst was asked what he thought of the car after seeing it. His answer was revealing, although he stopped short of identifying a specific problem.
“I haven’t been told not to comment on it, but I’m just going to comment on it. It doesn’t look appealing. I don’t really want to get in trouble or get anybody in trouble, but visually, it’s rough inside the cockpit. I think everything did its job.”
NASCAR’s response to the wreck also drew attention. Vice president of racing communications Mike Forde acknowledged that officials could have reached Herbst sooner. An AMR Safety Team member had run from Logano’s overturned car to check on him.
For Herbst, however, the immediate concern is getting through the final two races without making the injury worse. He is also preparing for a change of teams in 2027, when he will join Legacy Motor Club and drive the No. 84 Toyota.
He has avoided the 12-week recovery that could have ended his season, but the Talladega crash is not something he can simply leave behind.
His forearm still hurts, NASCAR has the wreckage, and his description of the cockpit has given the accident another dimension. Herbst walked away from Talladega, but the questions surrounding what happened inside that Toyota have not disappeared.