Riley Herbst Sustained Concussion in New Hampshire Crash

Ahead of this weekend's Cook Out Southern 500, Riley Herbst revealed that a hard crash at Loudon caused a concussion, which kept him from racing at Daytona.

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Riley Herbst, who initially qualified fifth for last weekend's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, did not compete in Saturday night's race due to effects stemming from a hard crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. At Darlington Raceway on Saturday, Herbst revealed that he was diagnosed with a concussion following the hard impact at New Hampshire.

"I got diagnosed with a concussion after the wreck in Loudon," Herbst admitted.

For those who missed it a few weeks ago, here is a video replay of the crash that led to Herbst being sidelined last weekend at Daytona:

Trouble for @rileyherbst!

The No. 35 Toyota spins after contact with @Mc_Driver. pic.twitter.com/TkPLl6JSTz

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 23, 2026

Herbst says that after being diagnosed with a concussion, he was medically cleared to compete at Daytona after he successfully passed the concussion screening tests leading into the race weekend, but then the symptoms returned after Friday's qualifying session.

"When I felt that I was clear to pass, I passed all of my tests the week leading up to Daytona. Obviously, I qualified in the race car and had really fast speed. And then I woke up Saturday morning feeling really, really rough," Herbst recalled. "Trouble with all the symptoms, the worst I've had since the wreck. So, I thought it was the best idea for me to step out and let Harrison [Burton] drive the race car."

In place of Herbst, Harrison Burton, a former full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor and current full-time NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series racer, collected a solid 12th-place result in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

A week removed from stepping out of his race car due to the concussion symptoms, Herbst says he is now recovered and 100% healthy heading into this weekend's event at the 1.366-mile oval in South Carolina, where Herbst will be back behind the wheel of the No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota this weekend.

"Yeah, it's good. No symptoms this week. Back to 100%. So, yeah, concussion free," Herbst said.

Earlier this week, Herbst announced that he will join LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in a multi-year contract beginning in 2027. Herbst will pilot that team's No. 84 Toyota. But for the final 10 races of the 2027 season, Herbst will look to end his tenure at 23XI Racing on a positive note.