After a couple of tough finishes to start the 2026 campaign, Layne Riggs got his season turned back in the right direction on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28).
Riggs won the first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series street race in St. Petersburg. It is his sixth career Truck Series win and first of the season as Riggs was able to hold off two former champions in the series, the ThorSport Racing teammates of Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes.
“I just wanted to win a road course this year to show I’m not just that short track guy,” Riggs told the FOX broadcast in victory lane.
Majeski finished second, while Rhodes, Chandler Smith, and Kaden Honeycutt rounded out the top five. Landen Lewis, Andres Perez, Daniel Hemric, Colin Braun, and James Hinchcliffe finished in the sixth to 10th positions.
With his fourth-place finish, Smith retained his early season points lead as he has begun his 2026 season with a win at Daytona International Speedway and three straight top-10 finishes.
Majeski had the lead at the start of the final stage but went off course from first place, allowing Riggs to take the lead. Majeski worked his way from sixth back up to second but ran out of time. Riggs also won the second stage of the event while Ben Rhodes won the opening stage.
Four-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti finished in 27th, one lap down after making an unscheduled pit stop during the final stage, after he ran in the top 10 for most of the race. It was the first time Franchitti competed in a NASCAR race since 2008.
“The special thing for me is my family are here,” Franchitti said postrace. “My wife, my daughters…my mom and dad are here but it’s also my IndyCar family, everybody I worked with, and the fans, that’s what makes this so special.”
Following the conclusion of the race, Tyler Reif was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation of a heat-related illness and was released a few hours later. He was running at the finish and brought the No. 42 Chevrolet home 16th.
NASCAR Truck Series Results at St. Petersburg
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will return to action on Friday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET from Darlington Raceway for the fourth race of the season. The race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.
Michael Bellifemini joined Frontstretch in February 2026 as a contributor. Bellifemini was born and raised in New Jersey and graduated from Seton Hall University. He called Seton Hall men's and women's basketball games for their college radio station, 89.5 FM WSOU, and continues to broadcast in the area. Outside of covering NASCAR, Bellifemini is also an avid baseball, football, basketball, and hockey fan and enjoys watching different sports leagues on a daily basis.
This race was a nice surprise. Would have never guessed the trucks would put on an entertaining show at St. Pete.
A ton of competitive racing, stage cautions didn’t impair racing too much, and the fastest truck/driver was rewarded with a race win.
First FOUR finishers were FORDS! NA#CAR will change some “rules”!