Truckin’ Thursdays: The Layne Riggs Train Finally Got Derailed

The fast-moving Layne train got derailed down south last weekend in a result that could have massive championship implications at the end of the season.

Of course, I’m talking about Layne Riggs’ near-disastrous outing in the Sept. 17 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chase race at Bristol Motor Speedway. What, was there another big sporting event going on?

LSU’s 32-24 loss to Ole Miss may not have cost it a championship, and Riggs’ 32nd-place result in the UNOH 250 may not cost him the title at year’s end, either. But it sure did hurt.

Riggs, who was the No. 1 seed in the Chase, entered Bristol with a 25-point lead over Kaden Honeycutt and seemed primed to extend that advantage. He won the pole, swept the stages and led 135 of the race’s 250 laps, all numbers that would make you think he probably walked away with the checkered flag at the end of the night.

Instead, a slow pit stop, a subsequent vibration and a very frustrating run-in with Nick Leitz resulted in Riggs finishing 16 laps down in 32nd. His points lead over Honeycutt was trimmed to just three points going into Saturday’s (Sept. 26) Chase race at Kansas Speedway.

“We had the truck to beat,” Riggs said. “This one stinks, really, really bad… At that point, there’s really nothing you can do.”

Riggs was clearly upset with Leitz, saying that the 29-year-old driver “lost talent and wrecked.”

“Probably top three hardest hits in my life,” he added. “I cannot believe the truck was still rolling after that.”

Riggs will need another herculean effort at Kansas on Saturday (Sept. 26) to pull away from Honeycutt.

The good news for the No. 34 team is that all certainly isn’t lost. Riggs’ 20 stage points kept him in the points lead, and such a series of misfortunate events isn’t likely to all strike in the same race again.

The bad news is that Riggs has used his one mulligan, and in a short, seven-race postseason, he won’t get another one.

That doesn’t mean he has to be absolutely perfect over the next six races, assuming that Honeycutt doesn’t turn into 2025 Corey Heim. But it does mean that another sub 20th-place finish will likely take him out of the points lead, and any more than that could take him out of contention altogether.

However, Riggs is no longer only in winning contention at short tracks as he was in his rookie season. He’s now a jack of all trades and a master of darn near every track type there is. He nearly won at Kansas last spring and won at Charlotte Motor Speedway while repping the colors of his alma mater, UNC Charlotte, in May. He’ll be the favorite to win at Martinsville and will have the power of “Love(‘s)” on his side at Talladega (all jokes aside, Riggs is a solid speedway racer. Also, please don’t sue me, Huey Lewis.)

It’s entirely possible that Riggs goes on and wins the championship. But if he doesn’t, a lot of folks will point to Bristol as the reason why.

As for Riggs’ Chase opponents, they didn’t quite do enough to take the lead from him. His Front Row teammate, Chandler Smith, had a pit road speeding penalty and a vibration at Bristol and finished 24th, only gaining five points on Riggs. Honeycutt gained 22 points on Riggs but only finished eighth, a disappointing result given that he finished second in both stages. A top-four finish would’ve given him the points lead, and a win would’ve been massive for his title hopes.

Still, all 10 Chase drivers are still alive and well in the title hunt as the series shifts to Kansas. While most of the top contenders would prefer a “normal” race on Saturday, another dose of chaos could shake things up again at what is arguably the wildest 1.5-mile track on the NASCAR circuit.