Layne Riggs will drive the #38 Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports in 2024 in an attempt to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year title.
Riggs made his NASCAR Truck debut in 2022, placing seventh in his maiden race. Since then, he has competed in five more Truck races with his best result coming in third at IRP earlier this year.
The 21-year old also made his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023, competing in three races with Kaulig Racing and finishing as high as tenth place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
On the Xfinity Series weekend at Martinsville Speedway in October, Layne Riggs must have felt and looked like he was carrying the weight of the world at times.
On practice and qualifying day, Riggs admitted that he was under some pressure to perform strongly. He had a lot of ground to make up against the regulars going into his third start of the season, which came in the 32nd race of the season.
There was a lot to process throughout the course of the weekend as Front Row Motorsports general manager Jerry Freeze made the first contact to Riggs regarding their 2024 open Truck Series ride, because Zane Smith was ready to leave for the Cup Series.
After essentially exchanging a “good luck, we’ll be watching you” at the end of the talk, Riggs overcame many hurdles to finish 11th in the Kaulig Racing No. 11 after leading in some laps.
“I’m really thankful for this opportunity to compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with one of the best teams in the sport,” Riggs stated.
“I’ve dedicated my life for an opportunity like this, and I’m incredibly appreciative of Bob (Jenkins) and everyone at Front Row for providing me the opportunity to take my next step in my racing career.”
Despite the fact that Riggs is the son of Cup Series veteran Scott Riggs, the 2022 NASCAR Weekly Series champion was not awarded anything undeserved. To be honest, Riggs capitalized on a somewhat competitive program that was driven more by their reputation and a desire to see young Layne succeed than by Scott’s Cup Series money.
“I had to make my own legacy,” Riggs said. “I had to do it the hard way.
“Dad was one of the last in his era to make it that way and he says lightning had to strike for it to happen. Now he says lightning struck twice with this opportunity.
“I’m very grateful to everyone that has helped me get here but there is a lot of work to do. Late Model to Trucks is the biggest jump and I’m ready to get to work.”
Although Riggs acknowledges he still has a long way to go, he has made six Truck Series starts in the last two years and is beginning to understand the basics of the racing series.
“A lot of new places to learn,” Riggs said. “COTA, the superspeedways, tracks that are out of my element.
“Dylan (Cappello) is a first-year crew chief so I’m as green as I can be but we have Josh Williams spotting and Dylan has a lot of experience.
“We have everything we need to hit the ground running.”
Riggs will combine racing with finishing his Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC).
“I really appreciate Layne’s dedication to his education while also competing at the highest levels,” said Jenkins, who owns the team. “That comes from great parenting and a sense of dedication from Layne.
“We”ve already seen a lot of potential in Layne and he’s a perfect fit for our programme to develop him into a national series NASCAR winner.”
Riggs takes over from Cup-bound Zane Smith, the 2022 Truck Series winner.
