“Glad it was in one piece”: Layne Riggs reflects on gritty comeback as he bags career-best drafting track finish

Layne Riggs bagged a solid P5 in Friday’s Love's RV Stop 225 NASCAR Truck Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, also marking his career-best finish at a drafting track. However, it wasn’t easy. There were several adversities that the Front Row Motorsports driver had to battle all day.

Riggs and the No. 34 team got slammed with a pre-race penalty for making unapproved adjustments to the front splitter. This had him drop to the rear in the starting order, meaning he wasn’t allowed to post a time in qualifying.

The 23-year-olds car suffered heavy damage from a Stage 1 wreck. A DNF could have ruined his day and put him in a must-win situation at Martinsville for next week’s race. Instead, he is just six points below the cutline. Reflecting on the aftermath of the wreck and how he bounced back from it, Layne Riggs told Todd Bodine of FOX Sports,

“I’m just glad that it was in one piece. I know Chandler (Smith) gave me a pretty bad push getting into the corner down there, we both wrecked. Just so glad that wasn’t a day ender. Big thank you to everybody at Front Row Motorsports. Started shotgun on the field, went to the back a few times.”

“At there at the end, was just trying to be patient, hold that bottom, hoping the top would break up, and it did,” Riggs continued. “So, really bummed that we didn’t get any stage points. We’re not quite in the position we wanted to be in, but it’s a lot better than it could have been.”

Dominating the field for the most part, Truck Series rookie Gio Ruggiero won the race, marking his maiden victory of the 2025 season. Rounding off the top five were Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, Dawson Sutton and Layne Riggs.

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Layne Riggs says he needs “little bit more time” before making full-time Cup Series leap

Layne Riggs dreams of competing full time in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, he thinks he is not ready yet. Speaking with the reporters ahead of his 50th career Truck Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway a few weeks ago, the 23-year-old speedster explained what more he needs to compete in NASCAR’s topmost national racing series.

Riggs thinks he’s better off doing another season in Trucks or in the NASCAR Xfinity Series if possible. He is open to making a few Cup Series starts, though.

“I do feel like I need, at least another year in trucks or Xfinity, whatever the path is. But, you know, I’m planning on running the 34 truck again next year as of now,” Layne Riggs explained. “So yeah, I feel like I just need a little bit more time. I’d like to make some Cup starts, you know, do some part-time stuff with the team.”

“Kind of working on stuff right now for next year, hopefully. I mean, nothing’s done yet or even really in talks. That’s the goal, to try to branch out, make some starts next year, either Xfinity or in Cup,” he added.

23 races into the 2025 season, Riggs sits sixth in the playoff standings with 3081 points, 11 top fives and 14 top-10s to his name, besides three trips to the victory lane. Next up for the driver is the Slim Jim 200 at Martinsville Speedway. The race will be televised on Fox Sports 1 starting at 6 pm ET. Fans can listen to live radio updates as well on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.