"Veterans race the worst": Layne Riggs slams Grant Enfinger as NASCAR championship hopes take a hit

A side-by-side image of (Left) Layne Riggs, driver of the #34 Clew Ford, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Sober or Slammer 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 29, 2025 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) and Grant Enfinger, driver of the #9 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet, looks on in his truck prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers Layne Riggs (L) at Darlington Raceway and Grant Enfinger at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Source: Getty Images

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Round of 8 opener at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval turned chaotic right from the opening lap, when three playoff drivers, including Grant Enfinger, found themselves in the wall at 'Calamity Corner.' Layne Riggs, Corey Heim, and later Kaden Honeycutt were all caught up in the mess, setting the tone for a night that mixed tempers and playoff heartbreak.

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The 17-turn road course made its debut on the Truck Series with everything on the line for the championship contenders. Starting second, Riggs was shoved into polesitter Heim after contact from Enfinger’s No. 9 truck, sending both into the barrier before the field could even find a rhythm. Despite salvaging stage points later, Riggs’ race never recovered, leaving him furious with how it all unfolded.

After climbing from his battered No. 34 Ford, the Front Row Motorsports driver didn’t hold back.

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"Just got wrecked by the 9. I don’t really understand what his thought process is. People say you’re supposed to take advice from the veterans and learn from them of how to race, and they race worse out of anybody. That’s twice this year that we’ve gotten wrecked by the 9 truck - at Watkins Glen and here. Two road courses. Two separate incidents. Two blatantly wrong on his part," he told post race, via NASCAR's official website.
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Grant Enfinger, meanwhile, admitted fault for the Turn 1 chaos, acknowledging he misjudged the corner entry while trying to slot his CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet in line.

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Speaking after the race, Enfinger said:

"I was trying to get clear into the second row bottom there. I thought we were still driving into the corner and 100% cleaned out Layne and Corey. I apologize to those guys. Obviously, it wasn’t intentional. I looked like a fool doing that. I was still planning on driving in at least another car length or two and about the time I was turning down, Layne started checking up to hit the corner and I just smoked them."
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Layne Riggs limped home 21st after a late mechanical issue, while Grant Enfinger clawed back to seventh at the flag. For Riggs, the finish carried a bigger sting as he entered the Round of 8 as the second seed with a healthy +22 buffer and left Charlotte one point below the provisional Championship 4 cutline.


Grant Enfinger sparks late clash with Kaden Honeycutt

Jack Wood (91) and Grant Enfinger (9) lead the Truck Series race at NHMS. Source: Getty
Jack Wood (91) and Grant Enfinger (9) lead the Truck Series race at NHMS. Source: Getty

The Turn 1 incident wasn’t the only flashpoint for Grant Enfinger at the Ecosave 250. With a top-five finish in sight, he made contact with Kaden Honeycutt on the final lap at the Turn 7 hairpin, turning the No. 52 truck around. Honeycutt, who had swept the first two stages, was left to settle for a 14th-place finish.

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Speaking after the race, Honeycutt said, via NASCAR:

"It is so hard to hold my tongue about this. I don’t understand why stuff like this happens. All year, we’ve ran good and just had no results. It is what it is, but thankfully we are only four under, so it could be a whole lot worse."
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Enfinger again shouldered the blame, calling it a 'racing deal,' but that his move was not intentional.

The Truck Series playoff picture now sees Corey Heim locked into the Championship 4 thanks to his record-breaking 10th win, but the battle behind him is razor-thin. All playoff drivers are separated by five points, with Grant Enfinger and Honeycutt at the bottom. With Talladega Superspeedway looming next, the margin for error is now gone.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam
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