Conversation: Scott Riggs

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The start to Scott Riggs' season got going so slowly that you wondered if his rookie year was somewhat of a fluke.

But Riggs and crew chief Doug Randolph got things going, and now Riggs leads the NASCAR Busch Series points standings as the circuit heads to Darlington Raceway this weekend.

Riggs has won twice this season and has captured the eyes of more than one Winston Cup car owner. Chances are good you'll see Riggs driving in NASCAR's top series in 2004, but plans are still uncertain.

Riggs took a break from his schedule recently to talk with Lee Montgomery of NASCAR.com about his Winston Cup opportunities and about how his Busch Series career is going.

Your name has come up in the rumor mill a lot lately. What's out there that we can believe and not believe?

Riggs: You can believe that there's definitely a lot of opportunities out there that I'm very fortunate to have been contacted by a lot of people.

	Scott Riggs

When you have people in the Cup series interested in your future, it's definitely a praise to what your able to do and your accomplishments in your career.

With all that said, there's a lot of opportunities and a lot of people I've talked to, and I have yet to make a decision one way or another that I might go next year.

I'm still working with these guys here at ppc, first of all, to try to get a championship for everyone here with the Nesquik Ford. At the same time, we're also talking about the future here, too.

We're working on some different things with sponsors and seeing what avenues ppc can go down. Haven't made a decision one way or another which way I'm going.

Is there any kind of deadline, self-imposed or team-imposed?

Riggs: It seems like that everything's going to come to a finalization period in about three to four weeks from now. That's a pretty good time frame in my eyes.

That's sort of a time frame that people in the Cup series are talking about. That's also a time period that we here at ppc have been talking about.

I think in the next three or four weeks, some decisions will start being made, and you'll start seeing the dominos start to fall, and a lot of people will fall into place, and Silly Season will start.

A lot of drivers kind of inherently know when to go to the next level. Have you been able to figure that out, if/when you're ready?

Riggs: No. I don't want to go anywhere, as far as the next level to the Cup series, unless it's with a team that can be competitive. I don't want to go and be with a team that struggles and can't be competitive week-in and week-out.

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No matter, Cup series or not, it's not going to make me happy. I'll be down. I want to be competitive, and I want to run well. That's what makes racing fun, that's what it's all about.

If that means staying in the Busch Series next year to be competitive, then I'll do that. If the opportunity comes along and I can be competitive in the Cup series and feel good about, then I'll go do that.

I feel like that I'm ready to move on, not because I know everything, but because I feel like that I'm ready to go further in my learning process.

I feel like I'm ready for the next challenged, and the next step. I know it's going to be a huge one, the biggest one of my career. I'm ready and anxious to learn as much as I can.

It kind of sounds like if things didn't work out, then staying with the 10 car would all right.

Riggs: It would. If I could come back in the 10 car next year, and we could either defend our championship that we get this year or go after a championship again next year, that'll be fine -- and fun and competitive also.

Not putting too much pressure on myself, I don't feel like I have to make the move. But at the same time, I'm going to look at all the opportunities because I'm willing to make a move, if it's the right opportunity.

A little closer to home, you're clearly in the thick of the points race. What's your approach been like? Have you sought out anybody for advice? Or are you just kind of winging it?

	Riggs has two Busch Series wins in 2003

Riggs: Well, this team's done it before, so that's a lot to draw from. My teammate's been in championship battles year after year for the last four years, so he's a good gauge of character and stability that you need to have to be able to win a championship.

Other than that, just staying focused on my guys and my team and trying to do the best we can. I feel like that if we can all give 110 percent on this team and we don't beat ourselves, no matter how the points shake out, that at the end of the season, none of us will have any regrets. We'll all feel like we did what we needed to do.

QWhen you're quietly in your hauler thinking about stuff, do you ever catch yourself going, Scott Riggs, 2003 NASCAR Busch Series champion?

Riggs: I don't say that, but a lot of other people say that a lot of times. That sounds good. It has a good ring to it. Like I say, if we could win the championship this year, it'd be the biggest and best thing for my career.

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I feel like that all these other rumors flying around and the decisions that need to be made will really just fall into place if that could happen.

That's the most important thing right now, as far as goals for the team. We're just concentrating on trying to be consistent every week and not beat ourselves and not make mistakes and to try to win the championship.

If we do that, that'll be good for everybody in this organization, everybody associated with this team.

For the record, how do you pronounce your hometown?

Riggs: Buh-HEY-ma. Not Buh-HA-ma. Not Buh-YA-ma or whatever people pronounce it. It's Buh-HEY-ma. Born and raised there and happy to be able to still say that that's home.

And it's not Durham, either.

Riggs: It's not Durham. It's close to Durham, but it's not Durham. It's Bahama. It's a Bahama address. That's where I was born and raised. I guess everybody has to come see it to know what I'm talking about.

You're a small-town guy. Family, friends, stuff like that is pretty important to you.

Riggs: It's very important to me. I feel very fortunate to have not only my family there, but my wife's family is very close to Bahama.

	Riggs leads the series in top-fives (10).

We have a lot of family and friends that we grew up with that still reside there that help me with my family and help me with my career and make me forget about racing for a little whole when I need to forget about it and also keep my confidence level up when I need it and give me a pat on the back when I need it, too.

So it's good to have family and friends supporting me like they do. I feel fortunate to be able to do what I love to do for a career - and not only do that and be successful there, but also to be able to do it and stay at home.

That means a lot.

Used to be, every driver out here was from North Carolina, South Carolina. Nowadays, it's not that way. Is that important to you at all, to carry the banner for North Carolina?

Riggs: Everybody outside of racing, when they say, 'Where are you from?' and you say North Carolina, they say, 'Of course you're from North Carolina. You're a NASCAR driver.'

	Jason Keller (left) with Riggs

A lot of NASCAR drivers reside in North Carolina, but not as many people think were born and raised and feel like they come from North Carolina.

A lot of teams have evolved to the Charlotte area, and everybody thinks of North Carolina as the home of all the teams in NASCAR.

The way the sport's going now, they're drawing from all aspects and all corner reaches of the United States to find drivers and to find crew members and to find sponsors to come out.

There are a lot fewer people who were born and raised and racing in the series these days than ever before that are from North Carolina.

Growing up in Bahama, did you dream of doing this for a living? When did that bug hit you?

Riggs: I always had dreams of being able to do it as a living.

Never thought I'd be able to have the opportunities that I've been given in the last few years to make it to this level -- not only to make it to this level but also to have the successful team to be behind me and for us to be able to be competitive and go for things like championships.

When I was racing Late Models, coming up through the ranks at Orange County Speedway back home, it was hard to imagine getting the opportunity to race in the Busch Series full-time.

It was even harder to ever imagine running for championships or Cup racing, too. It's been a long journey, and I've had a lot of fortunate opportunities to get me here.

Those opportunities come so few and far between that that's what keeps me grounded and keeps focused on trying to make the most of these opportunities.