Scott Riggs posted a career-best fourth-place finish at Daytona, but has struggled the past two races. Credit: Autostock

Conversation: Riggs

Personnel changes have MBV team geared for success

HAMPTON, Ga. -- It's a cold and windy day at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but Scott Riggs is happier to be here this time around.

Riggs is in town to test at the 1.54-mile track. It's been four months since he's been in Atlanta, but he's trying to forget what happened.

Failing to qualify will do that to you.

Things are different for Riggs as he prepares for this weekend's Golden Corral 500. Despite a maddening rookie season that saw just two top-10 finishes, Riggs and crew chief Doug Randolph got a vote of confidence from MBV Motorsports, and the team's patience was rewarded when Riggs ran fourth at Daytona.

A strong run at Fontana was ruined by engine failure, but Riggs bounced back at Las Vegas, where he ran in the top 10 for half the event before a flat tire sent him to a 31st-place finish.

Riggs talked with NASCAR.COM's Ryan Smithson last week during the test at Atlanta.

Scott, you have a relatively small team, but you have come out of the box so well. Why? Are you guys adapting to the rules better than a lot of people?

Doug Randolph

There were several things that happened in the offseason that were a pleasant surprise. We were able to find us a car chief. We didn't have a car chief the last half of the year.

Not many people know that. Our car chief left for another opportunity halfway through the season, so we sort of had different guys all year trying to fill that job.

We never could really find the right person to put there that was the right leader that everyone would fall in behind and really work with.

So we have to get someone that not only is great in that position, but personality-wise, couldn't be better for the team.

We got Rodney Childers, who I raced Late Models with in Concord. I have got a lot of history with him. He is a lot like Doug, comes in, he's a young guy, and all the guys just flocked right behind him, and they just feel like they are a unit now.

That has been the biggest change, personnel-wise, that has really helped. Brad Fritts, he has done great. Chris Morris, our new spotter, has got a ton of experience. We had a rookie spotter last year, so that was sometimes a little bit of trouble.

All those things are a big factor, and on top of it all, we have got some new cars that are just heads and tails better over some things we had last year body-wise.

Now, everything is coming off the plate and unloading and set-up correctly and is consistent every single week, and you have someone who knows what they are doing and takes the time to do it right.

Everybody is working together and getting changes done at the racetrack, our bodies are better and we are going faster.

How important was it that the team didn't make any driver or crew chief changes with the 01 or the 10 over the offseason?

Yeah, we felt like we were ready to beat our heads against the wall and figure out what in the world was wrong with us.

I am so glad none of started pointing fingers at each other and all of us knew we had it in us to be successful. We stuck to those guns and stuck by each other, and now, since we got that year under our belt and we got those missing links filled up.

What was the low point last year?

Missing Atlanta. Almost end of the season, we came here and had to come home. That was, by far, the low point of my career. I would say. Knowing it was not a lack of effort on anyone's part, we just didn't get the job done.

How hard did you take it?

Scott Riggs says he is having fun this year after a roller-coaster rookie season in 2004. Credit: Autostock

Pretty hard. I got in my rental car and drove all the way home as soon as qualifying was over because I was disgusted and frustrated.

You know, I kept wishing I would have crashed trying to go faster instead of going as fast as I can keeping control, I wish I would have crashed, it would have been easier on my chest knowing, 'OK, there was nothing else there.' There was always this doubt of, 'Did I do something wrong? Was it the car?'

It was a combination of everything. We missed the setup. The car was the wrong car to bring, and I couldn't get comfortable enough behind the wheel.

You qualified so well a lot of places last year and then the race would start and you'd go straight to the back. Do you think you guys have fixed that this year?

That was just working on the car and trying to make the car as fast as we could for a couple laps but when it came time for a long run, the car was just way too free. We were over-anticipating how tight the track was going to get and it would just back us up to the rear.

That was frustrating.

You remember Fontana last spring when you qualified so well and then you couldn't drive the car. Was it 10 times better this year? Is that a microcosm of how things have changed?

Oh, yes. We had a real race car last week (at Fontana).

We were a little too tight at first, came down for that first pit stop, freed it up and it was a lot better, came in again and freed it up just a bit more, and all of a sudden, we had a bad set of tires on that third stop, and at the same time, we left a set of rear lugs loose.

So we got back to the rear, in 34th position, but I knew in my heart that we had a good enough car if I just took my time to work our way back up there.

We were going for 10th place with 100 laps to, easily felt like I had a top-five in my hand if not a shot at winning the race, especially after watching how the race played out, then the engine let go. That was frustrating.

You are here testing at Atlanta -- and you have to test for this race.

I have to test for this race after missing it last year. I was like, 'We have to come test here, no doubt.'

You've had three hours in the car already. With the short spoiler and high banks, what have you seen so far?

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It just seems like we have a lot better race car. We have brought two new cars, both of them are exactly the same and both drive the same.

One, for some reason, is a little bit freer than the other and that is something you don't want here, you want the car to turn but you don't want to be too free on entry, it seems like this place with the new tires, I had the same kind of troubles last year being too free on entry and we will fix that, make some changes.

You sound a lot happier than last year.

Hell of a lot happier. Lot more confident. I am having fun this year. It's a big weight lifted off me, because I am going out and not having to overdrive my racecar to try to make something happen.

Do you feel a lot less stress now? I know you had a new baby and a new job.

A lot of things happened. Going through so much drama and so much negativity and struggled so hard last year, and seeing how the momentum of the team is building and everyone is laughing and getting along.

The car is coming back from the wind tunnel, saying they are bad to the bone, and we get out here and started testing and everywhere we have tested, we have been near the top of the charts, we feel like we have a team capable of being in the top five.

Right now everything is coming a lot easier to us because we have a lot better people and a lot better cars.