Scott Riggs (10) was a top-10 fixture in the Daytona 500. Credit: Autostock

Riggs caps Speedweeks with career-best finish

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Scott Riggs shook off the specter of bad luck that dogged his rookie Nextel Cup season and scored a career best fourth-place finish in Sunday's Daytona 500.

With the exception of a momentary lapse to 22nd with 40 laps remaining in the original 200-lap distance, Riggs' No. 10 Chevrolet was never scored outside the top 10.

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The second-year driver had plenty of opportunities to destroy his MBV Motorsports ride -- no less than three times in the last 10 laps -- but in the end his result fulfilled all the promise of a brilliant Daytona test and the previous events of Speedweeks.

Riggs restarted fifth in a green-white-checkered finish that extended the event to 203 laps, and passed Jimmie Johnson to claim fourth -- one spot better than his previous career best, behind third time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon.

"I was trying to figure out who to work with and who not to," Riggs said. "Man, it was chaos [at the end]."

Proof that Riggs' bogeyman might be in his past came at Lap 184 when Greg Biffle's Ford got turned into a pinball after contact with another car and slammed into Riggs.

Riggs' car wobbled, but continued as no less than 10 cars -- including Biffle -- crashed behind him. Later, he survived a big "tank slapper" in Turns 3 and 4 at Lap 196.

Then, when Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson started sparring in the final two laps, Riggs escaped one final time when Stewart bounced off Johnson and into him.

Bobby Labonte's day ends with early engine trouble Ricky Rudd blows a tire, collects several other cars Michael Waltrip's day literally goes up in smoke Scott Wimmer gets the worst of a big pileup in Turn 4 Jeff Gordon wins a green-white-checkered finish Jeff Gordon celebrates his third Daytona 500 win Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

"We had a run and I was just going to try to hit who was in front of me," Riggs said of his final gambit. "I was hoping if it was open I could go."

It was, and Riggs squirted past Johnson.

"I'm just proud of all the guys on the Valvoline Chevrolet," Riggs said. "They gave me a good car and I hope this is a sign of a lot of things to come this year."

Riggs raved about MBV/MB2 general manager Jay Frye's moves to place some additional crewmembers with his team. Car chief Rodney Childers, who had raced Late Model Stock Cars with Riggs and mechanic Brad Fritts, whom Childers brought with him, are big plusses, he said.

"You can talk about chemistry all you want, but until you put it in front of your face and work with it, you don't believe it," Riggs said. "My guys have been working so hard, and with the history Rodney and I have together, it's a big plus for us."

Riggs said Speedweeks was proof of the hunger his squad is feeling.

"We qualified sixth and we weren't satisfied," Riggs said. "We finished fifth in the 150 [qualifying race], and we weren't satisfied because we know what this team is capable of.

"We're looking forward to building on this and continuing this momentum when we go on to California [next week]. We tested well out there and at Las Vegas so we're pretty excited."

PHOTO GALLERY Daytona 500

A year ago, Riggs labored into 29th in the standings, with a single fifth-place finish at Dover and a seventh at California as his best results.

But as much as a rookie driver working with a rookie Cup crew chief and a rookie spotter were impediments to more progress, bad fortune often seemed to be the team's shadow, as eight DNFs showed.

Riggs said that's over in 2005.

"The biggest thing was, we talked about chemistry and how we need to put the right people in the right places -- and we've done that," Riggs said. "What's thrilling is to be able to have those guys in the right place, attract the right kind of guys and I can just see these guys come alive in the off-season.

"You can see this chemistry start working. Everybody is getting along and the car is getting better. You know, we figured out all kinds of things we were doing wrong last year and it's all coming together all at once."

At least it did for 500 miles Sunday.