Scott Riggs with his new crew chief, Rodney Childers. Credit: Autostock

Riggs warms up to Daytona, runs second

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- On the day his sponsor, Valvoline, announced it was defecting to Evernham Motorsports, Scott Riggs went out and scored his fifth top-five starting spot of the season. Riggs qualified second for Saturday's Pepsi 400.

It is tough to forget Riggs' performance in the Daytona 500 -- he finished a career-high fourth -- but you can forget the car.

	Credit: Autostock
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The car is toast. Done. Dead and buried in Talladega, where he was caught up in a crash.

MB2 Motorsports brought his Daytona 500 backup here, and it adapted well to the hot, sticky conditions teams saw on Friday.

Although they haven't yet won a restrictor-plate race, MB2 has become one of the most vaunted teams on the superspeedways. Riggs' teammates Joe Nemechek and Boris Said also qualified in the top 10.

Nemechek will start fifth and Said clocked in fourth, the best qualfiying effort of his career on an oval.

A lot of the credit goes to the Hendrick engine department, which supplies motors to MB2. Four of the top five cars on Friday used Hendrick power.

"I don't know if it's our best opportunity [to score a win], but it's a damn good one, for sure," said Riggs. "We have got a good car and it's a lot about the car, being up front at the right place, right time and right help."

Riggs suffered through a spring swoon. After scoring three top-10 finishes in the first five races, Riggs has been shut out of that column since. During the recession, MB2 Motorsports promoted car chief Rodney Childers to crew chief.

"Great, couldn't be better," said Riggs of Childers. "Got a new crew chief, trying to spark the team. We have not been performing where I thought we needed to and should be, and that is why we shuffled some people around."

It's clear that Riggs enjoys working with Childers, but he's been exploring his options for 2006, as he remains unsigned by MB2. Riggs is in the final year of a two-year deal to drive the No. 10 Chevrolet.

If he stays with MB2, he won't be driving the No. 10 Chevrolet -- that number went to Evernham along with the sponsorship.

"Right now, we are really working here to find a sponsor for next year," Riggs said. "Until then I am just listening to everyone's options and opportunities.