Accident adds to Riggs' disappointment at PIR

A wreck on Lap 208 of 312 forced Scott Riggs to retire early from Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500k race here at Phoenix International Raceway. He was credited with a 38th-place finish.

"We really struggled today," said Riggs. "We threw a lot of changes at the Valvoline Chevrolet but couldn't make any headway and kept slipping further back in the field. After we lost a couple of laps to the leader, we were in position to take a gamble."

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When the caution flag waved on Lap 191, the Valvoline team opted to stay on the racetrack, hoping to put themselves in position to gain a lap back when the event restarted.

"Because it was taking so long for the Valvoline machine to catch up with the other cars as far as lap times we decided to stay out for track position," said Riggs. "But by doing that those same guys had so much more speed with their new tires that they were able to drive right by me when we went back to green.

"They were all racing side-by-side and when Bobby (Labonte) turned me around trying to get by. I was working to slow down and get out of his way but I couldn't do it fast enough."

"We've had some disappointing weekends lately," added Riggs. "We've got one more chance to go out there and show everyone what I know we're capable of, and that's what we plan to do next week in Miami."

The Valvoline team will visit Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Nextel Cup Series season finale next Sunday, Nov. 20. The race will be broadcast live on NBC, beginning at 3 p.m. ET.