The conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season did not play out the way Layne Riggs envisioned, but his journey to reach the Nov. 8 finale at Phoenix Raceway was more than rewarding.
While battling eventual series champion Ty Majeski for the lead, Riggs got loose underneath Nick Sanchez in Turn 1, causing him to spin in front of the field and make slight contact with the outside wall. Riggs did not let the setback deter him; he charged through the field during the closing laps to settle for a 10th-place finish.
In many ways, Phoenix served as the perfect encapsulation of Riggs’ first year with Front Row Motorsports. Adversity hindered Riggs at the beginning of the campaign, but he and his team persevered to earn a pair of victories and seven top fives, all of which helped Riggs obtain Rookie of the Year honors in the Truck Series.
Given Front Row’s efficiency in the back half of 2024, Riggs believes he could have contended for the championship had the team made the Playoffs. Despite this, Riggs is thrilled with his Rookie of the Year award and is looking forward to building on the late-season momentum.
“Winning Rookie of the Year was a great testament to my team and what we were able to accomplish at the end of the season,” Riggs said. “The beginning of the year was a rocky and tough start, but we fought through the growing pains and that brought us together as a strong team. At the end of the year, we really showed what we had.”
After his journey up the developmental ladder, Riggs is no stranger to adversity.
When he was competing in Late Model Stock Cars, Riggs’ small team had a limited number of resources at their disposal. The guidance of Riggs’ father, former NASCAR Cup Series driver Scott Riggs, was advantageous, but the family still had to fight for every position on track.
Riggs more than answered the call against the elites of the Late Model Stock discipline. He earned six victories in the CARS Tour’s Late Model Stock division before turning his attention to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, where he bested veteran Peyton Sellers for a national title in 2022.
Riggs knew there was no guarantee his success would translate into a NASCAR ride. He had witnessed other great Late Model Stock competitors exhaust funding trying to build a career and was beginning to worry he would meet a similar fate.
Everything began to line up for Riggs during his national championship run. Halmar Friesen Racing providing Riggs his first Truck Series starts in 2022 set into motion the chain of events that resulted in his achieving the dream of a full-time NASCAR seat.
“The national championship was the first thing that turned everything around,” Riggs said. “I made my first Truck [Series] start during that season. With my name being pretty hot at the time, there were people who gave me the opportunity to make my first start. We finished seventh in my first start, and we had really strong performances afterwards in the part-time rides.
“This sport is all about timing, and I hit the timing just right.”
Riggs’ consistency across limited Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances in 2023 caught the attention of Front Row. With Zane Smith set to move up to the NASCAR Cup Series, Front Row and Riggs worked out a deal that would see them contest the entire 2024 Truck Series season together.
Although Front Row had previously won a Truck Series title with Smith, Riggs did his best to temper his own expectations. The No. 38 Ford F-150 was comprised of almost an entirely new staff compared to the previous year, but Riggs still believed he and his team could win races together from the start.
The opener at Daytona International Speedway immediately humbled Riggs, as he lasted just 13 laps before a multi-truck crash ended his night. The following eight races were just as adverse for Riggs and Front Row; their only finish inside the top 10 came at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Struggles to begin the year provided Riggs insight into what it takes to run a successful Truck Series operation. He felt his truck had plenty of speed, but he admitted more time was needed for his team to develop proper cohesion.
A return to his short-track racing roots at North Wilkesboro Speedway culminated with Riggs earning a third-place run. That performance was a turning point on the 2024 season that saw Riggs and everyone at Front Row get consistently rewarded for their tireless efforts.
“Nothing really changed,” Riggs said. “It just took enough time for everyone to get comfortable. Everybody knew what their job was. My crew chief Dylan [Cappello] had to be a team leader in all aspects at the beginning of the season, but he wasn’t able to spend as much time on the important stuff as he wished he could have.
“Everybody finally hit their stride at the right time, and we all executed perfectly.”
Following a few more strong outings, perseverance finally paid off for Riggs at the Milwaukee Mile in August.
Riggs methodically climbed his way up from the 16th starting position to place himself behind Majeski and Christian Eckes for the start of the final stage. Once he dispatched Eckes, Riggs applied tremendous pressure to Majeski before making the race-winning pass with 53 laps remaining.
Crossing the finish line was cathartic for Riggs, as it allowed him to reflect on his journey to that point. Other than unintentionally dislocating his shoulder during the post-race celebration, Riggs took pleasure in celebrating the moment with his crew and Scott.
“It was a weight off my shoulders, literally,” Riggs said. “You question yourself if you’re ever going to make it, but you have to keep working. I’m glad my dad was there, because he is the one who allowed me to race and kept me focused to work so hard in the race shop at home. It was really a moment of relief and satisfaction.”
After Riggs was eliminated from playoff contention at Richmond Raceway, his goal for the rest of 2024 remained simple: Keep winning races.
Riggs and Front Row built off their Milwaukee triumph with a stalwart performance at Bristol that saw them earn their second consecutive victory after leading a race-high 80 laps. Their average finish across the playoffs was 10th, a number that could have been better had bad luck not hindered them at Talladega Superspeedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Performing so well across the back half of 2024 highlighted not only improved team chemistry for Riggs, but also how much he had grown behind the wheel. The numerous aspects that comprise a normal Truck Series event required Riggs to compartmentalize his mindset and exude patience throughout the day.
“I was trying to think bigger picture, even during a race,” Riggs said. “If your truck is not handling well in stage one, you can’t get flustered. You have to understand how long the race is. With stage racing, it’s multiple races into one. You can turn your whole day around on a dime. If you’re fifth, you can be one adjustment away from leading.
“[This year] has shaped me to be a more mature race-car driver.”
Now fresh off a Rookie of the Year Truck Series campaign, Riggs is raising his own expectations for 2025 and is confident he can contend for a championship.
The path to a Truck Series title will not be easy for Riggs regardless of momentum. Three members of the Championship 4, Majeski, Corey Heim and Grant Enfinger, are all expected to return full-time in 2025 alongside the usual group of veterans and young prospects.
Riggs does not the doubt the ability of himself and Front Row to be exceptional when the Playoffs come around, but he emphasized the importance of obtaining a regular-season win. If they can secure a Playoff spot early, Riggs thinks everything will be in place for him to bring a championship trophy back to Front Row’s shop.
“Inside the Playoffs, we ran strong at most of those race tracks,” Riggs said. “I know we have some new [tracks] this [upcoming] year, but the first goal is to keep doing what we’re doing; throw Hail Marys and go get a victory to lock ourselves into the Playoffs. At that point, you can start focusing on the Playoff races.
“The sooner we can get that win, the further we can look down the line.”
A short-but-productive offseason awaits Riggs and Front Row. When Daytona comes around, Riggs will be ready to continue his journey from the grassroots level into what he hopes will be a long, sustainable career in NASCAR’s top levels.
