The exhilarating post-race celebration vividly showcased the joy of Layne Riggs as he achieved a significant milestone in his racing career. Riggs, driving the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, made a spectacular display by planting the nose of his truck against the pit row wall and spinning his tires in celebration. This moment was not just about the victory; it was a well-deserved reward after Riggs clinched his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at the iconic Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park during the TSport 200 event on Friday night.
With this victory, Riggs marked his second win of the season and demonstrated his prowess by sweeping the first two stages of the race. This performance significantly narrowed the commanding lead of Corey Heim, especially with only two races remaining in the regular season. However, Heim, who finished third in a challenging No. 11 Toyota, secured the regular-season championship title.
After stepping out of his F-150 on pit road, Riggs expressed his excitement, stating, “I’ll tell you, this truck was badass, man. It was so great. I was just out front saving my tires at the end.” He added that he was anticipating a late-race caution that ultimately did not occur, emphasizing his strategy to maintain tire distance. “It’s so great to get Clew Nicotine Pouches in Victory Lane. That’s only their second race with us, and we’re super excited to have them. That was a pretty cool celebration,” Riggs noted.
Throughout the race, Riggs showcased impressive control, leading an astonishing 160 of the 200 laps on the 0.686-mile short track. He crossed the finish line ahead of Corey Day by a margin of 1.864 seconds. This runner-up position marked a career-best for Day, who previously achieved fifth place at Nashville Superspeedway in his latest Truck Series event. “It was good to back up Nashville,” said the 19-year-old Day, who is competing part-time with Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series and with Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. “I’m really glad to finally be delivering results. I’ve been working really, really hard at this.”
Stewart Friesen initially secured an impressive third-place finish after an early pit stop in the second stage, but his achievement was marred by a disqualification due to failing height requirements during post-race inspection. This disqualification overshadowed a strategic move by the No. 52 team. Grant Enfinger finished fourth, while reigning series champion Ty Majeski, who is currently the last driver above the elimination line for the upcoming playoffs, came in fifth after Friesen’s disqualification. Majeski extended his advantage over his ThorSport racing teammate Jake Garcia, who finished 15th, from 38 to 61 points.
Completing the top ten were Chandler Smith, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum, Ross Chastain, and Rajah Caruth. Although Heim did not score any playoff points in this race, he has already accumulated 39 points this season. Riggs now has 16 playoff points, the second most among Truck Series drivers, as the playoffs are set to commence on August 30 at Darlington Raceway.
Looking ahead, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will head to Watkins Glen International on Friday, August 8, with the race scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET. Fans can catch all the action on FS1, NRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Note: The inspection process in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage revealed that the No. 52 truck was disqualified due to failing front-end height requirements, as it was deemed too low. No other issues arose during the inspection.
