Layne Riggs earns first Xfinity top-10 finish
Layne Riggs’ trek toward full-time NASCAR national series racing took another step forward with his first Xfinity Series top-10 finish Saturday.
“It was a lot better than we did at Texas where we dipped our foot in the water and learned what not to do,” Riggs said.
In September at Texas, Riggs had an issue in practice and qualifying and started last. He never cracked the top 15 and finished 19th.
In contrast, the second-generation driver moved from ninth to fourth in stage one and placed fifth in stage two.
Five cautions plagued 26 of the first 96 laps Saturday but the rest of the way went green.
“Early on, just trying to figure out the air more. Everyone was on the tighter side and we weren’t ahead of that but we made adjustments accordingly,” Riggs said.
While 104 consecutive green-flag laps were a challenge for him in just his fourth speedway start, Riggs learned and finished 10th, on the lead lap.
“It was an awesome day. We accomplished all our goals, finished inside the top-10 and didn’t get any damage. I wanna thank Infinity Communications. This just proves again why I belong in the national series,” Riggs said.
Riggs has excelled on the short tracks and was the NASCAR Weekly Series champion last year. However, Saturday was just his eighth opportunity in the NASCAR national series.
Saturday was his third top-10 finish in those starts but Riggs believes he could’ve done even better.
“If I knew and learned what I did at the end of the race, and applied it to the beginning, I think we could’ve finished sixth or seventh easy,” Riggs said.
If the name Riggs sounds familiar, it is because he is the son of 2004 NASCAR Cup Series rookie Scott Riggs. Scott and Layne embraced each other and talked post-race.
“He was proud of me. He said he was waiting for me to hit the wall when I was running the high side and was on edge with the little bit of experience running up there. But, he said I did a really good job,” Riggs said.
Riggs’ next race with Kaulig Racing is at Martinsville Speedway, a half-mile track more in line with his short-track background.
“The short track scene, a lot of these guys don’t run every week, I feel like these guys are coming to more of my wheelhouse. I’m excited for it. If we finish without damage, we’ll finish top-10 like we did today. Maximizing and capitalizing,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2024 NASCAR season, Riggs hasn’t solidified any plans yet.
“Today and Martinsville, if we run well, is just a stepping stone,” Riggs said. “It’s tough to get a limited number of starts but I know I have to capitalize every time and hope the right people are watching and can give me the opportunity to go full-time.”
Riggs received support from Infinity Communications in four of his five NASCAR national series starts this year. They will be on the car at Martinsville.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com