Layne Riggs shoulders off playoff drivers for first NASCAR win
WEST ALLIS, Wisc. — Layne Riggs shouldered off the pressure from the playoff drivers to earn his first NASCAR win Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile.
Riggs took the lead from Ty Majeski with 53 laps to go, three laps after Majeski took it from playoff competitor Christian Eckes. Riggs took off an never let Majeski get closer than about four tenths of a second, ultimately scoring a 1.5-second win.
“I don’t even know how to describe it. The biggest thing I can do is thank Zorn that was on the truck this weekend. It was the first race and it’s awesome for them, and Love’s Travel Stops. It’s awesome. Thank you to Bob Jenkins and Jerry Freeze for letting me drive this truck,” Riggs said.
Riggs was excited — almost too much. When he popped up on the roof of his truck, he popped something else. He pumped his fists until suddenly he stopped, holding his shoulder.
“Yeah, I dislocated my shoulder. I was celebrating so hard. It hurts, but it was worth it,” he said post-race.
Crew members helped Riggs down from the roof with a look of deep concern as he motioned to one crew member to pop it back into place. After that happened, Riggs was all good to rightfully celebrate big.
“We’ve had a terrible year. It’s been an awful year,” he said.
In the first nine races, Riggs scored just one Top-10 finish (10th at Bristol) and only two other finishes better than 21st (15th at Martinsville, 18th at Kansas).
In the eight races since, Riggs has five Top-10 finishes (all Top-5s) with three in a row recently at IRP, Richmond and now at Milwaukee with the win. Riggs has also climbed from 21st to now be 12th in points after his triumph.
“I’ve learned so much though in my rookie season. After the start I thought, ‘There was no way we were gonna get a win. We’re gonna do the best we can, but we’re just learning for next year.’ I knew in practice this thing was pretty awesome, so I couldn’t be more thankful to Front Row and everybody on this team. We have a good time together and we’re a family now,” said Layne Riggs, whose dad Scott earned five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins in 2001.
With Layne’s win, Scott and Layne Riggs are the second father-son duo to win in the Truck Series. The first was Bob and Brad Keselowski.
TOP-10 FINISHERS (LAP 175): Layne Riggs, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, Nick Sanchez, Taylor Gray, Tyler Ankrum, Corey Heim, Daniel Dye, Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton
Riggs finished ahead of a stack of eight playoff drivers in second through ninth with the rest of the playoff field in 13th (Grant Enfinger) and 18th (Rajah Caruth).
Riggs has earned the seventh-most points in the last eight races:
- Christian Eckes: 392 points
- Grant Enfinger: 310
- Corey Heim: 310
- Ty Majeski: 303
- Nick Sanchez: 262
- Tyler Ankrum: 255
- Layne Riggs: 254
- Daniel Dye: 252
- Ben Rhodes: 244
- Rajah Caruth: 235
- Taylor Gray: 213
Cautions (2):
- Jayson Alexander blowing a tire and hitting the outside wall in turn three on lap 49, ending stage one under caution
- Stage Two Conclusion on lap 112, according to NASCAR timing and scoring
Lead Changes (5):
- Ty Majeski led the first 42 laps
- Christian Eckes led next nine laps
- Ty Dillon led six laps and won stage one under caution
- Eckes led 62 laps and won stage two
- Majeski led three laps after that
- Riggs led the final 53 laps
STAGE ONE TOP-10: Dillon, Jake Garcia, Eckes, Majeski, Sanchez, Riggs, Dye, Tanner Gray, Taylor Gray, Ankrum (Enfinger 13th, Rhodes 18th, Caruth 19th, Heim 22nd)
STAGE TWO TOP-10: Eckes, Majeski, Riggs, Sanchez, Taylor Gray, Dye, Ankrum, Matt Crafton, Kaden Honeycutt, Enfinger (Rhodes 11th, Heim 13th, Caruth 19th)
Heim struggled in the first two stages after getting a speeding penalty during his stage break pit stop. Caruth also struggled after starting near the rear of the field. He only mustered an 18th-place finish.
PLAYOFF STANDINGS AFTER MILWAUKEE
- Christian Eckes: 2090 (+60 points to the cutline)
- Ty Majeski 2074 (+44)
- Corey Heim 2071 (+41)
- Nick Sanchez 2064 (+34)
- Taylor Gray 2043 (+13)
- Tyler Ankrum 2043 (+13)
- Daniel Dye 2039 (+9)
- Grant Enfinger 2032 (+2)
- Ben Rhodes 2030 (-2 points to the cutline)
- Rajah Caruth 2028 (-4)
NEXT: UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, September 19 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Corey Heim won last fall, Christian Eckes won earlier this year
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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