By: Ashley McCubbin

After winning the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship in 2022, Layne Riggs will take the next step of his racing career as he gets ready to run the full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule for Front Row Motorsports. He recently shared his thoughts with NEWS FROM THE PITS.

What are your thoughts going into the season?

It has been something that I have been working at for the past 10 years of my racing career so I am excited to get started and get going. It’s been fun preparing for the season over this off-season with Jerry and Bob, and I am looking forward to getting started. Hopefully we can start off the season strong as I know it’s a good time behind me.

What are your goals for this upcoming season?

#11: Layne Riggs, Kaulig Racing, Infinity Communications Group Chevrolet Camaro

I think we can go win the first race. I have big shoes to fill. Zane (Smith) has won a lot of races in that truck and I think I can get in and get one win this year; I think we’re capable of that. Zane has won the championship in the truck so I want to go try and compete for a championship, again.

What track are you most excited to get to?

Well, I know Daytona is going to be really, really cool. I’ve never ran a road course before so COTA (Circuit of the Americas) will be neat, and the fun part is that Zane has won at Daytona the past two races, and he’s also won at COTA so it’s going to be really tough to do. I’m a short track ace you can call it, so I enjoy tracks like Martinsville, Bristol, IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park) – the short tracks as those are my specialty.

It’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to going to all the tracks that I’ve never been too before, though. It’s going to be fun to travel and learn and have to be sharp and have to do my research before I get there.

You got the chance to run a few events last season. What was your biggest takeaway from those?

I think that getting to run those couple of races last year and finishing third in the No. 7 Spire (Motorsports) truck at IRP, along with those couple races for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series really boosted my confidence – but also just got me out there in the spotlight to where someone like Jerry Breeze and Bob could see the talent that I have and bring to the table, that I was the guy to do the job.

It’s tough to jump in there and race against the regulars that do it every single weekend, but that’s really the only opportunity I had and I had to make the most if it to make sure that I got this one. So it’s a really competitive series, it’s tough, the guys are professional racecar drivers for a reason. It’s going to be hard to do what we’re doing, but I think we can do it.

How much does having the third-place finish at IRP help your confidence, if at all?

#11: Layne Riggs, Kaulig Racing, Infinity Communications Group Chevrolet Camaro

I think it just proves that I deserve to be in the series, I deserve to be here and race those guys. It was huge. They gave me a great truck that day and I maximized everything I could do, especially on pit road in making sure I hit all my marks and did everything right. It was a great day and I was just so thankful to be here to get the opportunity to do it. But I think the biggest takeaway was knowing I have the ability to race those guys week-in-and-week-out in the Truck Series.

I know a couple years ago you won the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship. What did that mean to you to get the championship, and what moment stands out to you from that season?

I think that was probably the first stepping stone to getting the opportunity that I have now. I have raced in late models for a long time, and we kind of branched out and wanted to try something different in running for the NASCAR weekly series championship, and ended up winning. I think that’s what really put my name on the map for people in the higher series to see this kid is the real deal. I think that helped me get my part-time Truck Series opportunity. I think that helped me get my Xfinity ride and in the end, it helped me get this truck ride.

But it’s just one of the stepping stones along the way. It’s a huge accomplishment. I know the trophy that I get to have in my house is amazing to look at. It keeps me motivated to keep fighting for more of them. I’m just so glad. It’ll be something that I never forget.

How did you get your start in racing?

Well, my dad Scott Riggs raced all the way into the NASCAR Cup Series back in the day. I was thankful to grow up in the sport, know the ins-and-outs, and first I wasn’t really interested in it. When Dad started to get out of racing is when I started getting interested in it. So I got my first racecar when I turned 10 and we won our second ever race on the race track. I said it’s been a long time in the making, and I started racing when I was 10 years old. Now, it’s 11 years now in the making but really, just my dad inspired me and wanted me to be a racecar driver.

Obviously the focus right now is the truck series, but is there any other forms of motorsports that you’d like to try one day?

One thing I’ve never done is oval dirt track racing. I’ve always wanted to do that. I think it looks really fun. I know the Truck Series has gone to a dirt track for the past few years. This is the first year they’re not doing any dirt racing so I was a little bit disappointed about it. I at least wanted to try the dirt, slide sideways, and at least see what it feels like, understand how the dirt works. Also, I’m looking forward to just doing the road course racing – even in the truck or any other car. I think the biggest thing is just to try some dirt racing and know what that feels like.