By Seth Eggert, Associate Editor
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship winning organization Front Row Motorsports (FRM) has signed Late Model champion Layne Riggs to take over the No. 38 Ford F-150.
The 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion will step into the truck as Zane Smith departs for the NASCAR Cup Series. Layne Riggs is following in the footsteps of his father Scott Riggs, who scored five victories en route to a fifth-place points finish in the Truck Series in 2001.
The FRM truck that Layne Riggs will compete in has made the NASCAR Playoffs every season it has competed in. The organization won the championship with Smith in 2022, the same season that the Bahama, N.C. native won a title in Late Model competition. Riggs scored 16 victories, 29 top-five and 35 top-10s during his championship season in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series. He also has six wins across several seasons in the CARS Tour.
“I’m really thankful for this opportunity to compete full-time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series with one of the best teams in the sport,” said Riggs. “I’ve dedicated my life for an opportunity like this, and I’m incredibly appreciative of Bob (Jenkins) and everyone at Front Row for providing me the opportunity to take my next step in my racing career.”
To date, Riggs has six starts in the Truck Series. He turned heads in his debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park, scoring a top-10 finish in 2022. Upon his return to the short track in 2023, the 21-year-old followed that up with his first career top-five finish, taking the checkered flag in third.
The up-and-coming driver also made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2023 with Kaulig Racing. Following a character-building race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Riggs earned his first top-10 in Xfinity competition at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He just missed a second top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 11th, two races later.
While Riggs is competing full-time for Front Row, he’ll also be attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The Mechanical Engineering student is on pace to complete his degree during the season. That is one of several factors that FRM team owner Bob Jenkins has focused on when looking at Riggs’ potential as a driver.
“I really appreciate Layne’s dedication to his education while also competing at the highest levels,” commented Jenkins. “That comes from great parenting and a sense of dedication from Layne. We’ve already seen a lot of potential in Layne and he’s a perfect fit for our program to develop him into a national series NASCAR winner.”
Calling the shots on top of the pit box for Riggs will be a Dylan Cappello, a race winner in his own right. Cappello, who is being promoted from lead engineer to crew chief, won at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his second career ARCA Menards Series West start last season. Chris Lawson, who served as the crew chief for Smith at FRM, will shift into a consultant role.
Riggs’ first start as a full-time driver in the Truck Series with Front Row Motorsports will be the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Friday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. The race, which the team has won the past two years, will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.