There’s a new driver for the Front Row Motorsports No. 38 Ford F-150 in the Craftsman Truck Series, and his name is Layne Riggs.
Riggs, 21, made six Truck Series starts over the last two seasons, with a career best finish of third in his last outing at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He replaces 2022 champion Zane Smith, who is set to compete in the Cup Series with Spire Motorsports after spending the previous two seasons with Front Row.
“I know that I have really big shoes to fill,” Riggs told Jayski.com of taking over the No. 38 truck. “[Zane has] been very successful, and I think I can step right in and pick up where he left off. All of the guys on the team are super excited and I’m already starting to build a relationship with these guys.
“I just want to make sure I make the most out of every opportunity that I’ve got and prove myself every time I get into the truck to show that I deserve to be full time.”
Riggs received a call from General Manager Jerry Freeze following Martinsville in the fall. The North Carolina native is familiar with Front Row employees, including Chris Lawson, who will step down as crew chief for the 2024 season and serve as a consultant for the team. Dylan Cappelo will step up from his lead engineer role to be the crew chief of the No. 38 truck.
“I felt like this was the best fit for me and I was the most comfortable here,” Riggs said of what made Front Row stand out. “I feel like they have the best equipment and best resources and the biggest passion and desire to go win races. I think that I fit right in with that.”
Throughout the Xfinity Series playoffs in 2023, Riggs made three starts with Kaulig Racing. He wanted to jump into the fire, believing that the experience would pay off. Though it didn’t go perfectly, he made laps at two intermediate tracks in Texas and Las Vegas, as well as hone in on what he’s comfortable with in short tracks at Martinsville.
The Riggs’ family lineage in racing is well known. Scott Riggs, Layne’s father, spent parts of 10 seasons competing at the Cup Series level with a best finish of second at Michigan in 2005. Scott’s final Cup start came a decade ago at New Hampshire with Leavine Family Racing.
Layne got his start in racing at 10 years old, running Limited Sportsman events at Orange County Speedway in North Carolina. He progressed to the CARS Tour, when he edged out Josh Berry for his first career win at age 15. In 67 CARS Tour late model stock starts, Riggs earned six wins, 32 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes.
Riggs admits that while he’s still young, it’s been challenging to see guys he’s raced against – and beat – in late models get rushed through the NASCAR ranks and rapidly make it to the top of the sport. Front Row is now giving him that opportunity.
“It’s been tough over the years to be racing late models and watching guys progress and get all the way to Cup, I wouldn’t say easily, but so quickly,” he said. “From late model straight to truck, one year in truck and straight to Cup and I’m still racing late models. It’s like, ‘How can I do that? What does it take?’ I finally feel like I’ve gotten my break and it’s so relieving to be able to race with these guys that I used to race with in the past.”
In 2022, Riggs was crowned the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion. That season alone, his track record included 16 victories, 29 top fives and 35 top-10 finishes. He feels that, in addition to the CARS Tour, helped put him on the map.
“I think everything that we’ve done so far has given me the opportunities to proceed,” Riggs added. “We’ve run CARS Tour races and run well in the past and got my name out there that way. We stepped out and won all of those races and the national championship – that’s what got me the opportunity to do what I did. If I didn’t do that, I don’t think I would have gotten in the [Spire] truck to run at IRP. If I didn’t get the 7 truck, I wouldn’t have run so well to get this opportunity. Everything I’ve done, I had to make sure I did it to the best of my ability to prove myself.”
Riggs’ heart remains with late model racing and he will continue to race in the CARS Tour during the 2024 season during his Truck Series off weekends. But he wants to be successful immediately at the truck level and believes he has the tools to do so with Front Row.
“The biggest thing for me is that I want to go win my first truck race,” Riggs stated. “Hopefully, if we run well enough, we have a shot to go win the championship. I’m going to set my expectations high and I know the team has their expectations high; they’ve won a championship in the last couple of years and have run well. The notes are still here and the trucks are still just as fast and I think I can do my job to do the same thing for them.”
Front Row has its Cup Series drivers Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland at its disposal, feeding Riggs with information. There will be a plethora of hurdles out of the gate as the first two races of the 2024 season are on drafting style layouts and the fifth race of the season is on a road course. Riggs has zero experience on road courses and has made just one start at Atlanta.
But the team believes in Riggs’ ability, thus why he’s taking over the reins of a championship-winning truck.
“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,” Freeze said.
Front Row will announce its partners for the No. 38 truck leading up to the season opening race at Daytona.