Some wins are handed to you. Some wins you steal. And then there are the kind Layne Riggs pulled off Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park—where you show up, stomp the loud pedal, and lead 160 laps just because you can.
Riggs, piloting what may as well have been a missile disguised as a Front Row Motorsports truck, turned the 200-lap NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race into his own private demonstration of horsepower and tire conservation. He wasn’t just fast—he was gone, vanishing into the Indiana night like he had somewhere better to be.
“Oh man, my team—this truck was badass,” Riggs said afterward, between gulps of breath and what we assume was the mental replay of 160 laps of absolute domination. “I was just out front saving my tires at the end, and I was just waiting for a late-race caution… This thing was really fast and made my job easy today.”
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely without challenge. A handful of trucks ahead of Riggs stayed out on old tires for the start of the final stage—a tactical move that had all the staying power of a soggy biscuit. Riggs restarted seventh but carved his way back to the front like he was carving a Sunday roast. Even Corey Heim, who tried the same strategy with new rubber, briefly passed Riggs before the inevitable happened and Riggs took the lead back like a man reclaiming his favorite chair.
And while Riggs was busy stockpiling laps led, Spire Motorsports’ Corey Day quietly had himself a career night, finishing second and doing his best impression of someone who might just win one of these things soon. Not bad for a kid still figuring out which pedal does what.
Stewart Friesen—who started in the back thanks to unapproved adjustments—reminded everyone that trucks are more fun when driven angry, charging through the field like a caffeinated bison to finish third… only to have it all wiped away after failing post-race height inspection and getting disqualified.
Corey Heim, despite missing out on the win, walked away with something shinier: the regular-season title. All he needed was a 122-point cushion, and he left with 143 over Chandler Smith. That’s the equivalent of clinching a bowling tournament while wearing oven mitts.
Grant Enfinger rounded out the top five, with Ty Majeski, Smith, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum, and Cup Series interloper Ross Chastain completing the top 10.
As for cautions? There was just one. One lonely yellow at Lap 99, when Josh Reaume met the wall and the wall won.
Next up, the Truck Series heads to Watkins Glen on August 8. Expect fewer donuts and more right turns. And maybe, just maybe, another Riggs rocket launch.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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