As NASCAR arrived at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, drivers and the community were all expecting the concrete coliseum to provide some excellent racing on its return. However, as soon as the practice sessions kicked off for the Cup and Truck Series races, drivers reported concerning signs of high track degradation. Fortunately, it seems like the changes NASCAR made to the previously red clay-filled Bristol worked out in the favour of one Truck Series rookie.

Layne Riggs secures a promising finish for Front Row Motorsports after dismal start to the season

Layne Riggs is no stranger to success at Bristol Motor Speedway. The budding rookie achieved a career-best second-place finish at the concrete colosseum with KHI in the 2018 CARS Tour season. Riggs entered this weekend with the #38 Front Row Motorsports garage hopeful to recreate such results for him in the Truck Series too. Unfortunately, the changes made to Bristol seemed to have added an element of surprise for the drivers, catching many off guard in practice and qualifying.

Whilst Riggs would fall victim to the track during practice, spinning out as he adjusted to the resin and rubber. After qualifying 14th because of the mishaps in practice and the overall track surface being loose, Riggs went on to finish in the top ten, a result that was much needed. Riggs had faced unfortunate results at both superspeedways before Bristol, making the top ten quite impressive at a track that was supposedly throwing curveballs.

After the race, Riggs shared his satisfaction with the positive result. He shared with FrontStretch, “I think we had a great show and we almost got into the top five at one point on one of those restarts and raced with the guys up front that win championships so.” On a day when many drivers were vocal about how challenging the track surface had become, the 21-year-old had showcased his skills by outclassing some promising frontrunners.

Riggs then gave fans insight into how he approached the resin lane, a point of concern for many drivers. As the race progressed, Riggs felt that the outer lane was a safer option. Once the grip on the bottom lane started fading, the #38 driver could use a wider line to approach the final laps.

He stated, “I’m very happy with the resin, the way it turned out. The bottom was very dominant early, which is always tough and kind of brutal ,but at the end of the race, to be able to widen out was something I didn’t expect to happen. I was really happy with the way the track treatment was.”

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Despite facing setbacks in practice and qualifying, Layne Riggs made the most of this opportunity at Bristol, showcasing his adaptability perfectly. With that said, the 21-year-old feels there is still work to do for the #38 FRM crew.

Bristol is just the beginning for Layne Riggs and the #38 garage

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Summarizing his day at Bristol, Layne Riggs felt that the #38 crew had come a long way from where they were at the start of the season. After all, it was only in December that it was announced that FRM had signed Riggs, leaving little to no time for the new crew to bond together. Whilst this was obvious in the first two races, as the season takes shape, it seems no time is being wasted on that front anymore.

Reflecting on whether this outing had brought the result the crew had hoped for, Riggs shared with FrontStretch, “For sure, like I said, we can build off this one. No damage on the truck tonight. We had a solid day, pit crew did a good job, team did a good job. You know, we’re still learning each other.” With the chemistry-building exercises certainly working, Riggs was excited for what was to come.

Riggs concluded, “(It’s) pretty much an all-new crew, and if they were on the team, they’re in a different position (now) than they were last year. We had a rough start to the season. It’s a good confidence booster and a shot in the arm for everybody to work a little bit harder at the race shop.” 

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