Grant Enfinger has shown flashes of strong performance throughout the season with 13 Top-10s, 7 Top-5s across 21 races for CR7 Motorsports. And as he entered the Round of 8 opener at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, he had a notable fourth-place qualifying effort with 85.33. Despite these promising signs, the drama of the Roval weekend took an unexpected turn for the veteran driver; the ripple effect of which not only affected him but also other drivers in playoff contention. But that didn’t stop the 40-year-old from extending an apology.

On Lap 1, Grant Enfinger made contact with Layne Riggs, jolting the No. 34 Ford into Corey Heim and sending the two into the barrier. As a result, all three briefly came to a stop before continuing, while Brent Crews dove underneath and took the lead ahead of Kaden Honeycutt and Giovanni Ruggiero. All three drivers had to claw their way back in the 70-lap affair, but the results told three separate stories: Heim recovered to stand atop the podium; Enfinger snagged a seventh-place result; and a mechanical issue on the overtime restart led Riggs to settle for a 21st-place finish.

Reflecting on the Turn 1 incident, Enfinger didn’t sugarcoat his regret: “I screwed up, Bob. I mean, I honestly just am embarrassed. I was clear off of [Brent] Crews, and I was trying to clear myself down. About the time I was coming down, Lane started checking up to get in the corner… 100 percent my fault, just had a, you know, big lapse of judgment, and I’m embarrassed.”

As the field rushed into the Roval’s tricky opening corner, Enfinger was still searching for a spot in line when he drifted down in front of Layne Riggs, a move that quickly turned disastrous. Riggs, who started the race from second place, now sits fifth in the playoff standings, -1 point below the cutoff line, and at risk of elimination. The No. 9 driver, on the other hand, sits in seventh place with -4 points below the cut line.

Grant Enfinger’s admission spoke volumes for his accountability and reflected the sting felt at CR7 Motorsports. “I feel like I ruined our day at CR7 Motorsports,” he said. The contact left his pit crew to work on a wounded body, most notably a missing left front fender.

Further, he was quick to point out, “Honestly, we finished seven. That’s probably where we should have had I not made that big mistake here, so fortunate enough to get a few stage points in stage two.” During Stage 1, he was 23rd, so he couldn’t grab any points. On the other hand, he finished Stage 2 in second place, earning 9 points. And if he wants to keep his playoff hopes alive, he will need a robust performance at the upcoming race at Talladega.

Remarkably affected but undeterred, Corey Heim showcased signature resilience. “Obviously, Corey was able to call back and still make it look like he’s looked all year,” Enfinger offered. Heim’s rally was nothing short of heroic. Overcoming early damage, he stormed from the back to seize his record-setting tenth victory of the year, underlining why he’s the benchmark in this Truck Series postseason.

Layne Riggs calls out Grant Enfinger for the Roval wreck

The opening lap chaos that upended the Truck Series Roval Playoff race didn’t just leave trucks battered; it left emotions raw, especially for Layne Riggs. Starting from the front row, Riggs had high hopes. But coming into Turn 1, those hopes evaporated as Grant Enfinger’s No. 9 truck clipped Riggs’s right rear.

Riggs, frustrated and fuming, didn’t hold back his emotions after climbing from his truck. He was venting on Enfinger in the post-race conference: “I don’t really know what happened. But it all started on the first lap of the race. I mean, I don’t know what the 9 was doing. That’s twice this year I’ve gotten wrecked by them. I got fenced at Watkins Glen, had about the same kind of day, and then today, same deal.”

His exasperation was understandable; he was fighting for a championship and was taken out through no fault of his own. Despite escaping with largely cosmetic damage, his truck suffering a broken sway bar, Riggs was forced to pit road for repairs just minutes after the green flag. “Something broke in the rear-end housing. I think the axle or the clutch went out or something,” he said. While his truck was patched up and sent back out, the early spin sapped the handling and made advancing through the field a tall order.

To add to his frustration, this is not the first time this season the two drivers have tangled, making the Roval collision feel like part of a pattern to Riggs. He had every reason to be angry as another playoff shot turned into a scramble for damage control. For Riggs, the sting wasn’t just missing out on a possible win, but knowing his championship destiny was changed by someone else’s error.