As the Round of 8 kicks off at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, the heat is rising for a thrilling debut on multiple fronts. The Truck Series will tackle the 2.82-mile road course for the first time, with rising star Layne Riggs making his playoff debut. But he isn’t new to road courses; he has taken the green flag at COTA in 2024, as well as Lime Rock and Watkins Glen earlier this season, but the hybrid track rolls with higher stakes for the sophomore driver, who failed to make it in the playoffs last year. Now you would think that he must be sweating buckets for the same, but turns out that is not the case.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass, the 23-year-old is more than excited to be here: “The Roval is going to be interesting. I’ve only run three road course races in my life, so just trying to learn that and get better there will be good. And just Talladega having a nice day. “

Front Row Motorsports’ Layne Riggs is quickly staking his claim as a serious contender this season, even challenging an eight-time winner. Just two weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway, Riggs captured his third race victory of 2025, punching his ticket into the Round of 8. But for the second-year driver behind the wheel of the No. 34 Ford, it took some time before everything clicked.

And as he faces the new Roval alone, Riggs has turned to his teammate, Chandler Smith, for some help. He added, “Hopefully myself and my teammate Chandler can work together well and kind of keep ourselves out of trouble. Like I said, hopefully we don’t have to throw any Hail Marys … And everybody’s asking, what are you going to do different in the playoffs? Are you going to not eat dinner at night? Are you going to do this? But, you know, even though this is my first time in the Truck Series playoffs, I’ve been put in tight point situations before.”

And he then discussed the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, where he became the youngest champion in the Series’ history at 20. That is quite a result for a driver who didn’t open his 2022 season with the plan of racing in the Weekly Series. But then again, there is not quite a motivation like your team opening the season with a series of wins at South Boston Speedway, and that was the time everything changed.

And oh, what a way to close it at Daytona Beach! The battle had come down to the final weekend of the competition, with Riggs beating the defending champion, Peyton Sellers. He came out on top of Sellers by four points to bag the championship. What is more, it was Sellers who was the youngest Weekly Series champion, winning in 2005 at 21 years old.

Coming back to the Truck Series, Chandler Smith — his teammate — is no stranger to the hybrid track. In two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, Smith has a 12th-place finish from the 2023 event and a fifth-place finish in 2024. Even though Smith couldn’t make it to the Round of 8 in the Xfinity playoffs after a P2 finish at New Hampshire, the 23-year-old driver will hit the gas pedal on this Truck Series run.

With confidence and momentum on his side, Riggs feels ready. He said, “And I feel like I handled the pressure really well. I’ve raced like I always do, and getting nervous or worried or putting the pressure on yourself or looking at points or anything like that’s not going to make you go any faster on the racetrack. So, just got to treat these like all the other races. And I feel like I’m pretty seasoned coming into this, even though this is my first time.”

There is no doubt that Layne Riggs wants to bag his first-ever Truck Series title, but that fight will not come easy. After New Hampshire, Riggs has placed second in the playoff standings with 22 points above the cut line; however, his biggest competitor, other than the new track, is none other than playoff leader Corey Heim.

Layne Riggs is on the lookout as Corey Heim reveals Charlotte Roval’s strategy

Every track demands its own gameplay, and every move by top contenders like Corey Heim carries a huge impact as they battle for a shot at the Championship 4 in Phoenix. And now Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR wonderkid has revealed his strategy. Heim’s 2025 season has been packed with standout performances across 21 races with 17 Top-10s, 15 Top-5s, and 6 poles. Having led 1,438 laps, he sits atop the playoff standings with 69 points over the cutline.

Unfamiliar with the track layouts, Heim is set to take a careful and calculated approach. He said, “Certainly catered to the fans… a lot of craziness, and a lot of… uncertainty. Two races that we haven’t seen in the Round of 8… makes it even tougher. I feel like limited amount of laps we have in the Louisville is tough for the entire truck series field. And then you have Martinsville, which can always get crazy as well.”

Heim’s yearlong commitment to preparation and execution is proving to be his greatest asset, with his consistent performances on road courses giving him a solid foundation as the chaos of the round of eight looms.