The whirlwind of transitions in the off-season is yet to simmer down. Earlier in the season, two Truck Series aces, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, announced their promotion to the premier division of NASCAR after securing full-time berths with Spire Motorsports. However, this meant that Front Row Motorsports’ #38 Ford and Niece Motorsports’ #42 Chevy would become vacant. Now, reports have come in that the #38 has found a worthy replacement in Layne Riggs—the son of former Xfinity Series driver Scott Riggs.

Layne Riggs is the youngest ever Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion, and it won’t be his first rodeo with the major leagues of NASCAR. However, the announcement of Riggs joining as a replacement has left one question unanswered. Was Riggs the first choice of Front Row Motorsports, or was it Brett Moffitt, who won in Talladega this year?

Front Row Motorsports signs in short-track sensation Layne Riggs

Earlier in the season, Front Row Motorsports had announced it would field a second Truck Series entry at the Talladega Superspeedway, and piloting it would be the Xfinity Series driver Brett Moffitt. Owing to this, it was speculated that the AM Racing driver would be making his full-time Truck Series debut after joining forces with Front Row Motorsports. However, the team has already found a suitable candidate to fill in the shoes of the outgoing driver, Zane Smith.

It is evident that Late Model racing sensation Layne has, in just a few years. built an impressive racing resume. The driver has already three Xfinity Series starts under his name, where he finished 19th, 10th, and 11th with Kaulig Racing. Moreover, in an outstanding display, Riggs got spun out in the Xfinity Series race in Martinsville, made a spectacular comeback, and notched a P11 finish.

To add to his roster of achievements, Riggs had displayed a similar caliber in his few Truck Series appearances. The most memorable was his P3 finish in the 2023 Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park. With a strong grasp of short track ovals owing to his Late Model Series experience, the driver seems to be a befitting choice for Front Row Motorsports, and a probable candidate for the 2024 Rookie of the Year award in the Truck Series.

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Layne Riggs delivers a heartfelt message for his big advancement

Climbing the ladders of NASCAR on sheer driving prowess, Layne Riggs is assuredly over the moon with the leap in his career. He took to Twitter to deliver his heartfelt gratitude to the team and his sponsors.

He expressed, “Hey everybody! This is Layne Riggs at Front Row Motorsports for the first time. Just got done with the contract to run the #48 F-150 full-time in 2024. Super excited! Thank you so much to Front Row Motorsports, Bob Jenkins [Owner], Jerry Freeze [General Manager], everybody. I have been working so hard, so long for this. It’s been my dream from day one. So, thank you to all my supporters behind me.”

Speaking to Jayski and expressing his views on replacing Zane Smith, Riggs also asserted, “I know that I have really big shoes to fill. 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.”

The 2024 NASCAR season would be perhaps one of the most decisive years for a number of drivers including Layne Riggs. With an impressive record collected in the past few years, it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for the rookie driver.

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