MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Second-generation racer Layne Riggs will pilot the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Riggs, the 21-year-old son of former NASCAR Cup Series driver Scott Riggs, is making the step from the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series after starts in the Truck and Xfinity Series this past year.
He is signed to a multi-year agreement with FRM.
The Bahama, N.C., native is the next FRM development driver after both Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith have won races and Smith a championship with the team. Riggs will be making his full-time NASCAR national series debut in 2024, but already has championship experience while climbing through the ranks of NASCAR.
Dylan Cappello will step up from his lead engineer role to be the crew chief of the team. Chris Lawson will step down from his crew chief role and serve as a consultant to the team to begin the season while working on other projects outside of NASCAR.
Beginning his career at the age of 10, Riggs competed in Limited Sportsman events at the Orange County (N.C.) Speedway where he raced for multiple seasons, eventually earning the track championship. Riggs then moved his career to the CARS Tour where he raced late model stock cars for several seasons.
He finished his stint in the series with six wins, eight poles, 32 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes.
In 2022, Riggs focused on the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. He built an impressive track record featuring 16 wins, 29 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes across some of the toughest NASCAR tracks in the southeast. Riggs was crowned the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Champion.
This past season, Riggs gained more attention during limited starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series. He finished third at the Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park in the truck race and followed that by a 10th and 11th-place finishes at the end of the season at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway and the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in the Xfinity Series.
“I’m really thankful for this opportunity to compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with one of the best teams in the sport,” said Riggs. “I’ve dedicated my life for an opportunity like this, and I’m incredibly appreciative of Bob (Jenkins) and everyone at Front Row for providing me the opportunity to take my next step in my racing career.”
In addition to his racing schedule, Riggs is set to complete his Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) while participating in full-time competition.
“I really appreciate Layne’s dedication to his education while also competing at the highest levels,” commented Bob Jenkins, Owner, FRM. “That comes from great parenting and a sense of dedication from Layne. We’ve already seen a lot of potential in Layne and he’s a perfect fit for our program to develop him into a national series NASCAR winner.”
FRM is set to announce team partners for Riggs in the lead-up to the Fresh From Florida 250 at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway — a race that FRM is the two-time defending winner.