Kaulig Racing
Layne Riggs looked every bit like a young prospect racing for his career on Friday after qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
Driving the No. 11 for Kaulig Racing, a really competitive car, Riggs struggled in practice and could only muster the 19th best time in qualifying at a track that really excited him all week. This is just the third time he has raced an Xfinity Series car and there is much riding on these starts.
The 2022 NASCAR Weekly Series national champion, and the son of Cup Series veteran Scott Riggs, he simply doesn’t have a tremendous amount of funding behind him right now. It’s the 32nd race of the season and Riggs had just 15 minutes of practice to catch up to drivers who have spent all year … or years … doing this.
So when Riggs let out a big sigh and put his head in his hands for a moment, it was reflective of the pressure associated with trying to make it to the highest levels on merit, something his father accomplished as well.
The old-school way is the hard way.
“This is where every racer dreams of being, racing on Saturdays on TV, but this is just so challenging with the lack of practice,” Riggs told Sportsnaut after the session. “Running Late Models, even with the Martinsville race, we get six or seven hours’ worth of practice.
“Here, you get 15 minutes and you’re told you need to pick it up x amount, and it’s hard racing against drivers and teams that have been doing it a very long time. I’m learning every lap but we have some work to do to be a contender tomorrow.”
Riggs is with the right team to get him where he needs to be. It’s full of definition short trackers like crew chief Jason Trinchere and team president Chris Rice. They speak his lingo. That’s nothing to say of his dad, who is with him this weekend, helping him navigating the earliest days of his NASCAR career.
“Jason has been out of the short track scene for awhile but he does understand me and I feel like the team here understands me when I explain things and try to tune the car,” Riggs said. “But again, it sucks because we don’t get to do a lot of tuning on the car.
“We got simulator time but I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the teams that don’t even get that. Unbearable. I hope we can change that next year or in the future for young drivers. Back in the day, they used to have rookie tests but I am grateful for Chris and Jason getting me up to speed.”
Riggs has three starts at Martinsville in a Late Model and was generally a frontrunner in those races but says the experience means little when it comes to the Xfinity Series platform.
“It drives way worse,” Riggs said. “The best car here would feel like a back marker Late Model. It’s so much heavier. The tires have no grid. You’re always sliding around. It’s hard to apply the power down even when you have the grip you need.
“In a Late Model here, you can be really aggressive and lean the tire and lean on everything. Here, it’s not. Its very unforgiving and on the edge. I hate to sound like a broken record but the best can do that every lap here, but it’s hard for me after just 15 minutes.”
He does, to his credit, already have finishes of 19th and 10th in this car at Texas and Las Vegas. He also has two top-10s and a top-5 in six Truck Series starts. The tension of Martinsville aside, Riggs has been very impressive in limited national touring appearances.
Riggs is hopeful about next year, in both finding a good car or truck, but also the partners to support it. With that in mind, the results will go a long way for Riggs, every start in Trucks or Xfinity filled with consequence.
Thus the vibes after qualifying.
“I do feel optimistic about next year,” Riggs said. “My results this weekend. The results I’ve had this weekend in the Xfinity Series will help me. It’s just timing to make sure we’re with the right people. I have some opportunities to make sure we land on the right one.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.