CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Layne Riggs finished his freshman year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the top of the 2024 rookie class. On Friday, he added “engineer” to his list of accomplishments.
Riggs graduated from the William States Lee College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
Although engineering was Riggs’ backup plan, the 22-year-old second-generation racer is thrilled to close his scholastic chapter.
“I was racing late models and got out of high school and just realized that there’s a small, small percentage I’m going to make driving a NASCAR a career,” Riggs said. “I’ve always wanted to be (an engineer). I’ve always been interested in that kind of field of work. Learning—and just the science behind it all—has always been interesting to me.
“UNC Charlotte was the perfect place to do it, right here in Race City. To be there and then to progress and then end up getting a full-time ride in school—well, I had to finish then. You can’t stop then.”
And he didn’t—on the track and off. From Late Model Stock competition to winning the 2022 Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series title then limited starts in trucks and the Xfinity Series tour, Riggs caught the attention of several teams in the NASCAR paddock, including Front Row Motorsports.
Zane Smith’s departure from the organization after the 2023 season opened up a seat for Riggs. While he initially lived up to his rookie status, midway through the season things clicked between Riggs, crew chief Dylan Cappello and the No. 38 team.
“The beginning of the season, we obviously struggled a lot,” Riggs said. “We were just really trying to find our footing and jell with the team. Everybody was trying to figure out their role and what that entailed. Everybody on our team was new. I was a rookie. I had a rookie crew chief, everybody on the team was in a role they had never been in before. They all had to step up.
“The first ten or so races, we were just trying to figure out who does what. Dylan was having to micromanage everybody and make sure that everything was getting done right so that was taking his time away from really being able to focus on the big parts, the setup stuff, the little speed secrets here and there.”
Riggs didn’t score his first top-five result until the 10th race of the season at North Wilkesboro in May. Two weeks later, Riggs posted his second top-five finish at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Halfway through his first full season on the tour, Riggs had just three top 10s. But during the four-week break between WWTR and Nashville Superspeedway, it was as if a new team emerged for the second half of the season. Over the final nine races, Riggs posted two wins, five top fives and seven top 10s.
“Now that everybody is settled, everybody is confident with what they’re doing—and know what they’re doing every single week, we can focus on the stuff that really matters, which is making trucks that go really fast,” Riggs said.
“And also me just getting better going to the mile-and-a-half tracks and understanding the air better and being able to feel confident. Not really have to think about what I’m doing, just going out there doing it. I feel like I can show my natural talent a little bit better.”
For Riggs, 2024 was almost a tale of two seasons—the first half and the second.
“We finished 6th at Martinsville and it was a disappointment,” Riggs said. “We all walked out with our heads down following a sixth-place finish.
“Just that change in mentality and mindset. Definitely, we would have earned most improved team if they had that award.”
Certainly, had the team performed as well over the first 12 races as they did in the final 11, Riggs would have qualified for the Playoffs. Entering his sophomore season, Riggs is confident not only that the No. 38 team will qualify for the truck Playoffs, but they will be in contention for the title.
“There’s a confidence that comes with winning and putting that stamp on it and solidifying that you can do it,” Riggs said. “You always have those questions of ‘Am I sure I can do it? Is it the team? Is it me?’ You never really know until you succeed.
“For us to win those two races, it was like putting a stamp on the team. The first one was like, ‘OK, he did a good job.” But then we went to Bristol and just waxed ‘em. That put the stamp on like we’re here to stay. It wasn’t a fluke. And we’re going to be a contender every single race.
“People know that when you show up on the weekends, you got those four to five guys that are going to be up front. To be part of that really means a lot. It gives me confidence that I’ve got the talent to do it.”
Riggs’ confidence is also buoyed by the experience gained through his engineering degree. When his crew chief, who is also an engineer, explains the complexity of the set up of the truck he’s speaking to an equal. When Riggs goes to the simulator, there’s no need to simplify the data.
“I enjoy knowing what I have up under me.” Riggs said. “I feel like if I know what is going on with the truck on the racetrack it will help me go faster and I can give better feedback during the very little bit of practice that we get.
“I know the directions that we need to go and what we got in the adjustments that we have. I want to be really involved with the team. Having an engineering background like that I can understand the intricacies of it. Just working on late models for so many years and being a part of that, kind of sets me apart from some of these other guys.”
And unlike the last four seasons of racing, Riggs will no longer have homework on his to-do list. He can concentrate solely on the task at hand.
“It’s a big relief,” Riggs said. “It’s been a lot of work over these past four-and-a-half years to get this degree. It’s not like a business degree or communications. When you get a homework assignment, you stay up till two, three, four o’clock in the morning working on assignments due the next day in class. at anybody “That’s done. Engineers know how hard and how long those nights are.
“It’s it taught me time management for sure and prioritizing things and just definitely developed me and sculpted me to be a lot sharper.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
