Layne Riggs will go to Homestead just 20 points behind Kaden Honeycutt in the battle for the championship, but he could gone to the finale as the points leader if he won the race.

But on the final restart, Rigg’s Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith passed him on the outside and claimed the victory for his No. 38 team, while Riggs placed third.

No team orders at FRM, especially when Smith is on his way out the door to take on a NASCAR O’Reilly ride with Richard Childress Racing. But Riggs had no issues with Smith racing for himself, either.

“No, I mean, he’s not supposed to lift for me,” said Riggs when answering a question from Motorsport.com after the race. “I’m proud of Chandler. He did exactly what he’s supposed to do as a teammate.

“I just wish I could have been better on the restarts. I know they had a little bit more air because every restart, he was able to fire off fast and he’d fade. So I knew that he was going to be better on the restart. I feel like I got a good launch. I just got really loose in (Turns) one and two. I’ve been loose every restart.

“I knew it was going to happen. I tried to prep my tire as best I could, but I was kind of shooting myself in the boot taking the bottom. But like I said, it was not worth the risk of taking the top and potentially getting wrecked.”

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Smith made the pass clean, simply getting a better run around the outside and clearing his championship-contending teammate.

In the winner’s press conference, he was asked if he was thinking about what was at stake while battling Riggs for the race win, and if there was any hesitation.

“Yes there was,” said Smith honestly. “I have a responsibility to Bob Jenkins (team owner) and my 38 team to go out there and win the race but at the same time, evaluate the situation and don’t do something that’s’ going to hurt the 34 (Riggs) … we both got a really good restart, the 88 got to my bumper at the perfect time and lunged my forward, and the rest was history after that. I don’ t even know where he ended up, but I still think he had a solid points day at least.”

Watch: Chandler Smith explains going for the win over Honeycutt, Riggs

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