Layne Riggs broke through in a big way. The Front Row Motorsports driver captured the victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at St. Petersburg, winning the OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 and securing his first triumph of the 2026 season after a slow start to the year.
Riggs held off former champions Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes over the closing laps to take the checkered flag on the tight Florida street circuit, earning the sixth Truck Series win of his career. After finishing 31st at Daytona and 27th at Atlanta to open the season, Riggs entered the weekend needing a bounce-back performance, and he delivered in dramatic fashion.
The victory was especially meaningful given the setting. Known primarily as a short-track racer, Riggs said the win validated the work he has put in to become more well-rounded behind the wheel.
“First thing I’m going to say, thank you to Joey Hand. I know he’s watching at home. My road course guy. He’s the man,” Riggs said after the race. “He helped me so much. We’ve been working on this race track in the simulator at Ford Racing since December. I really, really wanted to get my first win on a road course.
“The short-track guy from Bahama, North Carolina, won at St. Pete. Can you believe it? I’ve really been trying to perfect my craft. I said this year I just want to win a road course to show I’m not just that short-track guy.”
In the end, Riggs’ performance wasn’t just fast, but strategic. Late in the race, fuel became a major concern, forcing him to manage both his pace and his lines through the corners as the laps wound down.
“It sputtered with about eight to go,” Riggs explained. “The pickup on these trucks is on the left side, so every time I turned left the fuel would slosh away. The whole time I was just trying to keep it running and manage the gap.”
Behind him, Majeski and Rhodes closed in during the final laps, setting up a tense finish. Riggs acknowledged both drivers raced him clean despite having opportunities to make a more aggressive move for the win.
“Thank you to Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski. I know they ran me pretty clean,” Riggs added. “That last corner, Ty probably could have cleaned me out if he wanted to. We were so close there, but what an awesome feeling.”
Alas, the win gives Riggs early momentum in the Truck Series standings after the rough first two races, showing the No. 38 team remains a contender once again in 2026. If Saturday proved anything, it’s that Riggs isn’t just a short-track specialist anymore, and the rest of the Truck Series field just got a reminder.