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Layne Riggs won the first-ever NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at St. Petersburg.
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series took to the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida in the inaugural OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 on Saturday afternoon. It was the first-ever NASCAR race at St. Petersburg and the first street course race in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
When the checkered flag flew, it was Layne Riggs who was victorious. The driver of the No. 34 held off ThorSport Racing drivers Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes to win the circuit’s first race at St. Petersburg.
Riggs led a race-high 40 laps and posted the Xfinity fastest lap of the race (78.15). It was Riggs’ first win of the 2026 season, first on a road course, and sixth career win overall.
Layne Riggs on winning St. Petersburg: ‘Dream come true’
Riggs took the white flag of Saturday’s 80-lap race with Majeski and Rhodes side-by-side for second behind him. Majeski powered by his ThorSport Racing teammate and set his sights on Riggs for the win.
Throughout the final lap, Riggs shook his Long John Silver’s Ford back-and-forth, as if he was out of gas. However, the 23-year-old managed to make it back to the checkered flag and avoided a last-ditch effort from Majeski in the final turn to secure the win.
Majeski finished second, followed by Rhodes in third, Chandler Smith in fourth, and Kaden Honeycutt in fifth.
In his post-race interview with FOX, Riggs gave a shout-out to road-course ace Joey Hand, who he said helped prepare him for the right and left turns of St. Petersburg.
“He’s the man. He helped me so much. We’ve been working on this racetrack in the simulator at Ford racing since December, and I really, really wanted to get my first win on a road course,” Riggs said.
Known as a short-track racer from North Carolina, Riggs entered this season wanting to prove he was more than that. Riggs aimed to pick up a win on a road course, and he did just that in the first race at St. Petersburg.
“It’s just a dream come true. I literally said this year I just want to win a road course just to show I’m not just that short track guy,” Riggs said.
Retired IndyCar stars competed at St. Petersburg
Among the field of CRAFTSMAN Truck Series regulars in Saturday’s race were some familiar faces to IndyCar racing fans. James Hinchcliffe, a retired six-time winner in the IndyCar Series, posted a 10th-place finish in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports truck.
Meanwhile, four-time IndyCar Series champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti wheeled the No. 1 Tricon Garage machine to a 27th-place finish.
Although he finished top 10, Hinchcliffe felt if he knew what he knew by the start of stage three, he believes he could’ve scored a better finish. Despite that, Hinchcliffe was pleased with what he learned and was proud of the effort.
“I learned so much out there about managing tires and traffic and racing these guys out there. … It was a great effort to come from the back twice and end up in the top 10. Just can’t thank Spire enough and hopefully I get do it again one day,” Hinchcliffe said.
After three races, Chandler Smith leads the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points by 34 over Ben Rhodes. Meanwhile, Layne Riggs leapt 17 spots in the standings to fifth place after his win.
John Breeden John Breeden is a NASCAR contributor at Heavy Sports. He has five years of sports journalism experience. He graduated from James Madison University in May of 2022 with a degree in media arts and design. John is also a sports reporter for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Previously, John was a sports writer for JMU’s The Breeze and a NASCAR content writer for Sportskeeda. More about John Breeden
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