Three races into the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season and the rookie class hasn’t seen the success that they hoped they would.
After 2023 saw a six-horse race that ended with Nick Sanchez taking home Rookie of the Year honors, this year’s ROTY battle has just three contestants, only two of which will run the entire season.
While other rookie-esque drivers will make limited starts throughout the year such as William Sawalich or Marco Andretti, let’s take a closer look at the drivers who are vying to win the top rookie honors for 2024.
Layne Riggs
A short-track racer at heart, Layne Riggs got his first shot in the Truck Series in 2022, driving the No. 62 for Halmar Friesen Racing. In 2023, he made three starts with three different teams, with a best finish of third in his final start of the season at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Over the past offseason, the son of Scott Riggs got the call to run full-time for Front Row Motorsports in the No. 38, replacing the Cup Series-bound Zane Smith. With Riggs’ talent on-track and championship-winning equipment at FRM, it’s shaping up to be a good year for the rookie.
However, the season to this point has not been kind to the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly champion. A crash in the opening laps at Daytona International Speedway left him with a finish of 33rd to start the year.
To make matters worse, he was disqualified the following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway for unsecured windshield fasteners – a penalty that FRM was tagged for last season with Smith. He only slightly improved at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, managing a 22nd-place finish. However, after back-to-back 33rd-place finishes, a 22nd-place run isn’t anything to really smile at.
Riggs has the talent and FRM has the speed to put together a championship-level run — but it’s clear they need to work out the growing pains beforehand.
Thad Moffitt
Thad Moffitt returns behind the wheel of a truck after making four starts in 2022. Driving for a brand-new team, Faction46, Moffitt continues the legacy of the Petty family, as he is the grandson of Richard Petty.
Moffitt has made his own name behind the wheel of the No. 46, a number he’s had since his days in the ARCA Menards Series. After spending 2023 driving in the Trans Am Series, Moffitt’s return to the Truck Series has gone about as well as Riggs’ season. Moffitt was caught up in the same Big One that Riggs was at Daytona and…
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