By David Morgan, Associate Editor
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Layne Train keeps rolling on.
For the second race in a row, Layne Riggs played spoiler in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs, bringing home the win in Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Piloting the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Riggs rolled off from 18th in the 200-lap event, but didn’t stay there for long, advancing up to eighth by the end of the first stage and fourth at the end of the second.
Riggs would continue his climb upwards, snatching the lead away from Corey Heim on Lap 121 and he would never relent from there on. He would remain a steady hand through the final two restarts, keeping the rest of the field in his rear-view all the way to the finish, crossing the line 1.096 seconds ahead of Heim at the line.
“We have just learned so much with the trucks and my team. Dillon, my crew chief, he’s bad ass,” Riggs said. “He works so hard at night and we as a team, we’re a young team. I think the average age is in the twenties, so it’s so amazing. To be running fifth, 10th and then all of a sudden go back-to-back in the playoffs?
“Man, I wish I was in the playoffs so bad. I think we’d be a real threat to win this championship.”
Heim and Rajah Caruth would have a spirited battle for the runner-up spot in the final run to the finish, with Heim just nipping Caruth for the position.
Both Heim and Caruth won a stage, as Caruth took the first stage and Heim took the second, gaining both valuable points on the night.
Fellow Playoff drivers Christian Eckes and Nick Sanchez would round out the top-five finishers, with the remainder of the top-10 going to Matt Crafton, Chase Purdy, Ty Majeski, Stewart Friesen, and Tyler Ankrum.
The rest of the Playoff drivers finished the night scattered throughout the running order with Taylor Gray in 12th, Grant Enfinger in 17th, Ben Rhodes in 27th, and Daniel Dye in 32nd.
Polesitter Connor Zilisch came home in 19th after getting spun at the end of the second stage.
The first round of the Truck Series Playoffs heads off to Kansas for the first elimination race as three of the 10 eligible drivers (Eckes, Heim, and Sanchez) are now locked in on points and will move on to the next round.
Majeski is in the best points position of the remaining Playoff drivers with a 58-point advantage over the cut-off line, having salvaged a top-10 after starting at the rear of the…
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