At the recent North Wilkesboro Speedway NASCAR Truck Series race, the much-discussed Corey Heim and Layne Riggs NASCAR Truck Series incident drew sharp commentary from Dale Earnhardt Jr., adding new layers to the controversy. Earnhardt Jr. addressed the events on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, sharing his take on what happened between drivers Corey Heim and Layne Riggs during a tense final lap that left NASCAR fans and teams reacting strongly.
Earnhardt Jr. Gives His Perspective on the Clash
Dale Earnhardt Jr. analyzed the situation, noting similarities between Riggs’s move at North Wilkesboro and a previous incident at Kansas with Carson Hocevar. On his podcast, Earnhardt Jr. expressed his understanding of why Corey Heim was upset with Riggs for spinning him out just as the finish neared, suggesting that tempers were bound to flare under those conditions.
“[Riggs] didn’t run Corey into the fence, but he did put him in the marbles,”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.
“Corey had every right to be mad. Corey came to him and said, ‘You’re driving like a f***ing idiot. You’re driving like an a**hole, and if you don’t change, I’m going to take care of it.’”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Analyst
Earnhardt maintained that, while he does not generally support drivers targeting rivals late in races, he could acknowledge there are times such aggressive moves might pay off. However, he remained critical of Riggs’s tactics, which have come under scrutiny from others in the racing community as well.
Debate Over Racing Tactics and Intent
As debate continued after the checkered flag, Earnhardt Jr. commented that the move by Riggs may have been calculated as a potential race-winner, even though the approach could be seen as dirty by many. He clarified that Riggs did not force Heim into the wall or out of contention with reckless abandon, but instead pressured him into a risky area on the track, forcing Heim to adjust and, ultimately, lose control in a critical moment.
“That might have been a winning move,”
he said.
“Even though it was a little bit dirty, it’s what I asked for, it’s what I want. He did not fence him. He did run him into the marbles, but he didn’t destroy him and force him out of the gas. He didn’t put him in a situation where Corey Heim’s like, ‘S**t, I got to lift for I’m hitting the wall here.’”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Analyst
Earnhardt further noted the contrast between expected post-race apologies and Riggs’s lack of remorse.
“Corey had every right to be angry. But instead of going, ‘Oh, I didn’t mean to do that at all, we’ll talk about it, we’ll figure it out,’ Layne said, ‘I don’t give a f**k about nobody but my team.’ I was like, ‘There it is.’”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Analyst
Corey Heim’s Reaction to the Final Lap Incident
From Heim’s side, the disappointment was evident. After being spun by Riggs as he looked to win the race at North Wilkesboro, Heim openly questioned why the incident happened, hinting at a trend in Riggs’s racing style by pointing to a similar attempt involving another competitor, Carson Hocevar, at Kansas.
“Just why? More than anything,” Heim said, per NASCAR.
“He tried to do it to the 7 (Carson Hocevar) last week for the win, and mission accomplished for him, I guess, this week – and it cost him one, too. I don’t know. We’ve given up so many of them this year after dominating the race. The 38 (Chandler Smith) was the only other guy that was rightfully good. I felt like he deserved to win over anyone else, not the 34 (Riggs). I got really loose into (Turn) 3. Just struggled being loose on the short runs, and he had an opportunity, and he wrecked me. Just disappointed.”
—Corey Heim, NASCAR Driver
Aftermath and What Lies Ahead in the Truck Series
The Corey Heim and Layne Riggs NASCAR Truck Series incident at North Wilkesboro has fueled heated discussion about the boundaries between hard racing and reckless moves in NASCAR. With names like Carson Hocevar, Chandler Smith, and the high-pressure environment of the NASCAR Truck Series in focus, fans and analysts are now watching to see if future events escalate or if drivers choose to dial down aggressive styles. These evolving relationships between drivers, as highlighted by figures like Dale Earnhardt Jr., mean that NASCAR’s next races could bring even more drama and further debate over racing ethics and sportsmanship.
