Layne Riggs delivered a standout performance in the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, capturing a dramatic win at the OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, on February 28. This Layne Riggs Truck Series win came after the Bahama, North Carolina native started near the back in 28th position, methodically advancing through the field and ultimately securing victory despite facing fuel concerns and aggressive challengers in the closing laps.
From Deep in the Field to the Front: Riggs’ Rise and Race Dynamics
At just 23 years old, Riggs stunned competitors and fans alike by leading three separate times and controlling 41 of the scheduled 80 laps. He took his first lead after muscling past his teammate Chandler Smith on Lap 38, clinching the second stage win amid a field of 36 drivers making their series debut at this historic street course event. Throughout the tense final stage, Riggs maintained his advantage through a mix of caution periods and restarts, holding off hard-charging rivals Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes.
The lead-up to the race featured its own drama: Friday’s qualifying and practice were canceled due to rain, resulting in the starting grid being determined by NASCAR’s metric formula, which handed Connor Mosack pole position alongside Giovanni Ruggiero. A series of setbacks shuffled the pack before the race even began, with rookie Cole Butcher and Mini Tyrrell dropping to the rear for a backup truck and unapproved adjustments, while Tyler Reif faced stalling issues on pace laps.
Early Laps Set Stage as Leaders Jockey for Position
At the drop of the green flag, Mosack surged into the lead, fending off early aggression from Ben Rhodes and Giovanni Ruggiero. But the first caution quickly waved on Lap 2 when Justin Haley spun after contact from Stewart Friesen, knocking Haley from contention in the lead lap group after failing to restart in time. On the subsequent restart, Rhodes muscled his way into the top spot, while the rest of the field scrambled to establish early order around the 14-turn circuit. Rhodes built a gap through clean laps, with Mosack, Ruggiero, Chandler Smith, and Landen Lewis rounding out the early top five.
By Lap 10, Rhodes had stretched his lead to over a second, while deeper in the field, contact between Dario Franchitti and James Hinchcliffe added to the opening-lap intensity. Riggs remained outside the top-five, carefully managing traffic and steadily gaining ground against competitors like Ty Majeski, Adam Andretti, and Kris Wright in a tightly-packed top 20.
First Stage: Rhodes Controls Early Momentum
The initial stage concluded on Lap 20 with Rhodes comfortably taking his first stage win of the year, followed by Mosack, Lewis, Smith, and a strong supporting cast including Ruggiero and Franchitti. Layne Riggs finished the segment in seventh, well positioned to mount a challenge in the next stage. Of the 36 starters, 30 were still on the lead lap at the first break.
During the stage break, pit strategy played a key role, with all but Mosack heading to their stalls. Track position largely held steady after this round of service, keeping the leading contenders intact as the second stage began.
Mid-Race: Overtakes, Cautions, and the Riggs Charge
The second stage saw Rhodes and Mosack again at the front, but fresh tires allowed Rhodes to quickly reclaim the lead. Mistakes and battles continued to shake up the leaderboard—Kaden Honeycutt’s miscue in Turn 4 dropped him out of the top 10, while Adam Andretti was spun in Turn 7 after contact from Christian Eckes, collecting Daniel Hemric in the chaos. Rhodes held the point, with Mosack slipping back as tire wear took its toll.
Laps 30 through 38 were marked by fierce three-wide racing. Chandler Smith, pinned in between Rhodes and Riggs, used an aggressive crossover move to snatch the lead. Riggs remained persistent, capitalizing on subsequent laps to muscle past Smith and, for the first time, take command of the field. Riggs’ pace was relentless, as he quickly opened a healthy gap and led to the end of the second stage on Lap 40 for his first Truck stage win of 2026.
The top 10 included Smith, Lewis, Majeski, Rhodes, Ruggiero, and others. Twenty-eight trucks were still on the lead lap, setting up a hotly contested final segment.
Final Stage: Fuel Strategy, Restarts, and Intensity Until the End
The restart for the last stage saw Riggs assert himself, darting away from Smith and withstanding attacks from Majeski. The pack remained close, and front-runners Ben Rhodes and Landen Lewis jockeyed in the top six. With 35 laps to go, Riggs started to carve out a more comfortable lead, while a series of green-flag incidents—Cole Butcher’s spin and Kris Wright’s near miss—kept teams alert as green-flag running continued unbroken.
The next yellow came with 29 laps left after Derek White stalled. On the ensuing restart, Riggs dueled fiercely with Majeski, defending the lead as chaos in the midfield saw Mini Tyrrell and Nathan Nicholson brush the wall but keep their trucks running. Further incidents with Giovanni Ruggiero and James Hinchcliffe’s spins underscored how treacherous the street circuit could be, but crucially, Riggs kept his focus amid repeated challenges to the field’s composure.
As the late laps ticked down, Majeski took advantage on a restart, using the outside lane to slip past Riggs, only to overdrove a corner and allow Riggs to retake the point. Meanwhile, Rhodes, Smith, and Honeycutt remained in striking distance, as caution periods and final-pit calculations set the stage for a nail-biting conclusion.
The Closing Moments: Riggs Withstands Every Challenge
With just 15 laps remaining, Riggs held a nine-tenths of a second advantage over Rhodes. Behind them, Smith and Majeski pushed hard, trading spots and trying to close the gap, while Franchitti’s late green-flag pit stop for a steering issue dropped him from contention. Riggs stretched his margin to over two seconds with 10 laps to go, but as fuel mileage questions mounted and the field kept up the pressure, he saw his cushion trimmed to a single second with five laps left.
On the final lap, Majeski managed to take second from Rhodes and made a bold attempt at diving beneath Riggs through the last corner. However, Majeski’s lunge came up short as he overdrove the turn, leaving Riggs to navigate the last few yards unopposed and clinch the win by just under a second.
Reflections from Victory Lane: Gratitude and Relief for Riggs
After crossing the finish line, Riggs was clearly emotional, recognizing those who helped him prepare for the streets of St. Petersburg and support his development as a versatile driver. In Victory Lane, Riggs shared,
“[The] First thing I’m gonna say [is] thank you to Joey Hand,”
acknowledging the guidance he received in learning the intricacies of road course racing. He continued,
“I know he’s watching at home. My road course guy. He’s the man. He helped me so much. We’ve been working on this racetrack 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 feel like I’ve been close on the road courses. Just big shoutout to everybody at Front Row Motorsports…It’s just a dream come true. I literally said this year [that] I just want to win a road course just to show I’m not just that short track guy.”
Riggs explained how managing fuel became a late-race concern, stating,
“[The truck] sputtered with about to eight [laps] to go,”
and further detailed his strategy:
“The [fuel] pickup on these trucks are on the left side, so every time that I would turn to the left, the fuel would slosh away. So the whole time, I was just trying to get it to go, not knowing, trying to manage your gap. Thank you to Ben [Rhodes] and Ty [Majeski]. They ran me pretty clean. I know that last corner, Ty probably could have cleaned me out if he wanted to. We were so close there. What an awesome feeling.”
Significance for Riggs, Front Row Motorsports, and the Standings
This breakthrough Layne Riggs Truck Series win marked the driver’s sixth career victory in the series and his first-ever triumph on a road course. It also stands as a momentous milestone for Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34 Ford F-150 and the second win of the 2026 season for both the team and manufacturer. The result is a stunning turnaround from Riggs’ opening races at Daytona and Atlanta, where setbacks had left him just 23rd in the standings. His victory at St. Petersburg now propels him into fifth, affirming both his road course credentials and his team’s championship aspirations as the season unfolds.
Ty Majeski finished second—his second top-four result of 2026—while Ben Rhodes clinched third, mounting a consistent start to his season. Smith and Honeycutt rounded out the top five, with the likes of Lewis, Perez De Lara, Hemric, Braun, and Hinchcliffe completing the top 10. Notably, Dario Franchitti’s promising run was derailed by his late pit stop, relegating him to 27th and a lap down. In total, the race saw nine lead changes among five different leaders, six caution periods for 17 laps, and 24 trucks finishing on the lead lap of the punishing street circuit.
Race Results and Next Event on the Schedule
The finalized top ten reflected the competitive nature of the inaugural event:
1. Layne Riggs, 41 laps led, Stage 2 winner
2. Ty Majeski, two laps led
3. Ben Rhodes, 23 laps led, Stage 1 winner
4. Chandler Smith, seven laps led
5. Kaden Honeycutt
6. Landen Lewis
7. Andres Perez De Lara
8. Daniel Hemric
9. Colin Braun
10. James Hinchcliffe
Further down, other notable finishers included Ben Maier, Justin Haley, Connor Mosack, and Cole Butcher, while attrition took its toll with several drivers classified as not finishing due to accidents or mechanical woes.
The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points picture tightened as Chandler Smith continues to lead, holding a 34-point buffer over Ben Rhodes, with Majeski, Ruggiero, and the surging Riggs rounding out the top five.
Looking Ahead: Truck Series Heads to Darlington Raceway
Following the excitement of the St. Petersburg showdown, teams now prepare for the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway, scheduled for March 20. As the championship battle intensifies, the field remains packed with potential surprises, renewed momentum, and emotional highs, much like Riggs showcased on the Florida streets. All eyes now shift to South Carolina, where contenders will look to continue their title push in the ever-competitive world of NASCAR’s Truck Series.
