TRUCKS: Layne Riggs’ thrilling battle for Kansas win marred by disqualification for bed cover issue
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Front Row Motorsports, @Team_FRM
Layne Riggs picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s Heart of Health Care 200 at the Kansas Speedway when his #34 Love’s RV Stop Ford finished 2nd, but was disqualified for a technical violation after completing all 134 laps.
The finish, which came in Riggs’ 38th series start, was his first of the season and first in a Truck Series race since February 24, 2024 at Atlanta, 30 races ago, when he was also disqualified. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 11th for the #34, the 11th by disqualification, and the 132nd for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 58th for the #34, the 63rd by disqualified, and the 1,064th for Ford.
Luke Baldwin picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Saturday’s Heart of Health Care 200 at the Kansas Speedway when his #66 Mohawk Northeast, Inc. Ford fell out with crash damage after 17 of 134 laps.
The finish came in Baldwin’s second series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 7th for the #66, the 132nd for Ford, and the 200th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 96th for the #66, the 1,064th for Ford, and the 1,417th from a crash.
Were it not for a sluggish start to his first full-time Truck Series season last year, Layne Riggs may well have made it to the Championship Four. Driving for 2022 champions Front Row Motorsports, Riggs returned to his form from his part-time effort at the Halmar Friesen team at North Wilkesboro, taking 3rd, then 5th at Gateway, IRP, and Richmond. He the won his first two races in the first two rounds of the Playoffs at Milwaukee and Bristol, and celebrated so hard that he injured his shoulder. This year, Riggs embarks on FRM’s boldest Truck Series effort yet, fielding two full-time trucks with teammate Chandler Smith now in the #38 and Riggs in the #34. This season, Riggs has been off to a much stronger start, earning two Top Fives and three Top Tens in the first eight races. His previous race at Texas, scene of his only finish outside the Top 20, saw him running particularly strong, leading 10 laps before a crash.
At Kansas, Riggs began the weekend 6th of the 31 entrants with a lap of 31.246 seconds (172.822mph). He picked up speed in qualifying for a lap of 31.131 seconds (173.461mph), but this was only good enough for 16th on the grid.
Securing the 31st and last starting spot was ARCA part-timer Morgen Baird, making his Truck Series debut in the #22 Alro Steel Metal & Plastics Ford. Baird was by far slowest in qualifying, his lap of 33.106 seconds (163.112mph) more than a second off the next-slowest truck of Frankie Muniz in the #33 Levrack / More Core Ford, and 2.364 seconds off Jake Garcia’s pole in the #13 Quanta Services Ford. Baird would be joined by two drivers who incurred pre-race penalties for unapproved adjustments: 11th-place William Byron in the #07 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet and 29th-place Nathan Byrd in the #02 Sonesta International Hotels Chevrolet.
When the green flag dropped, Byrd was last across the stripe, 2.601 seconds back of the lead to the now 30th-place Baird in the #22 at 2.396. Almost immediately, trouble broke out among the leaders. Heading into Turn 1, 4th-place Carson Hocevar in the #7 Delaware Life Chevrolet came down on Ty Majeski’s #98 Soda Sense / Curb Records Ford, sending Majeski plummeting through three and four-wide traffic. A fast-closing Dawson Sutton in the #26 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet then had to cut hard right to clear Majeski, but in the process banged doors with Tyler Ankrum’s #18 LiUNA! Chevrolet, putting Ankrum in the outside wall. On the start of Lap 2, Majeski came down pit road for a flat right-front tire, dropping him to last place, where he finished after a similar accident at the same track last year. Majeski’s team immediately alerted spotters to debris by the wall off Turn 2.
On Lap 3, Majeski had just come up to speed as the only truck off the lead lap when the caution flag fell. During the first few laps, Sutton’s #26 had also been limping around the track after the first lap incident. Coming down pit road, he cut down a left-rear tire, shredding the fender and sending him spinning to the apron. NASCAR then made a pair of controversial decisions – first, they handed Sutton a two-lap penalty for intentionally drawing the caution, and second, they awarded Majeski the “Lucky Dog” even though Sutton appeared to be a lap down at the time the caution fell, which meant no one should have been given their lap back. Majeski’s team was also surprised, though they too had to make another stop for a second flat right-front tire that this time put him in the wall, damaging the right-front fender. On Lap 7, after returning to the lead lap, Majeski’s crew said they would pit a second time at the “one lap until green” signal, but on this stop fueled the truck a second time. NASCAR then handed Majeski a one-lap penalty of his own, declaring a driver who earned the “Lucky Dog” couldn’t make two stops for fuel under that yellow. This kept Majeski in 30th, one lap down, with Sutton now between three and four down after his spin and two-lap penalty.
The race restarted on Lap 9 with Majeski still in the “Lucky Dog” spot. On Lap 11, his spotter radioed that a truck had bounced off the wall and was making it to pit road. This was the #66 Mohawk Northeast Inc. Ford of third-generation racer Luke Baldwin, who was making just his second series start. A flat tire was blamed for Baldwin’s side into the wall, and he returned to the track in 29th, about to be caught by Majeski. Majeski made up the nearly half-lap deficit on Lap 14, retaking the “Lucky Dog” spot from the now 30th-place Baldwin with Sutton still an additional two laps behind in last place. But that time by, Baldwin blew another tire, and he returned to pit road for the crew to examine the sway bar, only to drive through too many pit boxes and serve a pass-through. The young driver was quite hard on himself, shouting, “I know, I just need to stop being a fucking idiot!” He served his penalty on Lap 17, dropping him a fourth lap down into last place, but was immediately caught speeding in Section 6. “No way!” he shouted. “What? Are you kidding me?!” Baldwin served his penalty, and was now between 6 and 7 laps down. His night ended moments later on Lap 24, when yet another tire cut down, putting him in the wall once again in Turn 2. “Stay up there, stay up there,” said the spotter. “Fucking probably killed it,” said Baldwin. “Right-front probably went down. I’m so sorry, guys.” Baldwin rolled to a stop in his pit stall (Stall No. 2 near the exit of pit road), and the team prepared to push him to the garage. Knowing the leaders were coming in to make their stops, they waited until these were done, then pushed him behind the wall on Lap 27, done for the night.
Luke Baldwin’s #66 in the garage after a rough evening in Kansas. (PHOTO: Colby Evans @StartAndParkCar).
Attrition remained light for much of the night, and the Bottom Five gradually took shape by the checkered flag. Taking 30th was Nathan Byrd, whose #02 collided with Cody Dennison’s #2 Timcast / Flux Ford on Lap 52, sending Dennison sliding into the grass. Byrd’s night ultimately ended with overheating issues. Frankie Muniz led Lap 26 during Baldwin’s final caution, then spun while trying to dodge the slowing Connor Mosack in the #81 MKS Pipe and Valve Chevrolet, sending Muniz spinning through the grass. Muniz fell out soon after with handling issues. Tanner Gray’s #15 Place of Hope Toyota also dropped off the pace late with electrical problems that nearly drew the caution flag in the final laps. Rounding out the group was Bayley Currey, whose #44 AutoVentive / Precision Chevrolet spun with Mosack off Turn 2, then was lapped by the leaders late in the race.
That battle was waged by Riggs, who in the closing stages was charging through the field to catch leader Carson Hocevar. In the final 20-lap run to the checkers, he worked his way to 2nd, then on the final lap pulled under Hocevar in Turn 2. The pair made contact, both bouncing off the outside wall before continuing. Riggs again pulled close off Turn 4, but Hocevar held him off to take the win, extending a middle finger from his driver’s window as he crossed the stripe. It had been a great run for Riggs, who earned his best finish since Homestead. But in post-race inspection, NASCAR determined the #34 had an improper bed cover, that it was improperly sealed to prevent it from deflecting or sagging. With that, Riggs was disqualified, bumping Baldwin out of last place, Currey out of the Bottom Five, and Rajah Caruth’s #71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet out of the Bottom Ten.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Front Row Motorsports has scored four of the last six Truck Series last-place finishes by disqualification.
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #34 in a Truck Series race since July 29, 2023, when Josh Reaume’s #34 Reaume Brothers Racing Ford finished under power, 11 laps down, at Richmond.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
31) #34-Layne Riggs / 134 laps / disqualified
30) #66-Luke Baldwin / 17 laps / crash
29) #02-Nathan Byrd / 72 laps / overheating
28) #33-Frankie Muniz / 94 laps / handling / led 1 lap
27) #15-Tanner Gray / 128 laps / electrical
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (4)
2nd) Freedom Racing Enterprises, Front Row Motorsports, Henderson Motorsports, Niece Motorsports, Norm Benning Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (5)
2nd) Chevrolet (4)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
