During Layne Riggs’s victory celebration at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS), UNC Charlotte students were heard chanting “Forty-Niners” to support the alumni. This support led to the creation of an official student section for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
“That was awesome,” Riggs said. “Just the connection with Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Truck Series, NASCAR and myself has been a great partnership, and a lot of supporters from the school as well. So, yeah, I love winning in my backyard.”
CMS offered Charlotte students a 25% discount on Truck Series tickets and free transportation between the campus and the track.
Riggs sweeps Charlotte
Riggs is one of only two drivers to achieve back-to-back victories at Charlotte in the Truck Series. The first was the late Kyle Busch, who passed away suddenly in May, right before the first Charlotte race of the season.
“He [Busch] is my hero,” Riggs said. “He’s the guy, at least in the Truck Series, everybody wanted to be like. That’s the pinnacle; that’s our goal. Our mindset is we want to be where he’s at, which is on top. I hate that we’re not racing with him tonight. I know that if he was here, he would have been running this truck race tonight [and I] probably would have finished second to him.”
Riggs snatched his victory by passing Kaden Honeycutt, who won Stage 2, on Lap 128. Honeycutt admitted he lost because he was looking in his mirror too much as Riggs caught up to him.
“I just was between both [racing] lanes,” Honeycutt said. “I didn’t do a really good job with that … I just should’ve just run my own race, run my own line.”
With Riggs’s win, the points gap behind Honeycutt for the championship was cut from 37 to 17. The Truck Series returns on Oct. 16 at Phoenix Raceway on FS1.
“Forty! Niners!” chant heard at Charlotte Motor Speedway after Riggs sweep
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