NASCAR
Layne Riggs Takes Seventh Win of Season in Charlotte Sweep
CONCORD, N.C. – The Craftsman Truck Series title fight raged on as a clash of the titans in Charlotte. Despite starting 13th, Layne Riggs found the lead early on. Front Row Motorsports’ top man then carried out a race-long battle against Chase rival Kaden Honeycutt, with the No. 34 getting the upper hand late. Both drivers split the stages, and led all but two laps Friday night. Thanks to his seventh win on the 2026 campaign, Riggs drew to within 17 points of Honeycutt’s championship lead after a Charlotte season sweep.
As mentioned above, Riggs rolled off from a mid-pack position but took only 15 laps to stalk down the race lead, taking Stage 1. A slow pit stop then set the No. 34 back, giving the second stage to Honeycutt with Riggs in a close second. Riggs retook the lead early in the final stage, soon setting sail over Honeycutt. Three separate cautions in a 20-lap span kept the field close, however. This included a multi-truck incident in turn three that sidelined Rajah Caruth, polesitter Connor Mosack, and others.
A down left-side tire for the No. 77 of @rajahcaruth_ causes chaos at @CLTMotorSpdwy.
The red flag is out with 15 laps to go as cleanup efforts continue. pic.twitter.com/DIxQOkwGco
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) October 9, 2026
An 11-lap run to the checkers saw Honeycutt hold the lead but start mirror-driving to keep Riggs in the rearview. The 11 eventually stumbled, making slight wall contact and allowing the 34 to slip by with seven laps left. Riggs proceeded to drive off and collect win number seven on the year.
The battle continues!@LayneRiggs99 claims the lead after @KadenWHoneycutt makes contact with the wall. pic.twitter.com/F2nzopE3nU
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) October 9, 2026
“That was a hell of a battle there at the end with me and the 11,” said Riggs. “That was a lot of fun, this Ford was fast tonight too. I think I had to pass the 11 three or four times. We’ve got to still work on pit road. That was our weakness still, but I kept driving to the front.”
“I just had a good run. At Kansas, I was up there, and internally I pressured myself that I needed to go win. Today, I didn’t have any pressure. I just went out and wheeled it. I ran it like a C-fixed race on iRacing, had a badass time, it was a great race.”
In shades of Josef Newgarden at the Indy 500, Riggs then went into the grandstands with the fans to celebrate a second-straight win at his home track.
The closing laps also saw Christian Eckes get by Honeycutt for second-place. Both of them just edged out Bayley Currey and Chase contender Chandler Smith, hear from these drivers below.
The Truck Series title fight is now a 17-point gap between the top two with four races to go. Truckers will be back in action Friday night from Phoenix Raceway. The championship finale venue since 2020, the desert mile shifts back a few weeks to a still-pivotal spot in The Chase. The 150-lap showdown goes green at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS2, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to David Jensen/Getty Images
