In a rollercoaster of a race, with split strategies, flat tires, and drive-through penalties for the leaders, Layne Riggs stood tall, flawless, and earned his first race win of the season, winning by over 4 seconds after starting on pole and winning the first stage.
Learn more about the race HERE
Layne Riggs has finally earned his first win of the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, breaking through after several near-misses earlier this year. Throughout the season, Riggs has shown consistent speed and race-winning potential, frequently qualifying up front and running inside the top five. Despite his strong performances, circumstances such as late-race cautions, restarts, and pit strategy had repeatedly kept him from reaching victory lane.
At Pocono, however, Riggs was able to put together a complete race. After starting from the pole, he remained a factor throughout all three stages, staying within striking distance even when shuffled back due to pit strategy. As the race favorites Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar ran into trouble with a flat tire and a restart penalty, respectively, Riggs capitalized on the opportunity. Once he inherited the lead following the series of cautions, Riggs pulled away from the field with a commanding pace, opening up a lead of more than four seconds. After coming close on multiple occasions, this performance at Pocono finally delivered the result both Riggs and his team had been chasing.
After dominating yet another race, Corey Heim’s chances of winning were taken away when a tire went down on his truck late at Pocono. It’s the latest in a growing list of races where Heim has controlled the field, only to see the victory slip away due to circumstances outside his control. From an engine shutting off while leading at Homestead, to getting spun on the final lap at North Wilkesboro, and now a flat tire at Pocono—all while out front—near-misses have marked Heim’s 2025 season.
Despite the setbacks, Heim continues to demonstrate race-winning speed and the ability to control races from the front. His consistency remains a defining feature of his season, raising questions about why he has yet to move up to the NASCAR Cup Series. Even with these late-race issues, Heim maintains a lead of more than 100 points in the Truck Series standings.
A notable portion of the race was spent under caution during scheduled stage breaks. The race, extended to 80 laps—longer than the typical 60-70 lap distance for Trucks at Pocono—featured 14 caution laps directly tied to the stage breaks. The second stage restarted on its eighth lap after the break, and the final stage resumed on its 7th following the caution cycle.
Given Pocono’s 2.5-mile length, each caution lap takes significant time to complete. With nearly 20% of the race distance run under yellows without on-track incidents or debris-related, the extended caution periods during stage breaks reduced the total amount of green-flag racing available to teams and fans.
This has renewed discussion among fans about how NASCAR manages stage breaks, particularly at larger tracks where each lap under caution consumes several minutes. To put it into perspective, NASCAR spent nine laps under caution for a multi-car crash on the backstretch on the final stage. While stage breaks are a part of the race format, the balance between maintaining procedural consistency and maximizing green-flag racing remains an ongoing topic.. is the amount of time spent under caution really necessary?
Immediately after Corey Heim lost the lead due to a flat tire, Carson Hocevar found himself on the front row for the ensuing restart. However, Layne Riggs was the designated control truck for the restart, not Hocevar. Mistakenly believing he was the control vehicle, Hocevar jumped the restart and pulled ahead of the field. NASCAR quickly issued a penalty for a restart violation, effectively ending Hocevar’s chance at contending for the win.
Despite the setback, Hocevar managed to recover and finish inside the top 15. Still, the penalty added to what had already been a rough week for the Cup Series regular, costing him a potential victory in the Truck Series. Earlier this week, Hocevar was penalized by Spire Motorsports, and during last week’s race, spun Ricky Stenhouse Jr, who vowed retaliation.
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