Trucks: Layne Riggs Wins Inaugural Race at St. Petersburg

O’Reilly: Mid-Race Report, It’s the Zilisch and SVG Show!

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

The first two stages are in the books for the stars of tomorrow in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at COTA. Predictably, Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen dominated the first two stages. As they short-pitted at the end of each stage, Austin Hill and Sam Mayer both went to collect stage wins, respectively. Here are the key takeaways from the race so far.

• Austin Hill, after a disappointing finish to last week’s race in Atlanta following being sent by Ross Chastain, won the opening stage of the race. This was, of course, after Connor Zilisch and SVG short pitted, playing the long game for the win. Zilisch led a bulk of the opening stage, leading 12 of the opening 20 laps. On pit road, SVG managed to leapfrog Zilisch for the would-be race lead.
• The only incident to note in the opening stage was when Jeremy Clements got off course. The caution did not fly, and he finished the stage in the 30th position.
• Key drivers earning stage points in the opening stage include Austin Hill (10), Sam Mayer (9), Justin Allgaier (8), Brandon Jones (7), Jesse Love (6), Carson Kvapil (5), Corey Day (4), and Rajah Caruth (2).
• The second stage wasn’t quite as cut and dry as the first. While battling for the lead, Connor Zilisch overdrove a corner, making an uncharacteristic mistake. He went over the radio to complain that it felt like his car was pulling to the right, an indication of a possible issue with his left side brakes.
• There was a late caution in the stage as Baltazar Leguizamón suffered a brake failure and plowed hard into the tire barrier. He was okay but this effectively ended his day. SVG and Connor Zilisch both came down pit road during this caution. Zilisch had a slow stop as his No. 1 crew started to check out the right side of the car for potential brake problems. Sam Mayer went on to win the stage.
• Earning stage points in the second stage were Sam Mayer (10), Justin Allgaier (9), Carson Kvapil (8), Jesse Love (7), Austin Hill (5), Sammy Smith (4), Brandon Jones (3), and Ryan Sieg (1).

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What to Keep an Eye on in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race at COTA

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

The NASCAR Saturday Double-Header continues with O’Reilly Auto Parts Series action from Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Here’s what you need to look out for and what to expect in today’s race.

• Road course heavy hitters, Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen, are in the field today. You know what that means: another slobber knocker of a race between them as everyone else struggles to keep up. And, you guessed it: they both are starting on the front row with Zilisch claiming the pole in his No. 1 JRM Chevy. SVG is driving the No. 9.
• Since Zilisch is in the No. 1, Carson Kvapil has been demoted to the No. 91 of DGM Racing. While the car is prepared by JR Motorsports, it won’t be his usual pit crew. Rather, his crew is made up entirely of DGM employees. So, there are a lot of unknowns for him heading into today’s race. He’s starting 6th.
• Speaking of JRM, Rajah Caruth turned some heads in the first two races of this season. How will he fare on a road course? That No. 88 team is used to winning on these types of tracks. Keep an eye on him. Caruth is rolling off 19th.
• Austin Hill bounces back after a disappointing finish last week in Atlanta, thanks to the ruthless bumper of Ross Chastain. He’s rolling off in the 3rd position.
• Coverage for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at COTA begins at 3 PM EST on the CW.

Starting Lineup

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Trucks: Layne Riggs Wins Inaugural Race at St. Petersburg

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

We had another NASCAR doubleheader on Saturday. First up, we had the NASCAR Truck Series debut at the St. Petersburg street course. It was a surprisingly clean yet exciting race all the way from the drop of the green flag right up to the finish. Layne Riggs went on to claim his first victory of the 2026 season.

The mark is Riggs’ sixth career win. It was a welcome performance after he got off to a rocky start with the superspeedways of Daytona and Atlanta. He finished 31st and 27th, respectively, in the first two races of the season. Today, though, was a dominating performance as he led a race-high 40 laps, also capturing the Stage 2 win.

• Fords dominated this race, from the drop of the green flag all the way down to the checkered. Ben Rhodes seemed to be the class of the field early on as he managed to lead 23 laps of the opening stage, taking the Stage 1 win. Various pit issues, however, would have the driver of the No. 99 Ford for Thorsport fall behind the 8 ball and he never was able to regain the lead.
• Speaking of Thorsport, Ty Majeski in the Menards No. 88 also showed some speed late in the race as he was able to briefly wrestle the lead away from Layne Riggs. However, late in the going, he entered a corner too hard with too much momentum and veered off course. He and his teammate Rhodes stayed in the running and made a valiant effort to fight back but came up just short of eventual winner, Layne Riggs.
• Leading the most laps today was none other than Front Row Motorsports driver, Layne Riggs. He won the second stage and led through to the finish, leading a grand total of 40 laps. This marks Riggs’ sixth career Truck Series win, a good recovery after being caught up in accidents late at both Daytona and Talladega.
• Also showing some serious speed today was Riggs’ teammate, Chandler Smith. At the end of the second stage, both FRM trucks were up front battling for the lead. Smith also managed to lead a handful of laps.
• Jimmie Johnson’s debut as a crew chief ends in heartbreak. After running in the top 10 for most of the afternoon, 4-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. In the process, he lost a lap and ultimately finished in the 27th position. Jimmie will take over the ride later this year at the San Diego Street Course, making his second career Truck start.
• It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the IndyCar legends. Former IndyCar driver and FOX Sport analyst, James Hinchcliffe, managed to bring his No. 77 Spire truck home in the 10th position. He was in the hunt all day long.

Race Results

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