Layne Riggs made quite the name for himself recently by winning the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Championship, and he also recorded an impressive top-10 finish at Las Vegas in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing. Could Layne Riggs be moving up to racing full-time in 2024, and, if so, where could he go?
Layne Riggs has run two races for Kaulig Racing this season, and his second outing was far better than his first outing. He qualified ninth and finished a solid 10th at Las Vegas, and that could go a long way toward him gaining a good reputation at the higher levels of the sport. Kaulig is certainly looking for someone to replace Daniel Hemric at least in the Xfinity Series, and maybe even Chandler Smith.
If Riggs can find the sponsorship necessary, then Kaulig could be a great spot for him. The question is whether or not Kaulig wants to take their chance full-time on someone with as little experience as Riggs. He only has three National Touring Series starts after all.
Layne Riggs could continue to be a candidate for Spire Motorsport’s number 7 Truck heading into 2024. However, Spire Motorsports has not yet announced how they will approach the Truck Series in 2024. Riggs’ best Truck Series run came at IRP with Spire earlier this season.
If he does run in the Truck Series next season, Riggs probably wants to be somewhere he is familiar with. He also wants to be somewhere he can win races. Maybe Spire cannot offer him a full-time ride, but they can maybe offer him a few races.
A longshot this may be, but Riggs has Toyota connections given his experience with TRICON Garage. Joe Gibbs Racing has two cars open for 2024, but they also have an all-star car with the 19. If a full-time gig does not work out, then a part-time gig may work out.
However, there is a lot of competition for this ride. Riggs is probably low on the list of potential candidates just because of his lack of experience. Then again, maybe his performance at Las Vegas could convince someone at JGR to give him a chance.
TRICON Garage has one seat for 2024 certainly filled with Corey Heim returning. However, Heim was the only TRICON Garage driver to make the Playoffs this year, so, what awaits the team in 2024? Riggs did run one for the team at Atlanta finishing 28th.
That was not a great performance, but it was a superspeedway. Maybe TRICON could give Riggs some part-time starts on short tracks since that is where he drives his best. Again, full-time may not be in the cards here, but maybe a part-time seat.
If there is another Xfinity Series team that could run Riggs on a part-time schedule, Alpha Prime is a car that has run multiple drivers for the most part. Next year they are bringing Ryan Ellis on full-time, and they seem to have their 2024 plans locked down for another car as well. What about that third car?
Riggs may not be a full-time candidate for this car, but a part-time gig could work out. His solid run at Las Vegas shows that there is definitely some skill there, and he has proven he can run up front in the Xfinity Series. However, is this the right place for him?
Could Layne Riggs be racing in one of these cars for 2024? Each of these rides offers some interesting opportunities for Riggs.
