NASCAR Trucks Series: Riggs on top in Pocono as misfortune strikes for Hocevar and Heim

Written by Gabriel Tsui

Layne Riggs completes a strong weekend in Pocono, taking pole, fastest lap and the win to secure his first appearance in the NASCAR Trucks Series.

Credits: @TEAM_FRM via X

Layne Riggs led the field from pole, but a Corey Heim dive down the inside gave the No.11 the lead. Heim pulled away in the lead, and a long green flag run saw Heim pit immediately before the stage break, while Layne Riggs went on an alternate strategy, decided against matching Heim’s strategy and won the stage.

Stage One results:

1. Layne Riggs, No.34

2. Kaden Honeycutt, No.45

3. Connor Mosack, No.81

4. Andrés Pérez De Lara, No.77

5. Jake Garcia, No.13

6. Stewart Friesen, No.52

7. Brandon Jones, No.1

8. Chandler Smith, No.38

9. Tyler Ankrum, No.18

10. Ben Rhodes, No.99

Stage two kicked off with Stewart Friesen in the lead, with Heim rolling alongside the No.52 on the inside. Friesen initially cleared turn one but Heim capitalised on a huge run into the third turn to retake the lead. Carson Hocevar challenged Heim for the lead but came out loose out of turn two, and had to back off.

Heim continued a smooth sailing stage two while Friesen, who had yet to pit in the race, headed for four tires ahead of the stage break while Chandler Smith followed. Heim had no problem completing the stage as he went on to take his 12th stage win of the season.

Stage Two results:

1. Corey Heim, No.11

2. Carson Hocevar, No.7

3. Layne Riggs, No.34

4. Jake Garcia, No.13

5. Tanner Gray, No.15

6. Kaden Honeycutt, No.45

7. Tyler Ankrum, No.18

8. Ben Rhodes, No.99

9. Andrés Pérez De Lara, No.77

10. Connor Mosack, No.81

The final stage kicked off with Rajah Caruth leading the way, Corey Heim on the inside, and Heim easily cleared the No.71 for the lead. A few laps later, a three way crash between Tyler Ankrum, Ben Rhodes, and Grant Efinger brought out the first true caution of the race, leading to Caruth pitting. 

Heim led the way for the restart with Riggs alongside him, but a spinning Jake Garcia brought out another caution, as Heim caught a flat tire and fell to the back of the field. Riggs led the restart with Hocevar on the outside, and Hocevar cleared the No.34 but a restart violation led to a drive-through penalty for the No.7. 

Riggs drove away into the sunset as the laps expired, giving the 23-year-old his first win of the season and a ticket to the playoffs.

Final results:

1. Layne Riggs, No.34

2. Tanner Gray, No.15

3. Kaden Honeycutt, No.45

4. Brandon Jones, No.1

5. Daniel Hemric, No.19

6. Connor Mosack, No.81

7. Chandler Smith, No.38

8. Stewart Friesen, No.52

9. Ty Majeski, No.98

10. Rajah Caruth, No.71

11. Giovanni Ruggiero, No.17

12. Luke Baldwin, No.66

13. Carson Hocevar, No.7

14. Jack Wood, No.91

15. Patrick Emerling, No.07

16. Andrés Pérez De Lara, No.77

17. Grant Efinger, No.9

18. Ben Rhodes, No.99

19. Frankie Muniz, No.33

20. Matt Mills, No.42

21. Nathan Byrd, No.02

22. Toni Breidinger, No.5

23. Corey Heim, No.11

24. Tyler Tomassi, No.69

25. Spencer Boyd, No.76

26. Tyler Ankrum, No.18

27. Matt Crafton, No.88

28. Jake Garcia, No.13

29. Dawson Sutton, No.26

30. Clayton Green, No.22

31. Conner Jones, No.44

32. Dawson Cram, No.74

33. Cody Dennison, No.2

34. Norm Benning, No.6

35. Bryan Bauzat, No.28