NASCAR
Layne Riggs rallies to win NASCAR Truck race at Bristol, advances in Playoffs
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
BRISTOL, TN — Layne Riggs recovered from a first-lap spin at Bristol Motor Speedway and rallied to win Thursday night’s UNOH 250 Presented by Ohio Logistics, the second race in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs.
Grabbing the lead after a restart on Lap 142 of 250, Riggs held off a determined charge by two-time series champion Ben Rhodes to win this third race of the season, second at Bristol and fifth of his career.
“You don’t get two mulligans in the Playoffs, and I got two,” said Riggs, who salvaged a 17th-place finish after slamming the outside wall in the first Playoff race Aug. 30 at Darlington. “The first lap of the race to spin out, it’s a blow to your confidence, for sure, but I’ve got faith in this team, and I’ve got faith in everybody here…”
With the victory, Riggs earned a berth in the Round of 8 of the Playoffs and won’t have to worry about the Sept. 20 Round of 10 elimination race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“I think this shows that we’re right there, we’re in contention, we can do it,” said Riggs, who ran the final 109 green-flag laps with scuffed qualifying tires on his No. 34 Ford, having used a set of stickers after the spin on Lap 1. “That’s three in a row at Bristol for Front Row Motorsports. It’s a big testament to all these guys. We’ve got a really good package here.
“Man, I’m excited for New Hampshire. I’ve never even been there, and I already love that race track.”
Riggs’ victory ended a three-race winning streak for series leader Corey Heim and kept the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota from equaling Greg Biffle’s series record of nine wins in a single season.
Heim won Stage 2 but lost three spots on pit road under caution during the break and lined up third for the Lap 142 restart behind Cole Butcher, who stayed out on old tires. Butcher backed up the bottom lane on the restart and Heim fell to seventh in the running order.
All the winner of the first Playoff race could do was claw his way back to a distant third at the finish.
“It was a debatable choose on that last restart, lining up behind the truck that stayed out—I think it was the 62 (Butcher),” said Heim, who led a race-high 122 laps to Riggs’ 110. “He spun the tires really bad, and we fell back to seventh or eighth, and it was just a super track-position-dependent race.
“I thought our truck was good. I think the best team won for sure. Those guys were lights-out.”
Playoff drivers Ty Majeski and Daniel Hemric ran fourth and fifth, respectively, and take comfortable points positions into the elimination race at New Hampshire.
Riggs’ teammate, Chandler Smith, winner of the spring race at Bristol, wasn’t as fortunate. Smith fell off the pace with what he described as a power steering issue on Lap 32 and lost 12 laps on pit road during repairs.
Smith finished the night 10th in the standings, 24 points below the current elimination line for the next round.
Similarly, pole winner Jake Garcia, who captured the first stage win of his career in Stage 1, lost power on Lap 84, took his No.13 Ford to the garage for repairs and finished 33rd—three spots behind Smith and 31 laps down.
Garcia is 14 points below the cut line entering the Round of 10 elimination race.
Non-Playoff drivers Tanner Gray, Connor Mosack, Andres Perez de Lara, Corey LaJoie and Matt Crafton completed the top 10.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 3, 2026) – Four-time IndyCar Champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti is returning to the cockpit to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.
Franchitti will drive the No. 1 Dollar Tree Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in a partnership between TRICON Garage (TRICON), Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club. (LEGACY MC) for the Scotsman’s first NASCAR race in 17-years.
“The thought of racing a NASCAR truck on a street circuit is really intriguing to me,” said Franchitti, who is an advisor and driver coach at Chip Ganassi Racing. “The different surfaces, the fact that part of it is on an airport, then you go into the streets, the different bumps all those things you got to try and master. This was just the chance to race on a circuit that I love, and a chance to do something fun.”
Franchitti has remained deeply involved in motorsports as a broadcast analyst and as an advisor and driver coach at Chip Ganassi Racing, following a brutal crash at Houston in 2013. Franchitti began competing in historic car events in 2019 allowing him to still fulfill his love of driving. Teaming up with his friend and fellow racing Champion made it all that much more intriguing.
“This all stemmed from a conversation with Jimmie,” said Franchitti. “The opportunity to race the truck, it was really him, it was the whole team that he has there [at LEGACY MC] that made it all happen. His relationship with Toyota, Dollar Tree coming on a sponsor — it’s all been through Jimmie and the team at LEGACY MC. If it goes well, great. If it doesn’t go well, I am going to be blaming Jimmie.”
Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished drivers of his generation, Franchitti has a decorated résumé at the highest levels of open-wheel motorsports. The Scottish driver captured the IndyCar Series championship in 2007 followed by three consecutive championships from 2009 to 2011. His 31 career wins between IndyCar and CART, highlighted by Indianapolis 500 triumphs in 2007, 2010 and 2012, includes a victory at the 1.8-mile St. Petersburg street course on March 27, 2011, in a dominant performance leading 94 out of 100 laps.
“Dario and I had been talking for a long time about the chance to race together, so when he approached me about St. Petersburg, I knew I had to get to work,” explained Johnson. “I called him back a day later with an incredible opportunity to join a championship-winning team with Toyota and the great people at TRICON.”
It will be role reversal to a degree for the duo as Franchitti mentored Johnson when the 7-time NASCAR Champion went IndyCar racing with CGR in 2021 & 2022.
“It’s been a lot of fun getting him integrated into the team and spending more time together, going through the process of getting him back to racing,” said Johnson. “I’m so excited it all came together and thankful that Dollar Tree is going to support. I am looking forward to sitting on the pit box alongside the team and sharing this experience with Dario.”
The NCTS Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is scheduled for Saturday February 28 at 12 p.m. ET, with broadcast coverage on FOX and radio coverage on SiriusXM and the NASCAR Racing Network.
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
(February 1, 2026) – Unexpectedly heavy snow from Saturday’s storm over the Southeast forced a second postponement of the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The season-opening NASCAR Cup Series exhibition race will move from Monday to Wednesday, with practice and qualifying set to open the proceedings at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The 75-lap Last Chance Qualifying Race will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the 200-lap Clash at 6 p.m. ET.
Practice and qualifying, consisting of three groups, will be broadcast on the Fox Sports App, with FOX picking up the coverage of the Last Chance Qualifier and Clash main event.
MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will broadcast all components of the racing action on Wednesday.
“This event is for the fans, and the fans at The Madhouse are some of the most passionate fans in all of sports,” said Justin Swilling, project lead for the Cook Out Clash.
“Moving the Cook Out Clash to Wednesday, Feb. 4, gives us the best opportunity to hold this event with fans at Bowman Gray Stadium while allowing the City of Winston-Salem to dedicate all of their resources to respond to the needs created by this historic weather event.”
NASCAR is continuing to work closely with the City of Winston-Salem and North Carolina Department of Transportation on the on-going impacts of the historic winter weather in the city and surrounding region to host a safe event.
Parking lots will open Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. with off-site shuttle services beginning at noon. Gates will open at 12:30 p.m.
Ticket holders can get more information at www.nascarclash.com/weather or by calling 855-525-7223.
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service
NASCAR announced Tuesday that Steve Phelps will be leaving his position as Commissioner of the stock car sanctioning body after a two-decade long career in the sport’s executive leadership.
The decision was Phelps’ and NASCAR leaders offered the 63-year old Vermont-native praise for the legacy and accomplishments he leaves behind over a long career of guiding the sport – noting “a legacy of leadership and a strategic vision that delivered significant growth and lasting innovation, championed equity and social justice initiatives, and created industry-wide opportunities for all stakeholders.”
Phelps held the helm of the sport through a modern-era time of both great challenges – such as navigating the COVID pandemic – and noted triumphs, such as a broader international presence and multi-billion-dollar media rights agreements.
“As a lifelong race fan, it gives me immense pride to have served as NASCAR’s first Commissioner and to lead our great sport through so many incredible challenges, opportunities and firsts over my 20 years,’’ Phelps said.
“Our sport is built on the passion of our fans, the dedication of our teams and partners and the commitment of our wonderful employees. It has been an honor to help synthesize the enthusiasm of long-standing NASCAR stakeholders and that of new entrants to our ecosystem, such as media partners, auto manufacturers, track operators and incredible racing talent.”
Among Phelps’ legacies as a leader is what many in the sport consider a “transformational” new schedule in NASCAR’s big leagues, from the holding the annual “Clash” preseason feature at California’s famed Los Angeles Coliseum to adding races again at some of NASCAR’s favored venerable facilities such as North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and Raleigh’s Bowman Gray Stadium to adding first-time street races in Chicago and this year in San Diego, as well as bringing NASCAR internationally to a well-received event in Mexico City last season.
Among the highlights under Phelps’ tenure, NASCAR completed its merger with International Speedway Corporation (ISC) in 2019 and launched the Next Gen race car in 2022 – only the seventh new car in the sport’s history. He is also credited with leading the sport’s outreach to new fans and of course, securing a long-term media rights deal, and overseeing the sport’s innovative charter agreements.
“Steve will forever be remembered as one of NASCAR’s most impactful leaders,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said, calling it an “honor” to work alongside Phelps.
“For decades he has worked tirelessly to thrill fans, support team and execute a vision for the sport that has treated us all to some of the greatest moments in our nearly 80-year history,” France said.
Phelps thanked the France family, colleagues, friends and fans for playing an “important and motivational role in my career” said he plans to “embark on new pursuits in sports and other industries.”
The reigning NASCAR Cup Series championship Hendrick Motorsports organization released a statement thanking Phelps for his ‘leadership and dedication to NASCAR” noting he “helped our sport navigate opportunities, challenges and periods of significant change while positioning it for the future.”
No successor to Phelps has been named and in a statement announcing Phelps planned departure, NASCAR said, “there are no immediate plans to replace the Commissioner role or to seek outside leadership as the administration of his responsibilities will be delegated internally through NASCAR’s President and executive leadership team.”
Dario Franchitti set to return to NASCAR at St. Petersburg
Impact of historic snowstorm forces move of NASCAR Clash to Wednesday
IndyCar Adding 2026 Race in Washington D.C.
Penske, Porsche, Nasr Add to Rolex 24 Legacies with Third Straight Win
Alphabet Soup
A-OK for Axsom in Chili Bowl Finale
Okie Proud
NASCAR returns to 10-race Chase format to decide national series champions
