Layne Riggs ’24 Clinches Truck Series Regular‑Season Championship with Sixth Win

UNC Charlotte alumnus Layne Riggs ’24 clinched the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular‑season championship with his sixth win of the year, capping a breakout campaign that now sends him into The Chase as the No. 1 seed.

Riggs secured the title Saturday and continues to build national momentum in his third season on the circuit. The William States Lee College of Engineering graduate — already one of NASCAR’s rising talents — has stacked victories across the country this year, including standout performances at St. Petersburg, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Naval Base Coronado, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

As Riggs enters NASCAR’s seven‑race postseason on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Bristol Motor Speedway, he carries both the regular‑season crown and a growing national profile, showcasing the impact of Charlotte’s hands‑on motorsports engineering program and its deep ties to the racing industry.

“Charlotte’s motorsports engineering program gave me a deeper understanding of the engineering and technical side of racing,” Riggs has said. “It helped me think more critically about what makes the cars fast — not just behind the wheel, but in the shop.”

Riggs will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, Oct. 9, for the Ecosave 200.

Written by: Jennifer Howe