Layne Riggs earned his first win of the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season at Pocono Raceway on Friday, June 20, but he didn’t celebrate without thinking about what could’ve been for others.
After a wild restart in the closing laps that saw Corey Heim drop out with a flat tire and Carson Hocevar penalized for a restart violation, Riggs found himself in the lead and stayed there until the end.
Layne Riggs Took ‘Advantage’ of Other People’s Misfortune for Third Career Truck Series Win
Riggs crossed the finish line 3.640 seconds ahead of Tanner Gray to score the third win of his Truck Series career. Kaden Honeycutt, Brandon Jones, and Daniel Hemric completed the top five. Hocevar, who was briefly ahead before being penalized, finished in 13th.
The turning point of the race came with 19 laps to go. Heim, who had led a race-high 48 of the 80 laps, suffered a flat right-rear tire just before the restart and had to pit. That made Riggs the control truck for the restart. But instead of lining up behind him, Hocevar jumped ahead in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports truck and took the lead.
NASCAR reviewed the restart, then issued Hocevar a drive-through penalty for jumping Riggs before the restart. He served the penalty with 18 laps remaining. After the race, Riggs spoke about the win and showed empathy toward Heim.
“I really hate that the #11 [Heim] fell out,” Riggs remarked in his post-race interview (via X). “Not sure what the #7 [Hocevar] was doing on the restart there, but I made sure to take advantage of it. Not really sure why we slowed down 30mph in the restart zone, but hey, I’m a happy man right now … I’m on cloud nine.”
Got that dub!
pic.twitter.com/pxnuh9j6xG— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) June 20, 2025
Riggs had not expected to contend for the win. He mentioned how rough the team’s last Pocono visit was, recalling how they wrecked in practice and ran near the back all day. This time, things were completely different. With a fast truck and smart moves, he stayed near the front and pounced when the moment came.
Hocevar, a full-time Cup Series driver running part-time in Trucks, didn’t agree with NASCAR’s ruling. He wanted his team to challenge the penalty, but still followed through and served it. That decision cost him a shot at the win and dropped him out of the top ten.
Riggs Locks Himself Into the Playoffs With 4 Regular Season Races To Go
Layne Riggs has locked himself into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs. After earning his first career pole earlier in the day, Riggs capped off Friday with his first win of the 2025 season and third career victory. He’s now the seventh driver to secure a playoff spot.
Riggs also became the third driver in a row to win their first race of the season and punch their ticket to the playoffs. That makes the battle to get in on points even tougher. Only three spots remain, and with four races left in the regular season, there’s a real chance more than 10 different winners could shake up the standings.
Heim remains far ahead in the points, holding a 124-point lead over second place. He already has one hand on the regular-season title. But behind him, the fight is getting intense. Grant Enfinger, Kaden Honeycutt, and Ty Majeski are the three drivers currently holding the final playoff spots on points.
Majeski, the defending champion, sits just 10 points ahead of his ThorSport Racing teammate Jake Garcia. With only road courses and short tracks left on the schedule, more surprise winners could be on the way. That means drivers on the bubble are at risk of being left out.
More: NASCAR Truck Pocono Results: Layne Riggs Claims Surprise Victory Amid Carson Hocevar Restart Controversy
The Truck Series will be back on track Saturday, June 28, for the LiUNA 150 at Lime Rock Park. The race starts at 1:00 p.m. ET.
