Setback for No. 34 FRM Team as Riggs Faces Pass-Through in Phoenix Finale
The air in the garage is thick with anticipation, the smell of race fuel, and the low hum of finely tuned machinery. This is Phoenix, the final battleground, where championships are won and lost. For Layne Riggs and the No. 34 team from Front Row Motorsports, this weekend was supposed to be about redemption, about ending the season on a high note after the heartbreak of Martinsville.
But before the first green flag even waved, their weekend took a sharp, painful turn. You put everything you have into this sport. Blood, sweat, long nights, and sacrificed time with family. You fight tooth and nail all season, clawing your way through the playoffs, only to have it ripped away by a tiebreaker.
That’s the bitter pill Riggs had to swallow last week. Now, heading into the finale, the team had a chance to show their strength, to make a statement. Instead, they find themselves staring down a penalty that feels like salt in a fresh wound.
A Setback for Front Row Motorsports in Phoenix
Friday morning at Phoenix Raceway is supposed to be about final adjustments, about finding that last ounce of speed. For the Front Row Motorsports team, it became a scene of frustration. NASCAR officials, conducting their pre-race inspection, discovered an unapproved modification on the No. 34 Ford.
The official report cited an added panel, a piece designed to close the gap between the oil tank and the floorboard. According to the official NASCAR Rulebook, it’s considered an attempt to manipulate airflow to gain an aerodynamic advantage.
The rulebook is akin to the bible in this sport, and when you’re found on the wrong side of it, the consequences are swift and severe. The team was pushing the envelope, looking for that edge that every team in the garage is desperately seeking. This time, they just pushed a little too far.
The Penalties and What They Mean for Riggs
The hammer came down hard. Crew chief Dylan Cappello was ejected from the track for the rest of the weekend. That’s a tough blow for any driver, losing the voice in your ear, the strategist on the pit box, the guy you trust to make the right calls under pressure. It’s like a quarterback losing his head coach right before the Super Bowl.
For Layne Riggs, the penalty is a gut punch. He’ll be forced to start at the rear of the field, watching the pack roar away as he waits. Then, after the green flag drops, he has to serve a pass-through penalty on pit road. In a race this competitive, that’s a mountain to climb. It puts you laps down before you’ve even had a chance to race.
While his hopes for a driver’s championship were already dashed, the No. 34 truck is still in the hunt for the Owner’s Championship, and this penalty makes that a nearly impossible feat. It’s just a brutal turn of events for a team that has shown so much heart all season. Riggs is a fighter, a talent on the rise who battled his way into the playoffs. Front Row Motorsports gave him a competitive truck week in and week out.
Final Thoughts
To see their season finale start like this, with a self-inflicted wound, is just crushing. It’s a stark reminder of how unforgiving this sport can be, where a single decision in the shop can derail everything you’ve worked for on the track. Now, all they can do is dig deep, fight for every spot, and try to salvage a bit of pride from the ashes of a weekend that started all wrong.
