Layne Riggs Starts From Pole At Loudon After Sarah Talker Targets Changing Track Surface
New Hampshire Motor Speedway exposes weaknesses that can remain hidden at other tracks. The 1.058-mile oval features flat corners, long straightaways, and a racing surface that can change significantly as the laps pile up.
For Layne Riggs, Saturday’s Team EJP 175 provides another chance to turn a strong qualifying run into a statement performance while protecting his position at the top of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.
Riggs Starts From The Pole At Loudon
Riggs will lead the field to the green flag after posting a 29.346-second lap at 129.789 mph during Friday’s qualifying session. Kaden Honeycutt qualified second with a 29.569-second lap, putting the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford on the pole for the 175-lap event.
The pole was Riggs’ fourth of the 2026 season and the eighth of his Truck Series career. More importantly, it continued one of the year’s strongest qualifying stretches. Riggs has now captured four poles in the last five Truck Series races, giving Front Row Motorsports valuable track position before the race even begins.
Starting first at Loudon matters because positions can disappear quickly once the field settles into traffic. The track measures just 1.058 miles, but the Team EJP 175 will cover 185.15 miles over 175 laps.
Championship Pressure Builds At New Hampshire
Saturday’s race will feature stage breaks on Laps 55 and 110, leaving a final 65-lap segment to determine the finishing order. Riggs enters the final regular-season race as the championship leader, holding a 61-point advantage over Honeycutt.
Only the top 10 drivers in the standings will advance to the Chase, making every position gained or lost at Loudon even more important. The points cushion gives Riggs some room to work with, but it does not eliminate the pressure. His recent results show how quickly the championship picture can change.
Riggs won at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, finished second at North Wilkesboro Speedway and then placed 15th at Richmond Raceway. Honeycutt won at Richmond and used that result to cut significantly into Riggs’ championship advantage.
Sarah Talker Asks Riggs About Loudon’s Changing Surface
Even so, New Hampshire gives Riggs an opportunity to reset. The No. 34 Ford has already shown the raw speed necessary to contend for another victory, but the bigger question is whether that speed can remain underneath him for all 175 laps.
During Friday’s media availability, Sarah Talker of Total Apex Sports and YourNews Media asked Riggs about one of the biggest challenges awaiting the field at Loudon: how he plans to handle the changing track surface throughout the race.
The question went beyond the speed required to win the pole and focused on what could ultimately determine Saturday’s result. New Hampshire does not stay the same from the opening laps to the finish.
Rubber builds into the corners, track temperatures change, and tire grip shifts as the race progresses. A truck that feels planted on fresh tires can become much more difficult to manage deep into a run. For Riggs, adapting will be just as important as speed.
Tire Management Could Decide The Race
Riggs will need to adjust his lines as the grip changes while still finding enough traction to rotate the truck through Loudon’s flat corners. Braking will also play a major role because there is little banking to help a driver recover from an aggressive entry.
Entering a corner too deep can force a truck higher into traffic and cost multiple positions before the next turn. Tire management adds another layer to the challenge. Goodyear has prepared the same tire combination used at Richmond, North Wilkesboro, and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Teams receive five dry-weather sets during the weekend: three new race sets, one qualifying set that transfers to the race, and one practice set. Three wet-weather sets are also available. Yet that allocation forces teams to think about the entire race, not just the opening stage.
Riggs will have the cleanest air when the green flag falls, but keeping the tires underneath him while holding off Honeycutt and the rest of the field will require patience. Pushing too hard early could leave him paying the price once the grip begins to fade. At a track with flat corners, that balance becomes even more important.
Loudon Will Test More Than Raw Speed
New Hampshire does not necessarily reward the driver who carries the most speed into the corner. The fastest lap often comes from finding the right combination of entry speed, rotation, and throttle control. As the surface evolves, that combination can change.
That is where Riggs’ experience throughout this season could become an advantage. His five victories have already shown that he can close out races when his team provides the right equipment. His Indianapolis Raceway Park victory came from the pole.
His runner-up finish at North Wilkesboro demonstrated that the team could remain competitive on a completely different type of track. Richmond presented a different challenge. Riggs had the speed to compete but ultimately lost valuable ground, while Honeycutt capitalized with the victory and tightened the championship battle.
Riggs Has a Chance To Answer At Loudon
Now, Riggs has an opportunity to answer back. A strong finish at New Hampshire would send him into the Chase with momentum and could give him an even larger cushion over Honeycutt. More importantly, another strong performance would add to the growing evidence that the No. 34 team can handle the different demands of a championship season.
The challenge, however, begins from the best possible position. Riggs has the pole. He has the points lead. He has five wins. He has one of the strongest qualifying records in the Truck Series this season. Now, he has to execute.
Talker’s question about the changing surface goes directly to one of the biggest storylines of Saturday’s race. The fastest truck over one qualifying lap is not automatically the best truck after 100 laps, and the driver who understands how quickly Loudon changes could have the advantage when the field begins searching for grip.
What This Means
Riggs enters Loudon with plenty working in his favor, but the 61-point championship lead does not make Saturday’s race meaningless. With the Chase approaching, every point could matter once the field resets for the postseason. The pole also gives Riggs an opportunity to control the opening portion of the race instead of immediately fighting through traffic.
However, maintaining that advantage will come down to more than raw speed. Tire management, changing track conditions, and his ability to adjust the No. 34 Ford throughout each run could ultimately determine whether he leaves New Hampshire with another victory or simply a solid points day.
Honeycutt remains the biggest threat to Riggs’ top-of-the-standings position. After winning at Richmond, he has already shown that he can capitalize when Riggs has an off day. Keeping Honeycutt behind him at Loudon would allow Riggs to carry a much healthier championship advantage into the Chase.
What’s Next
The green flag at New Hampshire will begin another test of Riggs’ championship credentials. He has already proven he can win from the pole, manage different types of tracks, and put together a season strong enough to lead the standings heading into the final regular-season race.
Now he has to put it all together at Loudon. The Team EJP 175 will cover 175 laps and 185.15 miles, with stage breaks on Laps 55 and 110 before the final 65-lap run. Riggs will have the best starting position in the field, but the changing surface means the truck underneath him at the finish may require a completely different setup and driving approach than the one that put him on the pole.
That is the challenge waiting for the championship leader. If Riggs can adapt as the track changes, protect his tires and stay out of trouble, he has a legitimate opportunity to strengthen his hold on the standings before the Chase begins. Saturday will show whether the No. 34 team can turn another pole into the kind of finish that could set the tone for the championship fight.
