HARRISBURG, N.C. — Layne Riggs will make his first start for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) during the CARS Tour race at Caraway Speedway on Wednesday, June 28, driving the No. 62.
With his start for KHI, which is co-owned by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, Layne will continue a family tradition that started with his father, Scott Riggs, and DeLana’s father, John Paul Linville.
“This really is a full circle moment for me,” Scott said. “Most people don’t know that one of my earlier opportunities came when DeLana’s dad, John Paul (Linville), called my local track, Orange County Speedway, looking for someone to drive his late model car when the tour came to town and the track gave him my name and number.
“To have that opportunity at my home track, to practice and drive the No. 62 car was huge for me. At the time, I was also competing against Rodney (Childers) and later had him as my crew chief on the NASCAR side. So many parts of my career are coming back together and to now see Layne driving the same car number for the same family, it really is special and I’m excited about this opportunity for him.”
Continuing in his father’s footsteps, the 21-year-old made his CARS Tour debut on his 14th birthday in 2016.
After competing in the CARS Tour for six years, Layne shifted his focus to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series in 2022 where he won 16 races and became the youngest driver to win the championship at just 20 years old. In addition to his late model races, Layne has select starts in the NASCAR Truck Series.
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“I’m so grateful and blessed with this opportunity,” Layne said. “This came together pretty quick. We were parked next to Kevin (Harvick) and Rodney (Childers) at North Wilkesboro (Speedway) and spent time chatting about the series, the cars, the track and then after the race, we all talked about how much fun we had.
“It wasn’t long after that, Kevin called dad about the opportunity for me to get in the car and I couldn’t be more thankful. I think this is a great opportunity for me to get in the No. 62, work with Rodney and help build the KHI program. The more we can race together, the team will continue to be more consistent every week.
“Our goal is to help KHI build their late model team to be as successful as their Truck and Xfinity programs used to be.”
When he takes the green flag for the race Wednesday night, Layne will make his 68th career CARS Tour start. In his previous 67 starts driving for his family-owned team, Layne has six wins, 32 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes.
His best points finish came in 2020 when he finished second with two wins, seven top-fives and eight top-10 finishes in the 10-race season.
“We’re excited to have Layne (Riggs) run the No. 62 at Caraway next week,” said KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick. “Layne ran a great race at North Wilkesboro, and we spent a lot of time talking throughout the week with him, Scott and Rodney. He has experience running the late models and competing in the CARS Tour and he’s a great fit for us and can really help us build KHI’s late model program.
“I plan to get back in the car, but right now with my other commitments, I need someone that can get in the car, help us improve and build our program. It’s going to be fun to watch Layne, Scott and Rodney at Caraway and see what they can do.”