Riggs Wins New Hampshire in Double Overtime, Clinches No. 1 Seed
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 22, 2026
Riggs wins
Layne Riggs won the Team EJP 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in double overtime and closed the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season with a statement finish. Riggs started from the pole in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, led 106 of the race’s 189 laps and held off Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith by 0.293 seconds. The victory gave Riggs six wins on the season, the most in the series, and pushed his career total to 11 Truck Series victories. He also clinched the No. 1 playoff seed by Stage 2, which put him in command before the race even reached its late restart battles. The result fit the way Riggs handled the afternoon. He set the pace early, stayed near the front through the middle stages and delivered when the race turned into a double-overtime sprint to the finish. That combination of speed, track position and execution ended the regular season with Riggs in the strongest possible place heading into the postseason. It also gave Front Row Motorsports a 1-2 finish, with Riggs and Smith leading the way in a race that carried major playoff implications from start to finish.
Playoff field
The New Hampshire race set the 10-driver playoff field and sent Riggs into the postseason as the top seed. Kaden Honeycutt entered the playoffs second, 25 points behind Riggs after the reset, which puts the new points picture squarely on the front-runners from the start of the title chase. Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Daniel Hemric and Tyler Ankrum secured the final four playoff spots, giving the field a complete lineup for the championship run. Ankrum sealed the last berth by finishing 16th, and his result carried the weight of a season-long fight for position in the standings. Stewart Friesen and Jake Garcia missed the cut, falling short of the line in the regular-season finale. Riggs’ path into the playoffs stands out because of the margin he built over the course of the season. Six wins gave him the series lead in that category, and his New Hampshire victory added another layer to that total. The reset changes the numbers, but it does not erase the momentum he built before the postseason began. The playoffs open at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the 10 remaining title contenders will start the next stage of the championship fight with the field now set.
Zilisch surge
Connor Zilisch added one of the strongest individual showings in the race. He swept Stages 1 and 2, led 55 laps and finished fifth in his third Truck Series start of the season. That effort kept him in the mix throughout the day and gave him a place among the race’s top finishers even as the lead changed hands late. Smith finished second behind Riggs, and Honeycutt came home third after a flat tire changed the shape of his run. Stewart Friesen took fourth, which put him just outside the top three after a steady race. The finishing order reflected the different paths drivers took through the event. Riggs controlled the biggest chunk of the race and won the decisive sprint. Smith stayed close enough to pressure him to the line. Honeycutt fought back after his tire issue and still salvaged a podium finish. Zilisch built his day through stage wins and long stretches up front before settling into fifth at the checkered flag. The combination of front-running speed, late-race drama and playoff stakes made the race one of the defining Truck Series events of the regular season. Riggs leaves New Hampshire with the win, the top seed and the best statistical season in the series.
