Layne Riggs won Ecosave 250 at Charlotte, took Stage 1

NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 10, 2026

Riggs made the late move

Layne Riggs turned the final stretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway into his race, passing Kaden Honeycutt with seven laps remaining and holding on to win the NASCAR Truck Series event. The move came after Honeycutt got sideways and brushed the wall, which opened the door for Riggs to slip by and take control late. Riggs also won Stage 1, giving him a strong day from the start and a finish that matched the pace he showed across the race. The result put Riggs at the front of the story in a race that shifted late and rewarded the driver who handled the pressure best when the laps counted down. He did what he had to do when the opportunity came, stayed ahead and left Charlotte with the victory after closing out the final laps from the lead. That late pass stood as the key moment of the race, and it came in the kind of head-to-head battle that often decides Truck Series events. Riggs had to wait for the opening, then make the move quickly, and he did both when Honeycutt lost momentum near the wall.

Honeycutt stays points leader

Kaden Honeycutt still walked away from Charlotte in the points lead, even after losing the win to Riggs in the closing laps. Honeycutt finished third and remained 17 points ahead of Riggs after the race, which kept the championship picture tight at the top. He also collected Stage 2, so his night had impact on both ends of the event. Honeycutt showed enough speed to lead late and enough consistency to protect the top spot in the standings, even with the disappointment of letting the win slip away. The battle with Riggs mattered for the race result, but it also mattered in the larger points race because the margin stayed narrow. Honeycutt led Riggs by 17 points after the checkered flag, a slim gap that reflects how close the title fight has become. His third-place finish, paired with the stage win, gave him a productive night even without the victory. The race left him on top of the standings and kept the chase lined up between the two drivers who controlled the final part of the event. Honeycutt had a path to the win until the late mistake and the wall contact changed the race, but he still left with the points edge intact.

Eckes, Currey, Smith round out top five

Christian Eckes finished second and gave the front-runners another strong result, while Bayley Currey took fourth and Chandler Smith finished fifth to complete the top five. Eckes stayed in the mix at the sharp end throughout the finish, landing one spot behind Riggs after the late shuffle at the front. Currey’s fourth-place result and Smith’s fifth-place run added depth to the front of the field and kept the top five tightly packed at the end of the race. Those finishes mattered because the race turned into a duel between Riggs and Honeycutt, but the rest of the top positions held steady behind them. Eckes secured the runner-up spot, Currey and Smith followed, and the final order at the front reflected how the race settled after Riggs made the decisive pass. The finish also underscored how much one late move can reshape a Truck Series race. Honeycutt had the lead, Riggs found the opening, and the rest of the top five slotted in around that moment. With Riggs first, Eckes second and Honeycutt third, the front of the field finished in a way that kept both the race result and the points race clear. Currey and Smith completed a strong five-driver group at Charlotte, giving the event a defined top end and a clear finish after the late lead change.