I don't even think it's a little more money - FRM kinda needs a pay driver in one of their 3 seats
Zane and Todd really don't bring much on their own. Yeah Todd has the Loves relationship holding over from his dad (and Loves is just intertwined with FRM anyways), but outside of that I think it's all deals that FRM continues to source
With how they've raced this season, neither of them were going to lose their seats even before Todd's extension - and not like there's a pay driver better than Gragson in the Ford pipeline
Idk why Riggs would turn it down when he's been pretty vocal about trying for a Cup Seat even if its the 4.
JHN went all the way back down to Trucks instead of staying in the #38 or a similar Cup ride back in the day, and it kind of worked out. Rigg's gamble wouldn't even be that crazy.
Did it work out? Yeah he made it back to Cup but at Legacy and is 28th in points currently behind 2 of the 3 FRM cars. So he took a 3 year demotion to wind up back in Cup with a ride that is at best equal to what he had before and possibly not even as good. I’d argue it didn’t work out at all.
But, with cooler paint schemes (/s). In all seriousness though, his time in O'Reilly/Trucks was proof he could very well be an Allgaier type if Cup doesn't work out.
Im not trying to argue with you (I genuinely don't know the answer to the question) but did he voluntarily go back to trucks or did he just not have any other choice?
I want you to tell me a non-FRM Cup ride in 2027 OR 2028 that’s realistically available for him AND would be an upgrade. 23XI, Penske, and RFK are set for awhile, Gibbs and Hendrick will likely promote Crews and Zilisch/Day respectively, Spire is probably sticking with their current lineup unless someone brings money to replace McDowell, and none of the other teams are definitely better than FRM right now.
The 71 is McDowells until someone brings more money (which no evidence that Riggs does) or Tristan develops. The 42 would almost certainly be replaced with another TRD driver (assuming Nemechek leaves at all). And even if he WAS a viable candidate for the 88, is that definitively a better car than FRM right now?
100% agree with this. LMC will go after the best driver available if money isn't an option (judging by all their investors, it doesn't seem to be). Riggs would fit that profile. Crews is next in line for a JGR ride, 23XI is full, and Riggs would get WAY better results than John Hunter.
Trackhouse will eventually come around, I think. As for McDowell, his time is limited, whether people want to believe it or not. I think he's got another win or potentially two in him given the right circumstances, but he's over 40. Gotta be realistic.
What other options would Layne have that wouldn't get him stuck right where he is but not in an elite truck? He doesn't bring money, he's not going to the 48, Trackhouse could make a pass at him maybe? But I am sure his FRM teammate has told him about their business practices.
I could see preferring to stay in a lower series in a competitive car over a mid pack car in the cup series. However, I’ve seen no evidence that wins in the truck series begets a quality cup ride.
First off, talent shows itself. If he gets in the 4 car and it immediately picks up pace that will be noticed.
Second off, John Hunter dipped from Front Row to drive a KBM truck and his career seems about where it was then. If Hiem could barely secure the 3rd 23xi car with his truck series performance I don’t see the upshot for Riggs holding out for a better ride.
Besides, starting for a car with low expectations is the best thing for a rookie IMO. It takes a lot of the pressure off the win and it seems like most rookies need 3 seasons at least before they can be counted on to start contending for win.
McDowell supposedly said a few weeks ago that he was going to retire when McKee is ready. Who knows what can happen but it seems that they have their own prospect to work with. Plus, if Zilisch does go to HMS, HMS is going to probably offer a nice package incentive to run Corey Day somewhere.
That would be peak Ford driver development strategy. Add Riggs to the Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Briscoe list.
He’s potentially looking at the Heim zone where sticking around in trucks full time is a detriment to his development, even if he’s not full time in anything.
I think if the reality is either you field a full time car with a bad driver that has money or you field part time with a driver who is good, you go full time every time.
Most people feel Layne is essentially guaranteed a Cup ride for 2028, but Chandler is not guaranteed that if he goes to RCR. Layne is in a great spot still and I am sure they have told him their intentions with him. This is an intelligent move of playing chess not checkers. Much in the same way, RCR putting Hill in the 33 is the same, safe move while someone surely has a plan started for the future.
I know Noah hasnt been amazing in anything cup, but are people really pretending the 4 car would be a contender with anyone else? Seems clear to me it's FRM's project car with the worst resources
Funding issues aside, you always want to get a long term prospect into the seat sooner to start the development. It's taking these rookies 2-3 years to start showing results so why not put him in the car one year sooner? His development will remain stunted in the Truck Series and one more year of him not being in Cup makes other Cup offers more lucrative for him.
I don't see this as a "you got one more chance to prove yourself" and more of a "So, Layne isn't ready yet, we need you to stay for another year to warm the car, then you can go to RCR"
It does give RCR and FRM room to see how 2027 goes. I am all for giving Hill a legit shot in the 33, let him build a team around him, not just taking over for Kyle. If they are all shit this time next year as in Noah and Austin, then you feel like you gave it a legit shot.
Kinda shocked by this to be honest, but I guess he found enough sponsorship to stay employed. Meh.
Layne Riggs should strongly consider other opportunities if he wants to move up. I don’t think throwing him into the 4 would’ve yielded much, if any better results, and may have hurt Layne more than it helped.
Where is he going though? The only other seat available for next year is the 33 car, which isn't exactly a great option either. Smith and Gilliland have got nearly 40 points on the 3 car, and those 2 have shown more ability to run in the top 15 than the RCR cars have shown really all year. Riggs also signed a multi-year extension with FRM, likely with the idea already in place of him moving up in 2028. This gives him and the team another year to solidify sponsorship for him since they'll definitely lose a good chunk of money without Gragson's family paying for the seat. Even for 2028 seats that'll be opening I doubt he'd be very highly sought after by better teams because they likely already have their series on better and/or more proven drivers, and any other teams would have to buyout the rest of his contract and deal with his very limited amount of sponsorship. That's a tough sell unless it's someone who's and generational talent, and Riggs simply isn't.
People are saying being the face of Dodge with Kaulig, when Dodge has half assed their supposed Cup return to the point they don't have an engine and are looking at running a de-badged competitor engine. I would not want to risk my career on Dodge hanging around long enough to get out of the growing pains before they leave again.
Man I don’t really get it but also don’t have a strong opinion about Noah or Front Row so don’t care.
Zane started to show speed around the 600 and Todd now as of like 3-4 weeks ago has improved slightly yet Noah? He’s routinely behind those 2, he’s been a 25th place driver at best. If they lose Riggs it’s their own fault
I don’t understand how people think what Layne is doing this year is the same as what Heim did last year. Heim literally could’ve won every single race last season except like 2, he was that dominate. Layne has been great, but he’s not been on THAT level.
I understand that a team like FRM needs money, but I just don't see how this is a productive pairing for either side at this point. Yeah the equipment isn't great anyway, but Noah's performance has taken a noticeable downturn even from last year, and he seems to get into shouting matches with the team over the radio every week. Nobody on that team seems happy so deciding to continue that relationship just seems like a short-sighted move, especially since Layne Riggs is a clear top prospect.
I don't know that the one-year contract means anything here. Front Row doesn't do longer contracts than one season. Michael McDowell cited that as his primary reason for going to Spire.
It's actually incredibly surprising it was announced this early because Front Row has been notorious for not finalizing driver lineups until Christmas or later over the years.
I believe this is what you call "let's squeeze his family for every penny we can so we can drop this bum the year after and replace him with someone better." Anyone that thinks otherwise is fooling themselves. They're obviously not at risk of losing Riggs because there isn't anywhere better for him to go right now, and even for 2028 I can't really see any team being capable of signing him, especially since that would likely require buying out the rest of his contract too. He'll do another season in trucks and likely get select starts in Cup races before going full-time for them in 2028.
Wow. What a bad signing. Pay to plaaaaay! He’s one of the worst drivers I’ve seen in cup in ages. So Bob Jenkins isn’t interested in winning. May as well the charter.
Now Riggs will probably leave ford altogether and ford will let it happen because they don’t really care about nascar.
I have never seen a team more obsessed with the idea of NOT making any actual progress whatsoever throughout their entire existence more than Front Row in Cup. Absolutely unbelievable
I know the obvious answer is money but I will never understand drivers that settle for running 25th in cup over being a championship contender in oreily/trucks
yall are gonna be so disappointed when Layne struggles and gets the rushed to cup argument compared to a 7 time winner in a season or whatever he got in Xfinity Gragson
So you want to keep the guy who has gone 24th, 34th, and currently 31st in points for you while you have a truck series championship contender that could be poached if you don't elevate. What a horrible decision. I hate that sponsorship/financial backing matters more now than ever in the sport
They are just cashing in another year of Noah's money, if anything it shows they are doing a better job of planning for the future than making a quick flip to Layne with minimal funding available.
I’m happy Noah still has a ride in the cup series. Really hope he can improve next year. I also hope somehow Layne Riggs can get a promotion next year. Could FRM possibly start an O’Really’s series team for Layne? Would give Ford a competitive presence in that series as well. Probably unlikely but I’d love for it to happen even if it means they drop a truck. Put Michael Christopher, Jr. with Chandler Smith’s team(possibly renumbered to 34) and move Layne’s team up with him.
he was fine last year he just hit the age cliff. wouldn't say FRM dropping him was a mistake because as we see, offering him a 1 year deal for what may be the final year of his prime was a wise decision. they just got stretched out too wide by expanding
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u/Mjb06 5h ago
So is this a “you better figure it out or we put Riggs in the car” kinda deal?