Riggs’ Top-20 Streak
Snapped at LMS

CONCORD, N.C. – Scott Riggs posted a 28th-place finish in Sunday’s running of the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

All signs were pointing toward a fourth straight Top-20 run for Scott Riggs and the No. 66 Haas Automation team as they prepared for Sunday’s marathon race. Riggs had posted a Top-10 speed in the NASCAR-sanctioned testing session at Lowe’s earlier this month and although they didn’t finish as well as desired in last week’s Sprint Showdown, the prevailing feeling was that the team found the setup Riggs’ needed for the 600.

The team unloaded at LMS on Thursday, and after adjusting on the car during the first practice session, Riggs proceeded to post the 13th fastest qualifying time.

After a day of no track activity on Friday, things took an awkward turn for the team Saturday morning when NASCAR officials instructed them to bring their Chevrolet Impala SS to the inspection templates. During the unscheduled inspection, NASCAR determined that the car had an illegal wing mount. The sanctioning body then confiscated the car, taking it to their Research and Development Center for further examination.

This forced the team to pull out its backup car and relegated Riggs to starting the race from the rear of the field.

Riggs reported early in the race that his car was loose getting in and out of the corners and tight across the center. He also said the left front of the car was hitting the track on entry into the corners.

Crew Chief Bootie Barker called for tire pressure and chassis adjustments in an effort to improve the car’s handling, a trend that would continue with changing track conditions as the day wore from afternoon to evening and then to night. The team made gains on the car’s handling that made it better on long runs, but Riggs eventually fell three laps down before crossing the finish line 28th.

“We had high hopes coming here but it ended up being a tough weekend for everyone,” Riggs said. “Unfortunately we were never able to duplicate the handling we had with the primary car. The team really worked hard all night and I appreciate their effort. It would have been easy to just hang their heads over what happened on Saturday, but everyone stayed focused and gave it their best,” he added.

Next up on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule is the Best Buy 400 at Dover International Speedway. The race will be televised on Fox beginning Sunday at 1:30 p.m. EDT, and on local MRN affiliates beginning at 1:15 p.m. EDT.