When young drivers step into NASCAR, most trace their spark to icons like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, or Dale Earnhardt, whose prime years lit the fire for a career in racing. For others, it starts closer to home, with fathers who carried them to racetracks as kids and planted the seed before legends fanned the flame.
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That kind of legacy runs deep in NASCAR’s fabric, from Bill and Chase Elliott to Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., or Ryan Blaney, who followed both his father and grandfather into racing. Layne Riggs belongs to the same mold, though in his case, he makes no bones about who inspired him most. His father, Scott Riggs, was the one who left the deepest mark.
In his first appearance on Jeff Gluck’s 12 Questions segment, Riggs was asked about his first autograph and if he ever got any. His reply was straightforward:
“Not really (because) of having Dad in the sport. I remember sitting with him at driver intros as a kid. I specifically remember him, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., all sitting there chatting. Back then, I didn’t think it was anything. I was like, ‘These guys are racing against my dad, I don’t like these guys.'”
Now, with the benefit of hindsight, Riggs knows those were golden moments. What once felt ordinary now strikes him as a seat fans would give anything for, though he could not have cared less as a kid.
He also fielded Brad Keselowski’s question from a previous guest about his best childhood memory watching his father race. Riggs recalled, “He (Scott Riggs) ran Ricky Benton’s No. 92 truck at Charlotte and Martinsville (in 2012, when Layne was 10). I remember going to Martinsville and watching. The equipment wasn’t amazing, but he made the best of it. He finished fifth, and I was pulling so hard for him.”
Riggs had a clear memory of his father stuck to the bottom groove, letting others tangle and drift up the track, then slipping past them. On the straights, the truck lacked horsepower, and young Riggs thought, “Oh man, that thing is not great.”
Still, that Martinsville run became the last time he remembered his dad being truly competitive at NASCAR’s top levels.
Since then, Scott has stood in his son’s corner almost without fail, missing only five of Layne’s races. Riggs admitted his father remains deeply involved with his Front Row Motorsports team, often throwing on a hot pass during practice, climbing over the wall, and helping with tire changes or wedge adjustments.
.@LayneRiggs99 makes his first visit to the 12 Questions series this week: https://t.co/yiICjRobM2
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) September 24, 2025
Riggs admitted he had little interest in racing until he was eight or nine, brushing it off as uncool. His mindset then was simple: “Yeah, my dad is a race car driver, isn’t everybody’s dad a race car driver? This is kind of boring.” Only as he grew older did it dawn on him that such a life was far from ordinary.
That realization flipped the script, and he finally understood just how special the experience was, and that’s what inspired him.
Layne also confessed that he dabbled in baseball, basketball, and soccer during school but lacked the coordination to excel. That was when the light bulb went on; racing was the only sport he truly wanted to pursue. Yet, it didn’t come easy. He had to plead with his parents, who initially resisted, before he showed through persistence and maturity that he was ready to take racing seriously.
