Layne Riggs has established himself as the man to beat for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. On Saturday, the driver of the No. 34 claimed his sixth win of the season in the Team EJP 175 at New Hampshire.
The race was the final before The Chase for the Craftsman Truck Series. Riggs, who leads the series with his six victories, secured the regular season championship and will start the 7-race Chase as the top seed.
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Three Cup Series drivers were in the field for Saturday’s truck race. Connor Zilisch finished fifth in the No. 71 Spire Motorsports truck, Christopher Bell earned seventh in the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing machine, and John Hunter Nemechek finished 19th in the No. 5 Tricon Garage truck.
The final laps of the race were focused on the battle for the final spot in The Chase. Tyler Ankrum finished 16th at New Hampshire to claim the final spot by seven points over Stewart Friesen. Prior to the next-to-last caution, Friesen had the final position on a tiebreaker.
It was a call to stay off pit road that catapulted Ankrum up a few positions and he managed to hang on through two more restarts to secure the last spot in The Chase.
Full results of the NASCAR Truck Series race at New Hampshire
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The race ran for 189 laps, 14 laps over the scheduled distance of 175 laps due to two overtime restarts. There were six lead changes between five different drivers, with Riggs leading a race-high 106 circuits.
There were nine cautions for 56 laps in the event. The race lasted 2 hours, 18 minutes, and Riggs’ margin of victory was 0.293 seconds.
Craftsman Truck Series Chase field set
After 18 regular-season races, the field for the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series Chase is officially set. Here is a look at where the 10-driver field will start The Chase.
Bristol Motor Speedway will be the site of The Chase opener for the Truck Series on Thursday, September 17 at 8 p.m. ET. The circuit will then head to Kansas, Charlotte, Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead, respectively, to complete the seven-race Chase.
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