Bristol Truck Preview: Riggs Sets the Pace as the Chase Begins

Layne Riggs has already won six times this season. At Bristol, the more immediate problem for his championship rivals is that he has won this particular race twice in a row.

The Craftsman Truck Series returns from its summer break Thursday, September 17, with the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics, the opening race of a seven-event Chase. Riggs brings the regular-season championship, Front Row Motorsports brings two serious title candidates, and 37 entered trucks bring more traffic than a 36-position starting field can accommodate. Before anyone starts collecting championship points, qualifying will send one entry home.

This is a different postseason from last year's. Ten drivers remain eligible throughout the Chase, with no elimination rounds and no further points resets. Riggs begins 25 points ahead of Kaden Honeycutt and 35 ahead of teammate Chandler Smith. A Bristol victory would strengthen that advantage, but it would not guarantee a place in a later round. Every mistake stays on the championship ledger.

Riggs' Bristol record gives substance to his status as the favorite. Last September, he led the final 110 laps and beat Ben Rhodes by 0.759 seconds. Combined with Chandler Smith's spring 2025 victory, Front Row has won three of the last four Truck races on Bristol's concrete.

Riggs finished the 18-race regular season with six victories, 10 top fives and 598 laps led. Four poles in the last five races suggest that the pace starts well before the final restart. Qualifying near the front also limits his early exposure to traffic.

Riggs has no intention of spending his points cushion cautiously. “I'm still the hunter, hunting for a bigger points lead,” he told Bristol's race-week coverage. The opening stages give him an immediate opportunity to separate himself.

Honeycutt offers the strongest argument that repeated high finishes can challenge Riggs' heavier victory total. Frontstretch's assessment of the Chase contenders noted that Honeycutt recorded one more top five and two more top 10s than Riggs during the regular season. His two wins put him among the leading challengers, but that consistency is especially relevant in a championship without eliminations.

Smith's argument begins with Bristol itself. He won here in 2021 and again in spring 2025. He starts third in the Chase and shares Front Row's preparation with Riggs, making this a direct comparison between teammates who know the same organization can deliver winning equipment. Smith also enters his final championship push before moving to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2027.

Christian Eckes and Gio Ruggiero occupy the next two seeds. Eckes is still seeking his first victory of 2026, while Ruggiero has shown winning speed without consistently converting it. Bristol rewards their willingness to attack, but the cost of choosing the wrong moment will matter across all seven Chase races.

Ty Majeski and Rhodes bring three Truck championships between them, yet ThorSport reaches Bristol on a 43-race winless streak. Majeski begins 50 points behind Riggs; Rhodes starts 65 back. Their experience is useful, but neither can rely on a postseason format that periodically erases deficits.

Rhodes finished second here last fall, although his recent form is less encouraging: just one top 10 in the last eight races. Majeski has five top fives this season but only 34 laps led. The distinction matters for fantasy players. A familiar name can still deliver a strong finish without supplying the extra scoring that comes from controlling a long stretch of the race.

Daniel Hemric deserves attention farther down the championship order. His team reports consecutive top 10s to finish the regular season, and he was fifth in this race last year. That gives the No. 19 a useful recent foundation while the higher-profile teams carry more pressure to win immediately.

Regan Smith returns in Kaulig's No. 25 Ram for his first Truck start since 2017. Bayley Currey joins TRICON's No. 5 for his first national-series appearance since last season's finale. Caden Kvapil, Carson's younger brother, attempts his national-series debut in the No. 76.

Those changes make qualifying a practical checkpoint. LASTCAR's entry analysis also identifies Parker Kligerman in Henderson Motorsports' No. 75 and William Sawalich in the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Toyota. Confirm each driver and truck pairing when building a lineup.

FantasyJolt uses five drivers and a $50 cap. Group A doubles its driver's base score, followed by 1.75x in B, 1.5x in C, 1.25x in D and 1.0x in E. Bristol's 250 laps create 25 possible base points from laps led across the field before those multipliers are applied. A driver who leads 100 laps earns 10 extra base points, or 20 in Group A.

Riggs is the first driver to evaluate for that lead-scoring role, with Honeycutt and Chandler Smith the clearest alternatives from season form. Final price and practice speed should determine whether a second contender fits without weakening the other three positions. Hemric's recent consistency makes him worth comparing with more expensive names once the salary board is ready.

This preview was prepared before Thursday practice and qualifying, and verified FantasyJolt prices and projections were not yet available. There is no finalized salary lineup here. After qualifying, confirm all five selections made the race and check the final salary total before submitting.

Starting position matters because it affects access to the lead and exposure to traffic. FantasyJolt does not award place-differential or fastest-lap bonuses, so a contender starting deep in the field does not receive automatic points merely for moving forward. Prioritize finishing strength, stage results and a credible chance to lead laps.

The race airs on FS1 and covers 250 laps, or 133.25 miles, around Bristol's 0.533-mile concrete oval. Stages end at Laps 65, 130 and 250. The first two breaks offer immediate points, but the final 120-lap stage leaves the longest stretch of the night to settle who can turn a promising Chase opener into a winning one.