McCaskill considers himself fortunate to still be competitive against all the best Late Model Stock organizations that now have so much more money and technology to utilize. He added his family is the main motivation behind his commitment to racing and hopes to win many more races for them over the next few years.
“We just work hard and don’t give up,” McCaskill said. “To come out here and compete with these teams up and down pit road is a blessing. Layne Riggs is a lot of fun to race with along with Bobby McCarty. They rubbed me a little bit, but that’s racing. I had my dad and wife here, so I’m going to remember this night for a long time.”
Layne Riggs comes one spot short of first triumph with Kevin Harvick Inc.
Even though he was unable to secure his first CARS LMSC Tour win of 2023, Layne Riggs could not help but smile after the Autos By Nelso 250 pres. by Virginia is for Racing Lovers.
Riggs did everything he could to find a preferred line around McCaskill as the veteran racer played defense on South Boston Speedway’s top groove. The rigorous effort yielded a second place effort for Riggs, who enjoyed the opportunity to battle against one of the best in the Late Model Stock discipline.
“I just needed track position,” Riggs said. “The top was really, really good. Deac is the master here and he’s been racing the top around this track before I was even born. Me and Deac are the only two people that can put that good of a race on. Even though we didn’t win the race, I still had a lot of fun.”
Riggs arrived at South Boston determined to claim his first victory in a Kevin Harvick Inc. Late Model Stock after their first triumph together at Caraway Speedway was taken away due to a post-race technical infraction.
The No. 62 proved to be the class of the field early after Riggs earned the pole with a time of 15.086. After losing the lead early to McCaskill, Riggs conserved his equipment before making a run for the lead during the final 30 laps, where he repeatedly tried but fail to pull alongside the veteran racer.
With another strong LMSC Tour performance in a KHI car behind him, Riggs is turning his attention towards his remaining NASCAR Xfinity Series starts. Riggs does not see too many contrasts between preparing for short tracks and big tracks, but stressed runs like Saturday are essential for him to keep his NASCAR dreams alive.
“You still have the same fundamentals as you would in any other car,” Riggs said. “This is really gritty short track racing, which is what I grew up on and I’m trying to translate that knowledge to the big tracks. It’s been a crazy journey, and all the stars are starting to align for me. It’s just awesome to be racing a good car.”
Nick Loden earns first victory in CARS PLM Tour
Nothing came easy for Nick Loden as he battled for his maiden win in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour.
During the last 30 laps, Loden had to battle Super Late Model standout Cole Butcher and PLM Tour points leader Caden Kvapil for the top spot. Loden ultimately took the lead and held off an aggressive charge from Butcher to park his No. 43 Corvette in South Boston Speedway’s victory lane.
“I knew [Butcher] was going to race me hard,” Loden said. “He got into me really good in [Turn] 1, so I gave him the same thing back in [Turns] 3 and 4. I ain’t mad at him, but that’s racing. I was nervous.”
The victory came as a major relief for Loden, as most of his 2023 season has been dominated by adversity.
Loden was sidelined for most of the summer after he was injured in a crash at North Wilkesboro Speedway back in May. He had only run two more PLM Tour races prior to Saturday’s Autos By Nelson 250 pres. by Virginia is for Racing Lovers, with a seventh in the Throwback 276 being his previous season-best.
Saturday was Loden’s best performance in the PLM Tour to date, as he started on pole and stayed inside the Top 5 before making his move for the win. Loden was left both elated and speechless as he reflected on one of the most storied accomplishments of his young career.
“It feels good,” Loden said.
