Scott Riggs
Encyclopedia
Russell Scott Riggs is a NASCAR
driver. He currently drives the #81 Dodge Charger
for Whitney Motorsports
in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
In 1999, Riggs made his major-league NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series
at Indianapolis Raceway Park
, driving the #84 for Long Brothers Racing. He started seventh and finished nineteenth. He also competed at Richmond International Raceway
, where he finished 23rd. In 2000, he finished ninth at Martinsville Speedway
for Long, when he was hired to drive the #86 RC Cola Dodge Ram
for Impact Motorsports
, where he had seven top-tens. Towards the end of the season, he was released from Impact, and competed in one final race at California Speedway
for Brevak Racing, finishing sixteenth. The following season, he drove for Ultra Motorsports
, where he picked up five wins, the first coming at Martinsville. He finished fifth in points at the end of the season.
for ppc Racing
. He won his first race at Nashville Superspeedway
, then won again two weeks later at California. He finished tenth in points at the end of the season, earning him Rookie of the Year honors. The next season, he picked up two more wins including a thrilling last-lap pass for a victory at Gateway International Raceway
and finished sixth in points. He also won the Most Popular Driver award.
In 2004, Riggs signed to drive the #10 Valvoline
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
for MB2 Motorsports. Qualifying for all but one race that season, he had a fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway
and finished 29th in points, fifth in the Rookie of the Year standings. In 2005, he won his first pole at Martinsville
, and went on to have a second-place finish at Michigan International Speedway
.
At the end of the year, Riggs and Valvoline left for Evernham Motorsports
. In 2006, Riggs failed to make the Daytona 500
because of a mechanical error in qualifying and a lack of owner points from the previous season (from the former #91 team). The #10 team finished the 2006 season high enough in owners' points to guarantee themselves a starting spot in the first 5 races in 2007. Riggs had back-to-back top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Texas
. Riggs also won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600
and the NEXTEL Open exhibition race at Charlotte
. He won the NEXTEL Open, leading all but one lap, and advanced to the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge where he finished tenth. In the Coca-Cola 600, Riggs led 90 laps, but a pit road violation took him out of contention and he finished 13th. His highest ranking in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup points standings has been 18th. Riggs best finish in the 2006 Nextel Cup season was a 4th place finish which came at the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway
. Scott won the pole in the Bank of America 500
, sweeping both poles at Charlotte
.
Riggs struggled in 2007, falling out of the top-35 in owner's points, and began failing to qualify for several races. During the summer, Riggs did not renew his contract with Evernham, and on October 3, 2007 it was revealed that Riggs had signed a contract to drive Haas CNC Racing
's #66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet
for the 2008 season
. He was replaced in the #10 car for the last two races of 2007 by Patrick Carpentier
.
Riggs was released from Haas CNC when that team signed Tony Stewart
and became Stewart Haas Racing. Riggs joined Tommy Baldwin Racing
to drive the #36 Toyota Camry in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
. After qualifying for eight races, including the 2009 Daytona 500
, Riggs announced that he was parting ways with TBR, refusing to be a start-and-park driver. He was replaced in favor of Mike Skinner, Brian Simo, and Patrick Carpentier.
On the March 30, 2010 it was announced Riggs would drive the #90 Chevrolet Impala
for Keyed-Up Motorsports
on an initial two race contract, taking over from Casey Mears
who moved to Joe Gibbs Racing
as a standby driver for Denny Hamlin
. Riggs was running 25th on the lead lap in the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix, but he blew a right-front tire with 4 laps to go and pounded the Turn 3 wall, forcing a green-white-checkered finish. Riggs went on to finish 28th. Due to sponsorship reasons, Keyed-Up Motorsports announced they would not return to the Sprint Cup Series until they had enough funds to run entire races. Riggs is slated to drive once the team returns to competition.
Riggs drove for Whitney Motorsports in 4 races in 2011. However, after 4 dnq's, his was released from the team.
to drive the #09 Ford Fusion for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard. After the 2/27 race at Las Vegas, Riggs sat 10th in the series point standings. However, despite strong and consistent runs, Riggs was unable to bring sponsorship to the team and was released after the Nashville 300. On May 28, 2010, Riggs signed with Richard Childress Racing
to drive the #21 Zaxby's Chevrolet Impala for the Federated Auto Parts 300
at Nashville Superspeedway
and for the Meijer 300
at Kentucky Speedway
, while sharing duties with Clint Bowyer
for the remainder of the season. At Nashville, Riggs recorded his first Top-10 of the season, finishing 9th. He also finished 9th at Kentucky. In 2011, Riggs has made ten starts in the Nationwide series for R3 Motorsports, with a best finish of 13th at Darlington. Most of Rigg's starts have been in the team's start and park entry used to fund the team's primary car.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver. He currently drives the #81 Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, built on three different platforms and sizes, all bearing the Charger nameplate...
for Whitney Motorsports
Whitney Motorsports
Whitney Motorsports is a NASCAR team that currently competes in the Sprint Cup Series. It is based in Harrisburg, North Carolina. They currently field the #46Red Line Oil/International Trucks Ford Fusion for Scott Speed and The #81 Ford Fusion for Scott Riggs....
in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Early career
Riggs began his racing career at the age of fourteen in the American Motorcycle Association, where he won the State Championship in North Carolina two years in a row. At the age of seventeen, he began racing the NASCAR mini stock division, and won twelve races over his first three seasons. He continued to race in that series over the next decade, and was a two-time champion at Southern National Speedway.In 1999, Riggs made his major-league NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
at Indianapolis Raceway Park
O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is a racing circuit complex in Brownsburg, Indiana...
, driving the #84 for Long Brothers Racing. He started seventh and finished nineteenth. He also competed at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, where he finished 23rd. In 2000, he finished ninth at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
for Long, when he was hired to drive the #86 RC Cola Dodge Ram
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
for Impact Motorsports
Impact Motorsports
Impact Motorsports is a former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team. It was owned by David Hodson and Russell Kersh from 1997 until 2001, when it was sold to Phil Bonifield....
, where he had seven top-tens. Towards the end of the season, he was released from Impact, and competed in one final race at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
for Brevak Racing, finishing sixteenth. The following season, he drove for Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports was a NASCAR Winston Cup & Craftsman Truck Series racing team. Jim Smith helped start the team and the Craftsman Truck Series. It ran full time in the Craftsman Truck Series from 1994 to 2005, earning many wins and a 2005 championship with Ted Musgrave...
, where he picked up five wins, the first coming at Martinsville. He finished fifth in points at the end of the season.
Nationwide Series
In 2002, Riggs moved to the Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) to drive the #10 Nestlé Nesquik Ford TaurusFord Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
for ppc Racing
Ppc Racing
ppc Racing was a NASCAR racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team was owned by Greg Pollex. ppc Racing came about from a merger of Pollex's Busch Series team with a car owned by Steve DeSouza and Ted Campbell in 1999. The team shut down in 2007 due to a lack of funding...
. He won his first race at Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
, then won again two weeks later at California. He finished tenth in points at the end of the season, earning him Rookie of the Year honors. The next season, he picked up two more wins including a thrilling last-lap pass for a victory at Gateway International Raceway
Gateway International Raceway
Gateway Motorsports Park is a race track in Madison, Illinois, USA, just east of St. Louis, Missouri. After being shuttered by former owner Dover Motorsports Inc., on Nov. 3, 2010, it was announced Sept. 8, 2011, that the facility would re-open and host an NHRA Full Throttle Series event Oct. 5-7,...
and finished sixth in points. He also won the Most Popular Driver award.
Sprint Cup Series
Ashland, Inc.
Ashland Inc. is a Fortune 500 company which operates in more than 100 countries throughout the world. Presently based in Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, the company traces its roots back to Ashland, Kentucky .-History:...
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
for MB2 Motorsports. Qualifying for all but one race that season, he had a fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
and finished 29th in points, fifth in the Rookie of the Year standings. In 2005, he won his first pole at Martinsville
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
, and went on to have a second-place finish at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
.
At the end of the year, Riggs and Valvoline left for Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
. In 2006, Riggs failed to make the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
because of a mechanical error in qualifying and a lack of owner points from the previous season (from the former #91 team). The #10 team finished the 2006 season high enough in owners' points to guarantee themselves a starting spot in the first 5 races in 2007. Riggs had back-to-back top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Texas
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
. Riggs also won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
and the NEXTEL Open exhibition race at Charlotte
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
. He won the NEXTEL Open, leading all but one lap, and advanced to the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge where he finished tenth. In the Coca-Cola 600, Riggs led 90 laps, but a pit road violation took him out of contention and he finished 13th. His highest ranking in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup points standings has been 18th. Riggs best finish in the 2006 Nextel Cup season was a 4th place finish which came at the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
. Scott won the pole in the Bank of America 500
Bank of America 500
The Bank of America 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that is hosted annually at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, United States. The race is usually held in the month of October, as part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup and is 500 miles long...
, sweeping both poles at Charlotte
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
.
Riggs struggled in 2007, falling out of the top-35 in owner's points, and began failing to qualify for several races. During the summer, Riggs did not renew his contract with Evernham, and on October 3, 2007 it was revealed that Riggs had signed a contract to drive Haas CNC Racing
Haas CNC Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, and runs the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala driven by Stewart and the #39 United States...
's #66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for the 2008 season
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
. He was replaced in the #10 car for the last two races of 2007 by Patrick Carpentier
Patrick Carpentier
Patrick Carpentier is a retired Canadian race car driver. He is best known for his career in the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. In 2009, Patrick shared the #36 of Tommy Baldwin Racing with Mike Skinner and ran Michael Waltrip's #55 Toyota Camry in the road course races in the...
.
Riggs was released from Haas CNC when that team signed Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
and became Stewart Haas Racing. Riggs joined Tommy Baldwin Racing
Tommy Baldwin Racing
Tommy Baldwin Racing is a NASCAR team based in Mooresville North Carolina. The team is owned by former crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr., son of late modified driver Tom Baldwin...
to drive the #36 Toyota Camry in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
. After qualifying for eight races, including the 2009 Daytona 500
2009 Daytona 500
The 2009 Daytona 500, the fifty-first running of Daytona 500, was the first points-paying race to open the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The race was won by Matt Kenseth making a car numbered 17 winning the Daytona 500 for the first time in 20 years since Darrell Waltrip's win back in 1989 and the...
, Riggs announced that he was parting ways with TBR, refusing to be a start-and-park driver. He was replaced in favor of Mike Skinner, Brian Simo, and Patrick Carpentier.
On the March 30, 2010 it was announced Riggs would drive the #90 Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
for Keyed-Up Motorsports
Keyed-Up Motorsports
Keyed-Up Motorsports is a stock car racing team currently on hiatus from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owned by Raymond Key. The team fielded the #90 Chevrolet Impala for 2010 but failed to qualify for the 2010 Daytona 500. Casey Mears was the driver for the first six events, their crew chief was...
on an initial two race contract, taking over from Casey Mears
Casey Mears
Casey James Mears is the driver of the #13 GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. He is a former winner of the Coca-Cola 600....
who moved to Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
as a standby driver for Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
. Riggs was running 25th on the lead lap in the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix, but he blew a right-front tire with 4 laps to go and pounded the Turn 3 wall, forcing a green-white-checkered finish. Riggs went on to finish 28th. Due to sponsorship reasons, Keyed-Up Motorsports announced they would not return to the Sprint Cup Series until they had enough funds to run entire races. Riggs is slated to drive once the team returns to competition.
Riggs drove for Whitney Motorsports in 4 races in 2011. However, after 4 dnq's, his was released from the team.
Return to Nationwide
Riggs returned to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 20102010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season was the twenty-ninth season of semi-professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included thirty-five races, which ended with the Ford 300 at Homestead Miami Speedway...
to drive the #09 Ford Fusion for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard. After the 2/27 race at Las Vegas, Riggs sat 10th in the series point standings. However, despite strong and consistent runs, Riggs was unable to bring sponsorship to the team and was released after the Nashville 300. On May 28, 2010, Riggs signed with Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
to drive the #21 Zaxby's Chevrolet Impala for the Federated Auto Parts 300
Federated Auto Parts 300
The Federated Auto Parts 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Nashville Superspeedway. The race is one of two races held at the track, which received a second date on the then-Busch Series schedule one year after the track opened...
at Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
and for the Meijer 300
Meijer 300
The Feed the Children 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, United States. The distance of the race is 300 miles .-History:...
at Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
, while sharing duties with Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. Early in his career, he drove for Richard Childress Racing. He won the 2008 Nationwide Series championship....
for the remainder of the season. At Nashville, Riggs recorded his first Top-10 of the season, finishing 9th. He also finished 9th at Kentucky. In 2011, Riggs has made ten starts in the Nationwide series for R3 Motorsports, with a best finish of 13th at Darlington. Most of Rigg's starts have been in the team's start and park entry used to fund the team's primary car.