Riggs finished fourth, a respectable result for the driver in only his second full-time season with Front Row Motorsports. In addition, Riggs won three races while setting new statistical records. However, Riggs was barred from the title fight at Martinsville after a tie-breaker elimination.

“I feel like we're consistently second best all year long,” Riggs said. “I felt like we should have been in that top two range.”

Qualifying was well within that group, winning the pole over teammate Chandler Smith. Yet, it didn’t mean much. NASCAR penalized the No. 34 team after unapproved adjustments. Crew chief Dylan Cappello was ejected, and Riggs served a pass-through penalty at the race start. 

Losing his crew chief, Riggs said engineer Jonathan Coates needed to step into the role, something he later praised. 

“He did an amazing job,” Riggs said. “Really, really proud of that guy. He's gonna be a crew chief one day.”

While not in the Championship 4, several driver swaps put Riggs in position to battle for the owners' title: A title Riggs appeared poised to win until a caution for Connor Mosack with two laps to go.

“I really didn't want to see that last caution,” Riggs said. “It's really tough.”

Riggs sliced and diced through the field before Coates flipped strategy midway in the final stage. The No. 34 team elected to take tires on when Clayton Green brought out a caution on lap 110.

“We just decided to do the opposite of the leaders,” Riggs said. “We went from like ninth to fourth in one corner down there in one and two. So four tires mean a lot.”

Riggs made a monster charge on the restart to track down and surpass Heim with just 25 laps remaining. Once out front, Riggs stretched his advantage to Heim until the yellow for Mosack. 

At that point, the field bolted on new Goodyears, and Riggs was shuffled to the tail of the top 10. Riggs rallied back for the top-five effort, but wound up short of a satisfying end to the season.

“They've done a great job all year to bring fast trucks,” Riggs said of his team's final result. “We have got to clean some things up if we're going to try to execute to win a championship.”

An average finish of 9.1 and only one DNF was second best, only to Heim. That said, it’s difficult to battle head-to-head with the driver who racked up 12 wins and over 1,600 laps led this season.

Riggs said Heim taught him a lot over their years of competition.

“I've become a lot better race car driver as the years have gone racing with him about every single race,” Riggs said. 

As for 2026, Riggs said his task is focused on dialing in consistency and overcoming aggression.

“I look at my Bristol race this year, making a mistake, spinning out on the first lap,” Riggs said. “Being patient, coming all the way through the field, still winning the race. That was one of those asterisks that was important to keep my head cool.”

The 2025 campaign allowed Riggs to develop a grasp of how to control his emotions when he puts on the helmet. He now hopes to take those experiences and translate them into a championship-winning season.

“I was always kind of a hot head driver,” Riggs said. “I get emotional and behind the wheel. I just drive harder and sometimes overstep the batteries. But I think this year, I’ve become a lot smarter race car driver.”