Scott Riggs: Dormant or Demolished?

Ryan Colley by Scribe Written on April 22, 2008
Scott-riggs_feature

As we approach Talladega, Scott Riggs has yet to record a win as a Nascar Sprint Cup driver. Riggs' new sponsor, State Water Heaters hoped for good to come out of his transition from Gillette Evernham racing.

This move over Haas CNC Racing has left him in a good position to move up in the Nascar Sprint Cup series.

Leaving the Nationwide series was good for Riggs, especially since he won four races, had 19 top five finishes, and 30 top ten finishes in two full seasons. The move to Gillette Evernham was his true test

A rough start is an understatement after replacing Johnny Benson in the Valvoline Dodge, who had a lower than average career in the Sprint Cup series.

Riggs managed to remain winless for his first season under Ray Evernham, but a second chance was given.

In his second season, he again logged zero wins and a mediocre overall standing among the other drivers. Entering the current season, he has four top five finishes and 15 top ten finishes, nothing to get excited about.

When Evernham gave Riggs the boot at the end of last season in favor of Patrick Carpentier, it gave Riggs a new lease on his Nascar career. Haas CNC Racing seemed like the place where that could happen.

Joining Haas CNC Racing has benefited Riggs in the fact that he has somewhat lower expectations as a driver. Under Evernham, he was shadowed by Kasey Kahne and Elliot Sadler, each of which were performing quite well.

Now, Riggs could settle back down and get into racing in a fresh setting with a few years under his belt.

Since that point, Riggs has been doing better overall in the standings and on the track in general. His qualifying runs have proved to be a little better and he has had a more reliable average finishing position than prior years.

He has had a few mishaps, but they are primarily bad timing and cannot be avoided. Riggs will be the new face for Haas CNC for a while if all remains well, but if not, he could end up being thrown from the series altogether.

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written on April 22, 2008 Opinion

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