Truck Series produces dramatic finish, disqualification at Kansas

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway featured a thrilling finish, replete with a middle finger from the winner, and a disqualification for the runner-up.

Ripping the high side up against the wall, Layne Riggs chased down leader Carson Hocevar from multiple seconds back, and nearly crashed each other out on the final lap to give William Byron the win instead.  

WHAT A BATTLE. 10/10

Carson Hocevar holds off a hard-charging Layne Riggs to win the @NASCAR_Trucks race at Kansas! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/YajijQms64

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 11, 2025

fter they both saved it, Hocevar gave Riggs the finger all the way down the frontstretch, something he didn’t fully understand.

“I know I got into him, and it was my last shot really, and he’s a good air blocker and I did all I could to get by him,” Riggs said. “He flipped me off through 3 and 4, all the way down the frontstretch, but I don’t know how you flip someone off mad when you still win the race.

“I guess I don’t get the mentality but I had fun, a ball, and just really proud of this Front Row Motorsports team.”

This was before he found out that they had been disqualified in post-race technical inspection. More on that later but what was up with the middle finger from Hocevar?

“It was a somewhat friendly, right,” Hocevar said. “I don’t remember what I was thinking to be honest. If anything, I just wanted to remind him, ‘hey, I still won,’ I guess. At the end of the day, he is super super talented and that group built a really fast truck because I remember Zane (Smith) winning against us in that truck.

“It’s no harm and no foul, and the bird was just real small for the contact, but it’s all friendly and I’m sure we’ll laugh about it when I see him.”

Riggs was disqualified for the following:

"The No. 34 has been disqualified for violating rule 14.4.9.A.3 (Bed cover material must be strong enough to prevent the cover from deflecting or sagging and must be sealed around the perimeter of all bed panels while the vehicle is in competition)

Regardless, their last lap theatrics nearly gave Byron the win.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Byron said. “I was just trying to run the wall and make lap time but I was too far back.”

As for Hocevar, this is the first time he has won in NASCAR at any level since Homestead in October 2023, when he was a Truck Series regular before his Cup Series time began.

“It’s really big,” Hocevar said. “I didn’t get to run any trucks last year. I was hungry to win but I felt like it was healthy to focus on the Cup stuff. But tonight was important for me for reps and confidence because we qualified 22nd and I was down on myself from qualifying on the pole the week before so now I have excitement to come here and try to sweep the weekend.

“So I live and breathe racing and maybe if I wasn’t racing tonight, I’d be in the stands watching and I promise you it’s a lot more fun to be in this seat.”

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