Layne Riggs is hoping his summer momentum carries over to Nashville

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series hasn't raced since June 1, but Layne Riggs is hoping his early-summer momentum will translate to his run at the Nashville Superspeedway.

Currently sitting 16th in points and 76 points out of a playoff spot, Riggs' season hasn't gone to plan. However, the blame can't be solely placed on the 22 year-old driver, as in races such as Daytona and Texas, Riggs has simply been a victim of the surrounding circumstances.

Over the last three races, Riggs has seemingly found something, as finishes of third at North Wilkesboro and fifth at Gateway prove.

While a 28th-place finish doesn't prove it, the No. 38 truck likely had top-10 speed at Charlotte before an incident relegated Riggs to the back of the pack.

After the race at Gateway, Riggs spoke about the team's uptick in performance, and why there's more momentum than usual flowing through the halls of Front Row Motorsports.

"I think we're just finally hitting our stride like we need to," Riggs said after finishing fifth in the Toyota 200 at Gateway. "I think we showed that at (North) Wilkesboro.  I think we could've finished inside the top-10 pretty easily at Charlotte and just had bad luck. That's been the story of the season, just bad luck."

While the first quarter of the season bore little fruit, Riggs believes the No. 38 team is turning things around as of late.

"I think over the last four, five, six races we've really started to hit our stride and be more consistent. I'm getting more used to the truck, me and my crew chief are bonding better. It just really takes time. I'm a rookie doing the best I can."

Riggs may just be a Truck Series rookie, but he'll be forced to race like a veteran for the rest of the summer if he wants to have a chance at the championship.

While all of Riggs' top-10 finishes so far have come on short tracks, he could be a threat if the No. 38 team brings a fast truck similar to the one they took to Charlotte. If Riggs can continue to gather positive momentum at Nashville and Pocono, two golden opportunities at short tracks await in the final two races of the regular-season.

Riggs will fly under the green flag with the rest of the Truck Series field at Nashville just after 8 p.m. ET on Friday. The Rackley Roofing 200 will air on FS2, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.