Allstate 400 at the Brickyard - Scott Riggs Notes

SURPRISINGLY, INDIANAPOLIS ONE OF RIGGS’ FAVORITE TRACKS

INDIANAPOLIS (August 2, 2005)—Some people may be surprised to find out that one of Scott Riggs’ favorite racetracks is the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the sophomore driver was collected in an accident last season.

But when fans and media members push for an answer to the cliché question, “What’s your favorite track,” they often receive a surprising response.

“I really like Indy,” replies Riggs, who will make his second start at the 2.5-mile oval in this weekend's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. “We didn’t qualify the best there last year and we had a bad finish, but it was one of those races where I really felt we had a chance to contend.

“We started mid-pack, but took advantage of our pit stops. We made some pretty big changes from the beginning and started passing cars. After every restart we were able to pick up four or five positions right off the bat.”

Around the halfway point of the event however, Riggs’ strong performance came to an abrupt halt when his No. 10 Chevy was caught in the aftermath of another accident.

“It sounds funny having a favorite track be somewhere with such a bad result,” offered Riggs. “But we were just unlucky. The bottom line is that we started the race feeling okay about the racecar. But by the halfway mark we felt great about it. It was a testimonial to what a good job the Valvoline team did.”

Riggs hopes the team can pick up where they left off in Sunday's race at the Brickyard.

“If we can be as productive this year as we were last year, we should be okay,” continued Riggs. “We were fast when we came to test here, so hopefully it's a sign of what’s to come.

"The plan is to bring home a good, solid finish so that when I tell people my favorite track is Indy, they’ll understand why.”