Riggs gets confidence from teammate Kahne
SCENEDAILY - 4:05PM ET TUESDAY APRIL 18, 2006 -
Scott Riggs says two early-season wins by Evernham Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne have given him new confidence in the Dodge Charger.
The fact that he likes his Nextel Cup car set up virtually the same as Kahne gives Riggs faith in the Charger, which has been the subject of debate since its debut last season.
"It makes us feel confidence in our cars and confidence in our team," Riggs said. "Confidence is something you cannot buy, no matter how much money your sponsor gives you."
Riggs, who is in his first year with Evernham, says a roll like Kahne's helps a team stop second-guessing itself, no matter what happens. Then it is free to relax a little more and react differently to situations.
"It's definitely inspiring for me to have my teammate run well," he said during a teleconference Tuesday. "I think Jeremy [Mayfield] and Kasey both feel the same way: The better my teammate runs, the better I'm going to run the next week. That's what we've built on here."
And it's what they plan to continue to build on.
Riggs and his crew had no points to fall back on for the season-opener at Daytona after team owner Ray Evernham added the third team to his operation in the offseason.
Things didn't start out well. After a problem in qualifying, the team failed to race its way into the event.
But back-to-back top-10 finishes have helped Riggs overcome that setback and now have him sitting 28th in points. Looking down the road, he was asked if he's thinking about the Chase For The Nextel Cup, now that he's made up enough ground to sit just 210 points out of 10th.
"We don't," he said. "Right now, we're just taking one race at a time. As a new team, we just need to focus on week-to-week."
And on reaching their goals one at a time.
"We want to get to victory lane," he said. "There's no one hungrier to get to victory lane and taste victory than myself and this entire team."
:clap yay for Scott and the whole #10 crew theyre doing a great job. Go EMS!!! :ya