A new rumor alleges that Riggs Motorsports will no longer be the home of the Longhorn Factory Team.
This rumor comes from Justin Fiedler aka Dirtrackr. He claims in a recent video upload, “The suspicions are correct. Riggs Motorsports and Longhorn are splitting after two years together as the partnered Longhorn Factory Team.”
“I’m told the split is amicable, but that both sides, Longhorn with Steve Arpin and Riggs with team owner Scott Riggs realized that a change was necessary,” he added. “As for what happens next with a Longhorn Factory Team or house car still up in the air. I wouldn’t expect anything Longhorn owned to materialize at least in the near term. … But will we see another Longhorn factory team branded car come Speed Weeks? I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but I don’t think that I would expect it.”
He did note that Overton plans to continue with Riggs for the Dome “and then plans for 2026 are still TBD. I think both national tours are potentially on the table and then maybe a pick-and-choose slate.”
As far as those suspicions they include fans noticing that Brandon Overton’s merchandise was no longer available on the Longhorn website. Fan Jacob West noticed this earlier this week and shared into the Everything Dirt Racing Facebook group, “So is Brandon Overton no longer with Longhorn Factory team? Can’t find his stuff on Longhorn anymore all his merch is at Riggs Motorsports.”
Additionally Fiedler pointed to the fact that Overton’s Budweiser scheme for the Dome does not include the Longhorn logo on the hood.
As far as Overton staying with the team, DirtonDirt.com’s Kyle McFadden reported back in October that he would stay with the team. He noted at the time, “A lot of people on social media tend to believe that Brandon Overton won’t return to the Longhorn Factory Team in 2026. Those speculations just aren’t true. Overton signed a multiyear contract with the team and, while he underperformed this year, I think he deserves another year in the car to really prove himself.”
““I guess nowadays with drivers and teams not afraid to part ways with another, there’s an expectation that if someone isn’t performing right away, change could be imminent,” he continued. “While I understand those thoughts, I don’t foresee Longhorn starting over with a fourth driver in five years. It’s evident Anthony Burroughs is one of the best crew chiefs in the business, and it’s equally evident that Overton is a proven driver. They’ll right the ship eventually, maybe as soon as Charlotte’s World Finals.”
“We’re looking forward to getting the year done and regrouping (for next year), Overton told McFadden earlier this month. He also shared, “I don’t see anything changing” in terms of the team’s schedule.
Overton added, “We’ll go to (Georgia-Florida) Speedweeks and see what happens. We’re just trying to work on our car right now, you know what I mean? We’re gonna go to Arizona and that’ll be what’s new for us.”
“Everything’s good, we just gotta get to running better,” Overton continued. “It just depends. Sometimes we can unload and race with them. Sometimes we unload we’re really bad. We just have to turn the really bad nights into decent nights. We’ll be fine. It’s tough. It’s hard to win in any class. Everywhere we go, there’s always competitive cars. Like we said, just have to get a little better.”
The Longhorn Factory Team was originally with Myers Motorsports from 2016 through 2019 with Tim McCreadie behind the wheel. It transitioned to Paylor Motorsports in 2020. That partnership lasted until 2023 with McCreadie still behind the wheel.
In 2024, the team shifted to the Sheppard Riggs Longhorn Factory Team with Brandon Sheppard behind the wheel and the team winning the World of Outlaws Late Model Series title. At the end of last year, Sheppard departed the team and Brandon Overton was brought in.
The team competed in 107 events this year. It won 4, had 28 top 5s and 62 top 10s. The four wins came at Volusia Speedway Park, East Alabama Motor Speedway, and Circle City Raceway with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Overton finished 7 in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points.
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