Kaden Honeycutt bagged his first NASCAR national-series championship and his fifth Truck Series win of 2026 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After the race, he took home a trophy he already knew where to put. Before the finale, the 23-year-old said he could see the championship trophy in the nursery he and his wife, Jessica, set up for their first son.
The couple is expecting their son in February, and that gave Honeycutt a new perspective before the biggest race of his career. “He’ll be a bigger trophy, I promise you, than that championship,” Honeycutt said. “That’s life, you know. Whether you win it or not, he’ll be the most important thing, no matter what.” Two nights later, Honeycutt had both: a championship trophy now and fatherhood just months away.
Kaden Honeycutt Stopped Playing It Safe and Went for the Win
Honeycutt came to Homestead with a 20-point advantage over Layne Riggs, but the expected championship duel fell apart almost immediately. Riggs started P4, one position ahead of Honeycutt, then got sideways after contact with polesitter Nick Sanchez early in the race. A damaged right-rear tire sent Riggs to pit road during the opening stage and dropped him two laps behind.
Honeycutt kept his night clean, finishing third in Stage 1 and earning eight points, while Corey Heim won the stage. The Tricon Garage driver briefly took the lead at the start of Stage 2, but Heim got it back and won both stages. The No. 11 driver finished sixth in the second segment, adding five more points.
Riggs had another right-rear tire failure on Lap 46. His crew then got a pass-through penalty because NASCAR counted too many crew members over the wall, which put the No. 34 Ford seven laps down. The championship battle was over, but Honeycutt still had more than half the race left.
That changed Honeycutt’s approach. He didn’t need to race Riggs directly anymore, so the smart move was to protect the truck and finish the race. He said that strategy guided him through the first half of the night, even as mechanical problems could still ruin his title hopes.
With 27 laps to go, Honeycutt faced a big decision.
Nick Sanchez’s engine failed, bringing out a caution while Christian Eckes led the race. Honeycutt still had one last set of fresh tires. He could play it safe or go all in for the win.
“I say we pit, put ’em on and go for it,” Honeycutt told crew chief Scott Zipadelli.
Consequently, Eckes won the race off pit road, four trucks stayed out, and another crash soon reset the field. On the next restart, Honeycutt passed Eckes and took the lead with 15 laps to go. He held it until the end.
But Honeycutt’s win was pretty unusual compared to a typical dominant race. Heim led 45 laps, Eckes led 46, but Honeycutt led only 15, and all of those were at the end. He finished P3 in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2, but his 55 winner points and 13 stage points totaled 68 points for the night.
The Tricon Garage driver crossed the line 1.038 seconds ahead of Eckes. Daniel Hemric finished P3, Ty Majeski took P4, and Stewart Friesen completed the top-five. The race featured 20 lead changes and four cautions across 134 laps.
“The first half of the race I did not want to push it too hard. It fell in our hands. I put my nuts on the dash and wanted to win the race,” Honeycutt said.
The finish gave Honeycutt a fifth win after he scored his first national-series win at Watkins Glen in May, added a dominant Richmond victory after leading 225 of 250 laps, then won Chase races at Kansas and Phoenix. Homestead supplied the one that carried a trophy bigger than all four previous wins combined.
Niece Motorsports had released Honeycutt during the 2025 season after he signed with another organization and manufacturer for 2026. Young’s Motorsports gave him a one-race lifeline at Watkins Glen, and Halmar Friesen Racing carried him through the postseason after Stewart Friesen suffered serious injuries. Honeycutt still finished third in the championship.
But then Honeycutt joined TRICON Garage for 2026 and took over the No. 11 Toyota that Corey Heim had driven to the 2025 championship. Just a year after finishing behind that truck in the standings, Honeycutt drove it to a title of his own.
Zipadelli also made a strong comeback after serious injuries from an offseason accident that kept him out of the first three races. But he returned to guide Honeycutt through the season and win his second straight championship as a crew chief. After the race, Honeycutt praised him highly.
“Scott Zipadelli is the best damn crew chief on that pit road,” Honeycutt said. “He’s the best man out there. He’s not just a Hall of Fame crew chief; he’s a Hall of Fame man. He’s done nothing but mentor me and make me better every single week.”
Honeycutt ended up 83 points ahead of Riggs, who finished 32nd and six laps down.