By Neha Dwivedi, Staff Writer
Corey Heim may have stolen the show at Martinsville with his 11th win of the season, but the limelight quickly shifted to his Toyota teammate Kaden Honeycutt, who stormed to a second-place finish and bagged his first-ever Championship 4 berth.
Honeycutt entered the short track showdown just five points above the cutline and delivered under pressure, mounting a late-race surge to secure the runner-up spot that punched his ticket to Phoenix. The Texas native became the second Toyota Tundra TRD Pro driver to lock into the title round, edging Layne Riggs in a tiebreaker with the better finish in the Round of 8.
Reflecting on his breakthrough moment, Honeycutt said, “It’s awesome. I could have easily been on the couch after July. Thanks to Stewart (Freisen) and Halmar, and Jimmie (Villeneuve, crew chief) and all these guys at Toyota. Jimmie is another reason why I was able to drive this truck – he believed in me. The rest of these guys, Toyota, Halmar, Al Hankey, Chris Larson. It looks like I just won the Super Bowl, but I don’t come from a lot.”
“I worked my ass off with my dad in my garage and worked all night on racecars to get to this point. It means a lot that I even had a chance. I hate that I didn’t execute that last restart very well, to be Corey, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m glad that he got the win and we get to go fight for a championship now next week. It’s pretty incredible.”
The irony isn’t lost on anyone. Honeycutt’s Cinderella run has come while filling in for Halmar-Friesen Racing’s injured co-owner and driver, Stewart Friesen. Since taking over the No. 52 Toyota, Honeycutt has made seven starts and will close out the year in the finale at Phoenix on October 31, 2025. Before stepping into Friesen’s seat, he ran a one-off with Young’s Motorsports in the No. 02 at Watkins Glen and 16 races with Niece Motorsports in the No. 45 Chevrolet.
Across 24 starts this season, the 22-year-old has finished three races in the top five and 13 in the top 10. But his clutch runner-up at Martinsville, the drive that sealed his Championship 4 spot, proved he’s more than just a substitute. It was the performance of a driver who’s earned his place among the season’s elite.
