{"id":62372,"date":"2026-11-06T22:36:42","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T04:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=62372"},"modified":"2026-11-08T16:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T22:59:20","slug":"kaden-honeycutt-charges-to-homestead-victory-and-nascar-truck-series-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/06\/kaden-honeycutt-charges-to-homestead-victory-and-nascar-truck-series-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaden Honeycutt charges to Homestead victory and NASCAR Truck Series title"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Kaden Honeycutt, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 06, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Reid Spencer <\/b>| NASCAR Wire Service<\/b><\/p>\n

HOMESTEAD, Fla. \u2014 Under caution with 27 laps left in Friday night\u2019s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Chase leader Kaden Honeycutt was debating whether to pit for his last set of fresh tires.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Kaden Honeycutt, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 06, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI say we pit, put \u2018em on and go for it,\u201d Honeycutt radioed to crew chief Scott Zipadelli.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what Honeycutt did. Gaining the lead after a restart on Lap 121 of 134, he pulled away from runner-up Christian Eckes to win not only the race but his first series championship.<\/p>\n

Knowing the title was his\u2014and screaming with raw emotion\u2014Honeycutt powered his No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota across the finish line 1.038 seconds ahead of Eckes to score his fifth victory of the season, his first at 1.5-mile Homestead and the fifth of his career.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Kaden Honeycutt, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 06, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMan, this is amazing,\u201d Honeycutt exulted. \u201cI’ve worked so damn hard to be here. Thank you to every owner, thank you everybody that’s let me drive the race car for them, whether it was dirt, asphalt, road course, doesn’t matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is because of you guys I’m sitting right here with this group behind me as champions. I’m so out of breath, I wish I could talk harder. Thank you, fans, for showing up. We just won Homestead and the damn championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honeycutt\u2019s decision to abandon the conservative approach he had adopted early in the race paid enormous dividends.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Kaden Honeycutt, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 06, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe first half of the race I did not want to push it too hard,\u201d he said. \u201cIt fell in our hands. I put my nuts on the dash and wanted to win the race.\u201d<\/p>\n

The drivers\u2019 championship was the 11th in the series for Toyota, achieved in the same No. 11 Toyota Corey Heim drove to a single-season-record 12 victories and the championship last year.<\/p>\n

Billed as a shootout between Honeycutt and Layne Riggs, the head-to-head battle never materialized. After side-to-side contact with the No. 77 Chevrolet of pole winner Nick Sanchez on Lap 2, Riggs No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford was never the same.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Kaden Honeycutt, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 06, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The contact cut Riggs\u2019 right rear tire, forcing him to pit road on Lap 17. At the end of Stage 1, Riggs stayed on the track to take a wave-around, but on Lap 46, he pitted again with a shredded right rear.<\/p>\n

A pass-through penalty for too many crew members over the wall on his stop left him seven laps down. Ultimately, Riggs finished 32nd and ended the season second in the series standings, 83 points behind Honeycutt.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that initial contact, I don’t know what happened to the 77 (Sanchez),\u201d Riggs said of the run-in that cost him a shot at the title. \u201cI thought I was good. They said we were close together. I got super free up under him. Next thing I knew, we got a tire down.\u201d<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Kaden Honeycutt, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, and crew pose for photos in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 06, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then the second flat tire cost Riggs any hope he might have had.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we weren’t able to put the consistency together to be champions tonight,\u201d Riggs said. \u201cWe knew we were going to have to run an almost perfect race. That’s hard to do anytime, any series, any level and division.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I’m just proud of the entire team that we were even in the mix, we even had a chance to become champion. It was disappointing to know I didn’t even know what my truck was going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel Hemric, Eckes\u2019 teammate at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, finished third, followed by Ty Majeski and Stewart Friesen. Heim was sixth in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota after winning the first and second stages.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Kaden Honeycutt, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, and crew chief Scott Zipadelli pose with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champions trophy on track after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 06, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite competing in only nine of the 25 Truck Series races, Heim scored three victories this season and finished 17th in the points.<\/p>\n

Chandler Smith, Jake Garcia, Grant Enfinger and Corey LaJoie completed the top 10. Smith finished third in the final standings behind Riggs, his teammate.<\/p>\n

Zipadelli claimed his second straight championship as a crew chief, having guided Heim to the title last season. Honeycutt gave Zipadelli enormous credit for his steady-handed encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cScott Zipadelli is the best damn crew chief on that pit road,\u201d Honeycutt asserted. \u201cHe’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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obviously, the guidance bore fruit on Friday night.<\/p>\n

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race<\/b><\/p>\n

Homestead-Miami Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

Homestead, Florida<\/b><\/p>\n

Friday, November 6, 2026<\/b><\/p>\n

                1. (5)  Kaden Honeycutt (C), Toyota, 134.<\/p>\n

                2. (17)  Christian Eckes (C), Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                3. (16)  Daniel Hemric (C), Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                4. (10)  Ty Majeski (C), Ford, 134.<\/p>\n

                5. (6)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 134.<\/p>\n

                6. (3)  Corey Heim (C), Toyota, 134.<\/p>\n

                7. (2)  Chandler Smith (C), Ford, 134.<\/p>\n

                8. (24)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 134.<\/p>\n

                9. (13)  Grant Enfinger (C), Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                10. (26)  Corey LaJoie, RAM, 134.<\/p>\n

                11. (7)  Giovanni Ruggiero (C), Toyota, 134.<\/p>\n

                12. (32)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                13. (20)  Ben Rhodes (C), Ford, 134.<\/p>\n

                14. (14)  Landen Lewis (C), Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                15. (23)  Parker Kligerman, RAM, 134.<\/p>\n

                16. (9)  Connor Mosack (C), Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                17. (27)  Timmy Hill, Ford, 134.<\/p>\n

                18. (12)  Connor Hall, Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                19. (19)  Justin Haley, RAM, 134.<\/p>\n

                20. (21)  Brenden Queen #, RAM, 134.<\/p>\n

                21. (25)  Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                22. (15)  Cole Butcher #, Ford, 134.<\/p>\n

                23. (31)  Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 134.<\/p>\n

                24. (29)  Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 134.<\/p>\n

                25. (28)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 134.<\/p>\n

                26. (30)  Spencer Davis, Toyota, 134.<\/p>\n

                27. (8)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 134.<\/p>\n

                28. (33)  Frankie Muniz, Ford, 133.<\/p>\n

                29. (11)  Leland Honeyman Jr., Toyota, 133.<\/p>\n

                30. (35)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 132.<\/p>\n

                31. (34)  Clayton Green, Ford, 131.<\/p>\n

                32. (4)  Layne Riggs (C), Ford, 128.<\/p>\n

                33. (22)  Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, Accident, 115.<\/p>\n

                34. (18)  Tyler Ankrum (C), Chevrolet, Accident, 115.<\/p>\n

                35. (1)  Nick Sanchez (C), Chevrolet, Driveshaft, 104.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  114.73 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 45 Mins, 7 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.038 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  4 for 25 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  20 among 9 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   C. Smith (C) 1-2;N. Sanchez (C) 3-10;C. Heim (C) 11-33;N. Sanchez (C) 34;C. Heim (C) 35-37;K. Honeycutt (C) 38;D. Hemric (C) 39-46;C. Heim (C) 47-62;N. Sanchez (C) 63;C. Heim (C) 64-66;C. Smith (C) 67;C. Eckes (C) 68-97;C. Mosack (C) 98-99;G. Ruggiero (C) 100;C. Butcher # 101;C. Eckes (C) 102-109;K. Honeycutt (C) 110;C. Mosack (C) 111-113;C. Eckes (C) 114-121;K. Honeycutt (C) 122-134.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Christian Eckes (C) 3 times for 46 laps; Corey Heim (C) 4 times for 45 laps; Kaden Honeycutt (C) 3 times for 15 laps; Nick Sanchez (C) 3 times for 10 laps; Daniel Hemric (C) 1 time for 8 laps; Connor Mosack (C) 2 times for 5 laps; Chandler Smith (C) 2 times for 3 laps; Cole Butcher # 1 time for 1 lap; Giovanni Ruggiero (C) 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 1,77,11,19,38,88,9,91,52,98<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 1,19,77,91,88,11,38,52,17,15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. \u2014 Under caution with 27 laps left in Friday night\u2019s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Chase leader Kaden Honeycutt was debating whether to pit for his last set of fresh tires. \u201cI say we pit, put \u2018em on and go for it,\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":62350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[527,1170,16,882],"class_list":["post-62372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-homestead-miami-speedway","tag-kaden-honeycutt","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-craftsmen-truck-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-ge0","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/GettyImages-2303909082-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62372"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62379,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62372\/revisions\/62379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}