Kaden Honeycutt (right) in a thrilling battle with Tanner Gray (left) in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo: Michael Donahue | The Podium Finish)
AVONDALE, Ariz. — After a very strong run at Martinsville vaulted him into the Championship 4, Kaden Honeycutt was ready to tackle a track that he runs extremely well at, Phoenix Raceway.
With that being said, Honeycutt and the No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing team had a lot of confidence going into Friday. He started the weekend off strong, finishing third in the only practice session for the Craftsman Truck Series on Thursday.
Early Friday afternoon, Honeycutt outqualified the other three Championship 4 drivers, landing on the inside of Row 3 in the fifth starting position.
On the initial start of the race, NASCAR nailed Honeycutt with a penalty for “getting out of line too soon”, which meant that he had to work his way up from the back of the pack in Stage 1. However, the No. 52’s speed was there from the start. Honeycutt quickly climbed the leaderboard and finished seventh, not too far behind his Championship 4 competitors of Corey Heim, who won the stage, and Ty Majeski in third.
That early penalty was the result of the only mistake he made throughout the rest of the 160 lap Championship Race. He ran inside the top 10 for the rest of the night.
The green flag for Stage 2 waved on Lap 55 with the No. 52 restarting 10th after stage break pit stops. The Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota was stout in the second stage, gaining six spots in the 45-lap run.
Stage 3 was chaos, as Honeycutt only had 60 laps to fight his way to the top spot and pursue his first career Truck Series championship and first championship for HFR. Throughout the whole stage, he fought an all-out battle with both Heim in the No.11 and Majeski in the No.98. Honeycutt never fell out of the top five in Stage 3 despite different strategies and numerous cautions.
Kaden Honeycutt waving to the fans during driver introductions at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. (Photo: Chloe Gunn | The Podium Finish)
After a caution for a multi-truck wreck with less than 30 laps to go, Honeycutt ended up getting passed by the No. 34 of Layne Riggs. Over the next 20 laps, Honeycutt was in a tight battle with Majeski, during which the No. 52 was no less than 0.7 of a second behind the No. 98 ThorSport truck.
On Lap 146 with four laps to go, a caution for Connor Mosack made for an all-important strategy call – stay out or pit; take two tires or four tires. Crew chief Jimmy Villeneuve elected a two-tire stop. However, they were not alone in that call as Majeski also had a two-tire stop. The Heim team elected a four-tire stop.
Honeycutt came off pit road in third behind Majeski and Rajah Caruth, which put him second in terms of championship eligible drivers. Overtime began and with only two trucks staying out during the caution, Honeycutt lined up in fifth on the outside of Row #3.
The restart saw trucks going seven-wide as Stefan Parsons, Majeski, Honeycutt, Cole Buttcher, Caruth, Grant Enfinger, and Heim were bumper-to-tailgate until another caution came out just before the white flag at the start/finish line.
Honeycutt had another shot at the championship restarting third behind both Heim and Majeski. Unfortunately for him, it was Heim who marched away as the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. Honeycutt ended the season third in the points standings.
“I don’t think it can be anything but good honestly,” Honeycutt said in an post-race interview with NASCAR.com. “Just thank you to Stewart, everyone at HFR, Toyota, Halmar, everyone that gave me the chance to be here tonight.
“During the last restart, the only way I had a chance was if Majeski and Heim got together.”
Honeycutt may not have been in anyone’s Championship 4 picks at the beginning of the season, but with his four top five finishes and two stage wins in 2025, he will be one to watch in 2026. Not only does he have momentum coming off of his 2025 campaign, but it was also announced after Friday night’s race that he will be moving over to the championship-winning TRICON Garage next season, a move that is sure to shake things up next year.
