Kaden Honeycutt wins Homestead, captures first Truck Series title

NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 7, 2026

Honeycutt wins title

Driver Kaden Honeycutt won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and secured the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in one sweep. He drove the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota to the title and claimed his first Truck Series crown. Honeycutt crossed the line 1.038 seconds ahead of Christian Eckes after a late restart gave him the edge in the closing laps. Eckes finished second, Daniel Hemric took third, Ty Majeski was fourth and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top five. The victory also gave Honeycutt his first win at Homestead and the fifth win of his career. He arrived at the finale with a 20-point lead over Layne Riggs, the only other remaining eligible driver with a chance to win the championship, and he left with the trophy secured. That gap put Honeycutt in control of the title fight before the green flag and let him race from the front when the event tightened late. The win ended the night with Honeycutt on top of both the race and the series standings.

Riggs loses chance

Layne Riggs came into the Championship Race as the last driver who could still catch Honeycutt for the title, but right-rear tire failures ended that push and left him 32nd in the finish. He finished 83 points behind Honeycutt. The key move came when Honeycutt pitted for fresh tires under caution with 27 laps remaining. That stop set him up for the late restart, where he took the lead and then kept it through the final stretch. The race gave Honeycutt exactly what he needed. He had the points edge, the fresh tires and the track position at the right time. Riggs, meanwhile, never recovered from the tire problems that cut into his championship bid. The final running order showed Honeycutt at the front, Eckes just behind him and the rest of the leaders lined up after them. The result locked the championship.

Honeycutt closes season

The championship capped a strong season for Honeycutt in his second full-time year. He had finished third in the standings a year earlier, and this run pushed him one step farther by turning steady results into a title. Honeycutt ended the 2026 season with 16 top-five finishes and 19 top-10 finishes, a clear sign of how often he stayed near the front across the year. The Homestead victory gave him his first triumph at that track and his fifth career win, which made the finale both a race win and a career milestone. Honeycutt did the job in a field that still had Riggs in contention and with the championship on the line, then finished the night ahead of Eckes and the rest of the lead group after the late restart. The title completed a season that had already put him in position to contend, and the final race confirmed it. Honeycutt entered the event with the lead, handled the pressure of the last race and left with the championship.