Honeycutt wins the Craftsman 200 and Truck Series Title at Homestead

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kaden Honeycutt ends the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season in style and wins the Craftsman 200 and the Title.

This is his fifth victory of the season and of his career.

Honeycutt started the 25th and final race of the season from fifth, with championship rival Layne Riggs breathing down his neck after he narrowly edged him in speed throughout the sessions leading up to the finale.

But the championship battle took a dramatic turn just two laps into the race.

Riggs nearly lost control of his truck underneath Nick Sanchez’s No. 77, resulting in a cut left-rear tire that eventually blew a few laps later. In an instant, the championship picture shifted, and Honeycutt had a golden opportunity to extend his control of the title fight.

With his lone remaining championship rival suddenly in trouble, Honeycutt settled into a steady rhythm. He kept his No. 11 Safelite Toyota out of harm’s way while protecting his points advantage.

He finished third in the opening stage. Then, added a sixth-place result in the second stage. With Riggs facing an uphill battle after another blown right-rear tire and further speeding penalty, Honeycutt had one hand on the championship trophy heading into the final stage.

But rather than simply ride out the final stage and wait for the checkered flag, Honeycutt wanted to finish the job in victory lane.

“I put my nuts on the dash and wanted to win the race,” Honeycutt exclaimed afterwards.

When the leaders pitted under the final caution with 25 laps remaining, Honeycutt followed suit.

The restart gave him one final opportunity to turn a championship-clinching night into a statement victory.

He charged past Christian Eckes to seize the lead on the restart. Honeycutt crossed the finish line with the race victory, completing a remarkable championship run with a walk-off win and leaving no doubt about who deserved to wear the crown.

Honeycutt and his No. 11 Tricon Garage team each leaves South Florida a champion after their 83-point final margin in both the drivers and owners championships.

The Champ Speaks

“This team is freaking Hall of Fame team. Scott Zipadelli is the best damn crew chief on that pit road. He’s the best man out of 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 said on the frontstretch.

“Man, this is amazing. I’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. That 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.”

Finally he looked back out at the crowd and capped his thoughts off with them.

“Thank you, fans, for showing up. We just won Homestead and the damn championship.”

The Top Ten

MHR leaves 2026 without a win but the entire team came close to one tonight.

Christian Eckes led a race-high 46 laps and led two different times throughout the final 30 laps of the Craftsman 200 before settling for second.

His teammate Daniel Hemric had the best long-run truck of the field and finished third.

Then, Ty Majeski collected his fourth straight fourth-placed finish. Majeski also leaves 2026 behind winless like Stewart Friesen who rounded out the top five from fifth.

Corey Heim swept the stages at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This was the 14th time he has swept the stages in a Truck Series race in his sixth-placed result.

Chandler Smith qualified on the outside pole and never had the same front-running speed after the opening stage. The three-time winner this season ends his Truck Series season in seventh as he graduates back to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2027.

Jake Garcia will replace Smith in the Front Row Motorsports No. 38 as he ended his Thorsport Racing tenure with a top ten from eighth.

Finally, Grant Enfinger and Corey LaJoie rounded out the top ten from ninth and tenth places.

Notable Results

Layne Riggs ended his career-best season six laps down in 32nd. Two blown right-rear tires and a further speeding penalty killed any chance of his near-perfect night he needed entering the final race of the Chase.

Polesitter Nick Sanchez led laps early but crashed out of the race late. He DNF’d in 35th.

Matt Crafton returned to the Truck Series for the first time since the 2025 season finale at Phoenix. He started 27th and was unable to make much ground from there. He finished his return in 25th.

Andres Perez de Lara and Tyler Ankrum each DNF’d from the final caution of the night as well.

Below is the full results and final Chase standings for the Truck Series after the Craftsman 200.

Full Results & Chase Standings

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