Niece Motorsports announced the immediate release of Kaden Honeycutt from the team, despite the Willow Park, Texas driver currently holding ninth place in the overall standings with 520 points. The organization justified the decision by confirming that Honeycutt signed a contract with another organization and manufacturer for the 2026 season.
"Honeycutt has already signed a contract with another Truck Series team and a different manufacturer for 2026. Making this change allows our team the opportunity to start building for next year," the team explained in an official statement.
Connor Zilisch, 19 years old, will take the wheel of the #45 Chevrolet for this weekend's race at Watkins Glen. The young driver will have a full schedule as he will also participate in the Xfinity Series race with JR Motorsports and in the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing. Zilisch won the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen last year. Starting at Richmond, Bayley Currey will be the primary driver of the #45 for the remainder of the season, keeping Phil Gould as crew chief.
Photo By Nascar Media
Honeycutt seeks new playoff opportunity
The 22-year-old Texan is in position to qualify for the playoffs, sitting 73 points above the cutoff line. His immediate future remains uncertain, though it's speculated that his 2026 deal involves TRICON Garage Toyota, a team that could provide him a seat for his first playoff appearance.
The situation is complicated by the serious injuries of Stewart Friesen, who suffered an unstable "open-book" pelvic fracture and a right leg fracture during the "King of the North" race at Autodrome Drummond, Quebec. Friesen, seventh in points with 397 units and a guaranteed playoff spot, faces a four-to-six-month recovery period. His prolonged absence leaves a vacancy at Halmar Friesen Racing that needs a driver for the postseason.
Honeycutt's NASCAR career
Honeycutt has 50 starts in the Truck Series, achieving four top-five and 19 top-ten finishes. He has raced with Chevrolet since mid-2023 season, after debuting in 2022 with G2G Racing. His experience includes sporadic Xfinity Series races during 2024.
The driver developed his career in late models, participating in events like the Snowball Derby and CARS Tour, in addition to regularly competing in the ARCA Menards Series and local Texas racing divisions.
Upcoming Races
Drivers Standings 2026
| POS | PILOTO | PTS | ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chandler Smith | 152 | |
| 2 | Ben Rhodes | 118 | arrow_up1 |
| 3 | Ty Majeski | 102 | arrow_up1 |
| 4 | Gio Ruggiero | 98 | arrow_down2 |
| 5 | Layne Riggs | 96 | arrow_up18 |
| 6 | Kaden Honeycutt | 87 | arrow_up1 |
| 7 | Andres Perez | 85 | arrow_up1 |
| 8 | Stewart Friesen | 70 | arrow_down3 |
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