It was the kind of move that makes you do a double-take at your phone. In August 2025, Kaden Honeycutt was sitting pretty—sixth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. He was safely above the playoff cut line. He was arguably having the breakout season of his life in the No. 45 Chevrolet. Then, boom. Niece Motorsports released him with zero warning.
People don't just get fired when they're winning. Or, well, they usually don't.
But this is NASCAR Silly Season. It's brutal. The Kaden Honeycutt NASCAR departure from Niece Motorsports wasn't about his performance behind the wheel—it was about where his loyalty was headed for 2026. Basically, the moment Honeycutt told the team he was jumping ship to a different manufacturer (Toyota) and a different team (TRICON Garage) for the following year, Al Niece decided he’d seen enough.
Why keep developing a driver who is taking all your secrets to the competition in six months?
Why the Niece Motorsports Split Was So Messy
Honestly, the timing was what really sucked for Kaden. Most drivers who sign future deals finish out their current year. It’s the professional thing to do, right? Not this time. Niece Motorsports put out a statement that basically said they wanted to "begin building for next year" immediately. They didn't want to wait.
They yanked him out of the seat right before the playoffs.
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Imagine being 73 points clear of the elimination line and suddenly not having a ride for the most important part of the season. It was a cold-blooded business move. Fans were furious. Social media was a disaster for the team that week. But if you look at it from a team owner's perspective, Al Niece is there to win for Al Niece. He replaced Kaden with Connor Zilisch for Watkins Glen and Bayley Currey for the rest of the 2025 schedule.
The Manufacturers' War
NASCAR is as much about the car brands—the OEMs—as it is about the drivers. Niece is a Chevrolet team. Honeycutt’s 2026 deal was with Toyota.
When a driver "flips" manufacturers, the bridge usually burns. Chevrolet doesn't want a future Toyota star sitting in their simulators or looking at their data for the final ten races of a championship run. That's the part most people get wrong about this "firing." It wasn't that Kaden was doing a bad job; it was that he became a liability the second he signed that TRICON contract.
Scrambling to Save the Season
Kaden Honeycutt didn't just go home and sit on his couch. That's not how he's wired. He had to find a way to stay playoff-eligible, which meant he had to start the very next race at Watkins Glen. If you miss a race without a waiver, your championship dreams are dead.
He managed to scrap together a deal with Young’s Motorsports for that one weekend just to stay in the game. It was a "band-aid" fix. He just needed to turn laps.
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Then, the unthinkable happened. Stewart Friesen got injured.
In a weird twist of fate, Honeycutt landed the substitute role at Halmar Friesen Racing (HFR) for the rest of 2025. It was a Toyota truck—the same manufacturer he was headed to in 2026. Suddenly, the "departure" from Niece looked like the best thing that ever happened to him. He wasn't just surviving; he was thriving. He actually made it all the way to the Championship 4 at Phoenix, finishing third in the final standings.
Think about that for a second. The kid got fired in August and almost won the whole thing in November.
The TRICON Garage Era Begins
So, where is he now? As of early 2026, the dust has settled. Kaden Honeycutt is officially the full-time driver of the No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra for TRICON Garage. He didn't just get a ride; he got the ride. He replaced Corey Heim, who had basically dominated the series for two years.
He's also a formal member of the Toyota Driver Development (TD2) program.
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It’s a massive step up. TRICON is the flagship Toyota team in the Truck Series. They have the best engines, the most data, and a direct line to the Cup Series. Moving from a mid-tier (though respectable) team like Niece to a powerhouse like TRICON is the "promotion" every driver dreams of.
What's on Kaden’s Plate for 2026?
He isn't just focused on the Truck Series, though that’s the main course. Kaden is a racing addict. He’s looking at a 46-race schedule this year.
- 25 NASCAR Truck Series races with TRICON.
- A heavy dose of Super Late Model races with Jett Motorsports.
- The Modifieds of Mayhem championship (yes, he found seven open days in his schedule to go chase a title in a Modified).
Lessons from the Kaden Honeycutt "Saga"
The biggest takeaway here? Loyalty is a two-way street in the paddock, but business is a one-way highway. If you're a young driver, you have to look out for your career because the teams are definitely looking out for their bottom line.
Kaden took a huge risk. He told his boss the truth about his 2026 plans, and it almost cost him a shot at a 2025 title. But by being honest and having the talent to back it up, he ended up in a better situation than he ever could have imagined.
If you're following the Truck Series this year, keep an eye on the No. 11. The pressure is on. He’s taking over a championship-caliber truck with a veteran crew chief in Scott Zipadelli.
What you should do next:
If you want to see if the hype is real, watch the practice speeds from the next race. Specifically, look at Kaden’s "long-run" averages. That’s where Zipadelli’s trucks usually shine. If he’s top-five in 15-lap averages, he’s going to be a problem for the rest of the field all year. Check the official NASCAR entry lists each week to see which "extra" races Kaden is hopping into—his performance in the Modifieds of Mayhem might actually tell you more about his raw car control than the big-budget NASCAR events do.