NASCAR
Kaden Honeycutt Takes Third Win of Season, Truck Points Lead in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A marathon Saturday in Kansas may go onto be the turning point in the 2026 Truck Series title fight. Chase bad luck continued for title favorite Layne Riggs. Meanwhile, his chief competition Kaden Honeycutt had a near-flawless afternoon. Now a three-time winner on the season, the Toyota phenom took over the championship lead by a big gap. This year’s Chase is shaping up to be a monster two-horse fight down the stretch. Truckers turned many heads in a water-logged several hour affair from Kansas.
Coming into Kansas second in points, Kaden Honeycutt had a dominant drive from the start. The TRICON Garage No. 11 Toyota took the lead on lap one, and hardly left the top spot for either stage. A few trucks not pitting after Stage 2 set the 11 back, and then a four-plus hour rain delay put a hold on things.
While Honeycutt earned max points sweeping the stages, title rival Layne Riggs had a pit stop error. The No. 34 tried leaving his box without tight left side lug nuts\, leading to a longer stop. Riggs would soon be mired back in traffic, restarting in 25th.
Championships can absolutely be won or lost on pit road. A miscue for Layne Riggs and the No. 34 team. https://t.co/JMkpx90qYQ pic.twitter.com/mg3lSB7K86
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 26, 2026
Once the race resumed, Honeycutt retook command in no time and continued his Heartland domination. On the final trip down pit road, Riggs did take two tires to Honeycutt’s four, with four tires winning out. Adding insult to injury for Riggs, he was running second in the closing laps but cut a tire trying to run down Honeycutt. After more wall contact on the last lap, Riggs limped home in 19th-place.
Layne Riggs into the wall with two laps to go at Kansas Speedway! He keeps rolling and we stay green. pic.twitter.com/5tMYMZL9cO
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 27, 2026
Sweeping both stages plus the win puts Honeycutt well ahead of Layne Riggs in the championship standings. The TRICON Garage contender now holds a 37-point gap in trying to deliver this team a second-straight title.
“Man I’m also sick too,” Honeycutt said about battling back for his win. “Man great job by my whole Safelite crew. This No. 11 team, TRICON Garage, Scott Zipadelli is the freaking GOAT on pit road. My pit crew, they are just the best, nothing else I could say about that. I knew the two tires were going to be a little hard to gain on the 34, he had really good speed, and we just executed. Executed all night, can’t thank my crew enough. Sorry I didn’t do any burnouts, we got to save this thing for Homestead, and motors cost a lot too. Thank you Kansas Speedway and NASCAR for letting us finish that race and put on a show for the fans. Thank you guys so much for staying and watching the rest of the race.”
“Just looking forward to winning more trophies and have some stories to tell [my unborn son] on the way.”
Behind Honeycutt at the checkers were: Christian Eckes, Brent Crews, Daniel Hemric, and Ben Rhodes. Taking all but one possible point tonight (no fastest lap), Honeycutt’s No. 11 led the way for 111 of 134 circuits.
Truckers now take their last off week of the season, and will return to action at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Ecosave 200 will go green Friday, October 9 at 5 p.m. ET on FOX, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Honeycutt now carries serious momentum into the season’s final stretch, as he aims to close out the 2026 Chase on top.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
