Kaden Honeycutt wins the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race, both in the same weekend at Watkins Glen – Kaden Honeycutt Racing Photo
By Reid Spencer – NASCAR Wire Service
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.– A week after chastising himself at Texas for
repeated failure to win NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, Kaden
Honeycutt pulled off his first career victory over the two drivers who
have dominated NASCAR road courses over the past two years.
Honeycutt grabbed the lead from Connor Zilisch through tight Turn 1 on
the first lap of overtime and pulled away for his first victory in the
series in Friday’s Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen.
A few hours earlier, Honeycutt had won the ARCA Menards Series race on
the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International circuit. With the Truck Series
win, he became the second driver to win both an ARCA race and Truck
Series event on the same day, joining Sam Mayer (2020 at Bristol) in
that distinction.
“It’s just amazing,” said Honeycutt, who got to the finish line 0.902
second ahead of Zilisch. “I can’t believe I just won on a road course.
It’s just unbelievable.”
Honeycutt proceeded to shotgun a beer beneath the flag stand, reveling
in the liquid pouring across his face.
The victory was no easy accomplishment for the driver of the No. 11
TRICON Garage Toyota, which went to Victory Lane last year at The Glen
with Corey Heim behind the wheel.
Honeycutt drew a penalty near the end of the second stage for pitting
when pit road was closed and was forced to restart the final 32-lap
stage from the rear of the field. A series of cautions and restart
violations by both Ross Chastain and Gio Ruggiero, however, helped
Honeycutt on his march back to the front.
Ruggiero’s infraction while leading on Lap 69 put Honeycutt on the front
row next to then-leader Zilisch for the overtime restart. Zilisch chose
the outside lane for the two-lap shootout but lost the top spot to
Honeycutt as they navigated the right-hand first turn.
“On the restart, I think Zilisch missed a shift a little bit coming off
of (Turn) 7, and I was tight to him,” Honeycutt said. “The only option I
had… we were three-wide going into (Turn) 1, and I barely got to his
right rear and touched him a little bit.
“It was just enough to scoot by him. As soon as I got the lead, I pulled
my visor up, and I was full-blown focused after that.”
After the race, Zilisch rued his lane choice for the overtime.
“It was just an unfortunate way to end that race,” said Zilisch, who was
denied his first Truck Series victory in his ninth start. “I chose the
top, hoping we could get through there without making contact. I knew
that the bottom would be better if that happened, but I didn’t want to
be that guy.
“Yeah, I just wish I could go back and re-do it and pick the inside, but
we’ve got two more races this weekend (O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and
NASCAR Cup Series). I appreciate Spire Motorsports for giving me a
really fast truck.”
Five-time 2025 NASCAR Cup Series road course winner Shane van Gisbergen
finished third, thanks to the New Zealander’s ability to pick off cars
during the series of late restarts.
Daniel Hemric was fourth and Chandler Smith fifth, followed by Ram Free
Agent driver AJ Allmendinger, pole winner Brent Crews, Mini Tyrrell,
Brenden Queen and Connor Mosack. The race marked the first time multiple
Ram drivers (Allmendinger, Tyrrell and Queen) finished in the top 10 in
the brand’s return to NASCAR racing this year.
Honeycutt led only the two overtime laps. Zilisch led a race-high 28
laps and won the second stage. Crews led 17 laps from the start (19
overall) before pitting and handing the stage win to Daniel Hemric.
Honeycutt leaves The Glen with the series lead by 29 points over Smith.
Chastain held the lead over Zilisch for a restart with eight laps left
in regulation but powered his Niece Motorsports Chevrolet before he
reached the restart zone.
“What?!” exclaimed Chastain over his radio. “You can’t get a penalty
when you’re the control car.”
Video, however, showed the car launching early. Sent to the back,
Chastain fell victim to a wreck in Turn 5 on Lap 70 and finished 28th.
That incident forced the overtime.
Connor Hocevar, last week’s Truck Series race winner at Texas, ran in
the top 10 for most of the afternoon before checking up on a Lap 62
restart and nosing into the inside frontstretch wall off Allmendinger’s
bumper.
“I’m sure AJ didn’t plan on me lifting,” said Hocevar, who will race in
the NASCAR Cup Series’ Go Bowing at the Glen on Sunday. “I just enjoyed
getting my butt kicked by the teenagers.”
Hocevar is 23 years old.
–30–