In what has been a great championship tete-e-tete, Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs will now decide the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title Friday night in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The 23-year-old Texan, Honeycutt carries a 20-point advantage over the second-generation NASCAR standout Riggs heading to a track where neither has won before. Honeycutt would need to score 57 points to lock up the trophy
Last week’s Martinsville Speedway race certainly played a heavy hand in setting up what should be an ultra-competitive all-for-the-trophy championship 134-lapper on the Homestead-Miami 1.5-miler.
Statistically, Honeycutt has set the series standard. His average finish of 5.3 during the six Chase races so far is exceptional compared to his competition. Riggs is averaging 11.0.
Neither driver has won at the South Florida track previously, with both scoring their career best efforts here last year – Riggs, second place and Honeycutt, 11th. On 1.5-mile tracks this season, Honeycutt is averaging a series-best 2.3 finish, while Riggs is averaging a 6.8. He and McAnally-Hilgemann’s Christian Eckes are the only two drivers to finish top-10 in all four 1.5-mile tracks this year.
Of note, in the last three races here, the driver who led the most laps did not win the race. Rajah Caruth is the last polesitter to win on a 1.5-mile track (when qualifying was held) and that was in 2024.
Former three-time series champion Matt Crafton returns to competition this weekend, driving the No. 66 ThorSport Racing Ford. Defending champion Corey Heim will also be on the grid, teaming with Honeycutt in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota.
NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Kyle Larson is the defending Homestead-Miami race winner. Of those full timers in the field, only Grant Enfinger (2024) and Ty Majeski (2022) have won here previously.
–NASCAR Wire Service–