HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Since 2020, Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs have sized each other up. Fast forward six years and the two hot NASCAR prospects are battling it out for the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series championship in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The powerhouse drivers have formed a friendly rivalry. Each team – Tricon Garage and Front Row Motorsports – have traded the other’s best blow. Riggs’ No. 34 bunch leads the league with seven victories, though just one has come during The Chase presented by Mobil 1. Honeycutt has won four times, including capturing a pair of checkered flags in the postseason at Kansas Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.
“We’re good, hard-nosed racers,” Riggs said of his relationship with Honeycutt on Thursday and Championship Weekend Media Day. “We’ve been racing against each other for a long time. I know we’re cut from the same cloth from a background in racing style. We both have a lot of passion and we don’t give each other an inch.”
Honeycutt agrees wholeheartedly with Riggs.
“I think we’re both pretty similar mindset,” Honeycutt said when asked the same question. “I don’t really have friends that I talk to outside the racetrack. I have my circle group, but I don’t have anybody in this field that I usually speak to or I hang out with outside the racetrack or go have lunch or something.
“Me and him have a lot of respect for each other and we race each other hard but not crash each other. If we can win this the right way, it would really show the series you can race each other hard and just not wreck each other to win the championship and to win races in general.”
The heavyweight drivers competed against each other in the CARS Tour starting in 2020 while racing late models. Until switching to asphalt, Honeycutt’s background was primarily dirt racing in Texas. Meanwhile, Riggs cut his teeth running local short tracks with guidance from his father, Scott Riggs.
“He just says do your thing, don’t overthink it,” Riggs said of his father’s advice entering the championship race at Homestead. “People are asking what I’m doing differently this week to prep – nothing. I give 100% for every race; I’m not going to try to do 110% and screw myself up doing it. Just do normal things and be myself, doing what I’ve done to get myself here. It’s been working so far.”
Friday night’s championship clash could come down to a winner-take-all extravaganza. Honeycutt holds a 20-point advantage over Riggs, matching the gap between first and second place in the race. From there, every stage point could prove pivotal in determining who walks away with the championship.
Riggs has outscored Honeycutt by 48 stage points through the opening 24 races. It’s the No. 11 Toyota, however, that has been more consistent, posting the most top five- (15) and top-10 finishes (18) in the series.
“We’ve traded blows throughout the season, and throughout The Chase. I think it’ll be the same on Friday,” Honeycutt added.
Regardless of who prevails, both drivers will return to the Truck Series in 2027 with their respective teams. The 2027 campaign could be reined supreme by the pair of drivers who have crushed the competition this year.
Winning the championship is the goal, but it won’t define Riggs’ season, he stated. He is guaranteed to end the year with the most victories and laps led (988), among the most dominant truck seasons in recent memory, excluding last year’s Corey Heim beatdown.
“I think it’s a cherry on top but I don’t look at it as something that is going to make or break the opportunities that I get each year,” Riggs said of the possibility of being crowned champion. “I’m pretty confident in that, with the wins and pedigree that I have, what I’ve done so far this year, I think I’ve proven myself. I think winning the championship or not isn’t going to change that outcome.”
The easiest approach for both drivers is to game plan to collect another trophy before being awarded the big hardware.
“Go out and win the race and make that a lot easier,” Honeycutt said. “Winning the race will make points take care of themselves.”