Why NASCAR let Kaden Honeycutt advance to the final four over Layne Riggs following Martinsville race

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Kaden Honeycutt secured his spot in the Championship Four race at Phoenix. This caused confusion among stock car racing fans regarding his advancement over Layne Riggs, despite having a points tiebreaker.

Honeycutt qualified fifth for the 203-lap main event held on Friday. He completed the lap of the 0.526-mile track in 19.63 seconds and at a top speed of 96.49 mph. However, he finished seventh and eighth in the first and second stages.

Kaden Honeycutt challenged Brent Crews for a second-place finish and overtook him during overtime on the final restart. Riggs tailed Honeycutt and moved up a spot. Tricon Garage driver Corey Heim won the Martinsville race. Meanwhile, the #52 Toyota driver and the #34 Ford driver finish in second and third place.

NASCAR analyst Matt Weaver shared the governing body's decision to award the Halmar Friesen Racing driver the spot as he crossed the finish line one spot ahead of the Front Row Motorsports driver. The post on X read:

"Corey Heim wins Martinsville Trucks 11th win Ty Majeski, Tyler Ankrum and Kaden Honeycutt advance to the final four Honeycutt had the tirebreaker over Riggs, who had a fastest lap point"

Matt Weaver

@MattWeaverRA

Corey Heim wins Martinsville Trucks 11th win Ty Majeski, Tyler Ankrum and Kaden Honeycutt advance to the final four Honeycutt had the tirebreaker over Riggs, who had a fastest lap point

Ty Majeski, Tyler Ankrum, and Corey Heim also qualified for the Championship Four race, alongside Kaden Honeycutt. The 150-lap NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race is scheduled for Friday, October 31.

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"I can’t even begin to explain": Kaden Honeycutt got candid about the 2025 Truck Series

Back in October 2024 NASCAR driver Kaden Honeycutt sat down for an interview, ahead of his full-time stint in the Truck Series. In the interview he expressed his excitement for landing a full-time role in the series for the 2025 season. Kaden Honeycutt stated:

“I can’t even begin to explain how much this opportunity means to me."

“We’ve had some good runs this year, and I know what our team is capable of. Heading into 2025, I really think we'll have a great shot at competing at a high level on a weekly basis. I can’t say thank you enough to Al, Cody, and everyone at Chevrolet for this. It’s going to be a great year together," Honeycutt added.

Honeycutt debuted in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2022 and drove the #46, #47, and #30 Toyota for G2G Racing and On Point Motorsports as a part-time driver. After switching multiple teams, he landed a spot with Niece Motorsports in 2023 as a part-time driver.

However, during the mid-season of 2025, Honeycutt spoke to the team about his plans for the next season. He informed the team that he would join a different OEM in the 2026 season.

This led to his release from the team in the midseason. Honeycutt then competed in one race for Young's Motorsport and then moved to Halmar Friesen Racing, piloting the #52 Toyota.