The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series delivered one of its most chaotic finishes of the 2026 season Friday night at Watkins Glen International, where Kaden Honeycutt survived a string of late cautions, crashes and an overtime restart to capture his first career Truck Series victory.
Honeycutt emerged from a frantic final stretch that completely reshaped the race over the closing laps at The Glen, ultimately beating Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen in overtime.
Unofficial results showed Zilisch finishing second, followed by van Gisbergen, Daniel Hemric and Chandler Smith in the top five.
The race transformed dramatically with 11 laps remaining after Carson Hocevar slammed into the wall to bring out a caution during a critical stretch run.
FOX NASCAR later reported Hocevar exited the race and was evaluated at the infield care center following the incident.
Late-Race Chaos Completely Reshaped the Finish
The closing laps quickly spiraled into chaos after Hocevar’s crash reset the field.
Shortly after the restart, another caution flew when Kris Wright, Layne Riggs and multiple other drivers became involved in an on-track incident while battling aggressively for position.
The race only intensified from there.
Ross Chastain — who had earlier been penalized for jumping a restart — later found trouble again after Ty Majeski made contact with him, sending Chastain into the wall during another late-race restart sequence.
The incident triggered yet another caution and forced the race into overtime as teams scrambled to survive the repeated restarts at Watkins Glen.
Connor Zilisch briefly reclaimed the lead during the late-race shuffle before Honeycutt surged to the front during the overtime restart.
Another restart penalty was later issued to Gio Ruggiero for an improper restart violation during the chaotic final laps.
Daniel Hemric, Connor Zilisch Won Earlier Stages
Before the late-race drama unfolded, Daniel Hemric and Connor Zilisch controlled much of the race’s opening segments.
FOX NASCAR confirmed Hemric captured the Stage 1 victory, while Zilisch followed with the Stage 2 win as the race settled into a strategy-heavy battle at the historic road course.
Brent Crews, who started from the pole after winning qualifying earlier Friday, remained competitive throughout the race and ultimately finished seventh.
Watkins Glen’s technical layout created problems throughout the field all night, with multiple drivers locking up tires, running off course and battling changing track conditions during the event.
One caution period even featured a runaway tire rolling down pit road while teams serviced their trucks under yellow.
By the time the checkered flag finally waved following overtime, Honeycutt had managed to outlast one of the wildest Truck Series finishes Watkins Glen has seen in recent years.
Top 10 Results
- Kaden Honeycutt
- Connor Zilisch
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Daniel Hemric
- Chandler Smith
- AJ Allmendinger
- Brent Crews
- Tyler Tomassi
- Tanner Gray
- Colby Howard
Kaden Honeycutt Survives Wild Watkins Glen Truck Race for First Career NASCAR Win