Kaden Honeycutt secured the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship after winning Friday night’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. However, his title celebrations came with one final inspection step.
NASCAR officials cleared his No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota during the initial post-race inspection, but an engine teardown remains scheduled for Saturday morning. The additional check will give officials a closer look at the engine before completing the inspection process.
Honeycutt entered the 134-lap championship race with a 20-point lead over Layne Riggs and finished the night with his fifth victory of the season. Motorsport senior NASCAR editor Matt Weaver confirmed the inspection update, reporting that the winning truck passed its initial checks without any issues.
NASCAR Post-Race Inspection Clears Honeycutt’s Winning Truck
NASCAR officials completed the initial post-race inspection in the Truck Series garage without finding any issues with Honeycutt’s winning entry.
Matt Weaver shared the update, stating, “Truck Series inspection is clear with an engine teardown of the Tricon 11 to be completed tomorrow morning.”
The engine teardown is a standard procedure for race-winning engines in NASCAR’s national series, particularly after championship events. Officials will examine the internal engine components to ensure they meet NASCAR’s technical regulations.
Although Honeycutt’s truck passed the initial inspection, the engine teardown remains the final technical check. The process allows NASCAR to examine the powerplant more closely after a race.
NASCAR Post-Race Inspection Comes After Honeycutt’s Championship Win
Honeycutt entered the 134-lap championship finale with a 20-point advantage over Layne Riggs. However, Riggs suffered an early setback after contact in traffic on Lap 2 caused a cut tire and forced his team to make several repairs. The Front Row Motorsports driver dropped multiple laps down, leaving Honeycutt in control of the championship battle.
Tricon Garage driver Corey Heim won the opening two stages, but Honeycutt stayed within reach of the leaders.
With 27 laps remaining, Honeycutt told crew chief Scott Zipadelli over the radio that he wanted fresh tires. He took advantage of the restart on Lap 120, moved into the lead and pulled away from Christian Eckes.
Eckes finished 1.038 seconds behind Honeycutt, who capped his 2026 campaign with his fifth race win and fifth career victory in the Truck Series. He led 15 laps and finished the championship standings 83 points ahead of Riggs.
NASCAR Truck Series Champion Completes Breakthrough Season
The championship marked a major achievement for the 23-year-old from Willow Park, Texas. After finishing third in the 2025 championship standings, Honeycutt joined Tricon Garage full-time for the 2026 season.
He won races at Watkins Glen, Richmond, Kansas, Phoenix and Homestead to secure the championship in the No. 11 Safelite Toyota.
The result also gave Tricon Garage its second consecutive Truck Series championship. Heim won the 2025 title in the same truck, while Honeycutt continued the team’s success in 2026.
The title also marked Toyota’s 11th championship in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Speaking in victory lane, Honeycutt reflected on the work behind his championship.
“This is amazing. I’ve worked so damn hard to be here,” he said.
“Thank you to every owner, thank you everybody that’s let me drive the race car for them, whether it was dirt, asphalt, road course, doesn’t matter. That is because of you guys I’m sitting right here with this group behind me as champions.”
Honeycutt and Tricon Garage secured the championship on Friday night, but NASCAR’s scheduled engine teardown remains the final inspection step.
NASCAR Post-Race Inspection Leaves Kaden Honeycutt Facing One Final Test