(photo credit Leon Hammack)

Tricon Garage announced Friday that Kaden Honeycutt will join the team’s driver roster for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

Honeycutt will take over the No. 11 Toyota that Corey Heim drove to this year’s championship and 12 victories in 25 races. Honeycutt’s move also makes him a part of the Toyota Driver Development program for 2026.

“I’ve waited my entire career for an opportunity like this,” Honeycutt said in a team release. “I can’t thank Toyota and Tricon enough for trusting me to carry the torch for the No. 11 Safelite Tundra and continue its incredible run of success. I’m truly honored and fired up to chase a championship with this team in 2026.”

Tricon Garage indicated that veteran crew chief Scott Zipadelli will return to the No. 11 team next season.

Honeycutt drove for three teams in the Craftsman Truck Series last season, starting his first full-time campaign with Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 Chevrolet group. The Al Niece-owned organization released Honeycutt on Aug. 4, indicating that the 22-year-old driver’s shift of team and manufacturer allegiances was pending.

Honeycutt joined Young’s Motorsports for one race (Watkins Glen) before signing on with Halmar Friesen Racing as a substitute for the injured Stewart Friesen for the remainder of the year. Honeycutt qualified for the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs despite the midseason transitions and reached the Championship 4 round, where he battled with Heim for the title.

Honeycutt finished third in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway and wound up third in the final standings. He ended the year with four top-five finishes and 14 top 10s.

“This is an exciting transition for Tricon,” Kevin Ray, partner and general manager, Tricon, said in a team release. “We’ve watched Kaden perform and overcome uncertainty, and we admire the grit it’s taken to reach this point. We have no doubt he’s worthy of this opportunity and look forward to him continuing to put Tricon and our No. 11 team in a position to win races and contend for championships.”

Tricon, owned by former Cup Series driver David Gilliland, fielded five full-time entries in the Craftsman Truck Series this year. Drivers Toni Breidinger, Tanner Gray, Heim and Gio Ruggiero have full-season rides with the organization, and driving duties for the fifth Tricon entry were split by four drivers this year.

The organization said that additional driver and crew chief lineups for 2026 would be announced at a later date.

Honeycutt won the CARS Tour Pro Late Model championship last season, adding a Super Late Model crown-jewel win to his portfolio in the Snowball Derby last December.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!