In a tumultuous 2025 season, Niece Motorsports entered fielding a full-time #45 Chevrolet Silverado Ford driven by newcomer Kaden Honeycutt, backed by DQS Solutions & Staffing. Honeycutt delivered multiple top-10s, including a gritty eighth-place at North Wilkesboro, where he overcame a pit-road penalty and climbed back through the field in the race. He also posted a third-place finish at Pocono during stage runs, finishing P3 in the final stage. Despite the playoff-eligible points standings and clear potential, the team’s inconsistent finishes left them treading water until an abrupt organizational decision reshuffled everything. That decision would turn out to be seismic for Honeycutt and for the season.

On August 4, Niece Motorsports announced it had released Kaden Honeycutt effective immediately. The statement revealed that he has signed with a different Truck Series organization and OEM for 2026. Despite sitting sixth in owner points and holding a 73-point cushion above the playoff cutoff, the team confirmed Connor Zilisch would take over the #45 at Watkins Glen, with Bayley Currey finishing out the season. Bob Pockrass also noted, “Tricon Garage may be where Honeycutt goes in 2026” and suggested Toyota could be involved. But what exactly happens next, and who steps into that seat, is the pivot that truly defines the next chapter.

One account on Instagram noted, “Also in case you hadn’t seen, the expected move is for Honeycutt to run the 02 this weekend at Watkins Glen then the 52 for the remaining races this year.” According to this, Honeycutt is to drive the #02 Chevrolet Silverado for Young’s Motorsports this weekend at Watkins Glen, before taking over the #52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota, normally driven by Stewart Friesen, for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, as part of the reshuffling, Zilisch is slated to pilot the #45 Chevrolet this weekend at Watkins Glen, marking his sudden Cup-series-style jump ahead of 2026 speculation. Currey will assume the seat starting at Richmond to close out the year, while crew chief Phil Gould and the rest of the team remain intact to provide continuity.

The talk, therefore, has been circling around Friesen. Across the paddock, Halmar-Friesen Racing’s star has delivered one of the season’s most compelling narratives. The veteran Canadian notched his first win of 2025 in a dramatic triple-overtime thriller at Michigan, edging out Grant Effinger by just 0.111 seconds to end a 72-race winless streak. That marked his 4th career Truck Series victory, and only his 5th top-10 this year, but the momentum was real. It was enough to put him squarely in the playoff picture by summer. As of his last active race, Friesen ranked 6th in points after 16 starts with one win and seven top-10s. But in late July, Friesen was involved in a terrifying Super DIRTcar crash in Quebec that resulted in a fractured right leg and unstable pelvic injury, effectively sidelining him for the rest of the Truck season.

With Friesen out, his #52 becomes available coincidentally, where Honeycutt is expected to land after Watkins Glen, keeping him in playoff-eligible machinery. For fans, this convergence of events delivered drama beyond the track. Whether as supporters of Friesen’s grit or observers of Niece’s bold pivot, fans now get to watch the behind-the-scenes chessboard unfold in real time. But this new announcement has left fans stunned.

Fans debate the impact of Honeycutt’s midseason switch

One fan chimed in with praise for the switch, saying, “No surprise. Actually a huge pickup for the 52 as well. Hope they can run it all the way.” Some think that Niece Motorsports opted to slot Honeycutt into the #52 after Stewart Friesen’s season-ending injury, believing the move benefits both driver and team. Honeycutt will be maintaining its owners’ points and playoff positioning, effectively turning Friesen’s misfortune into an opportunity for continuity. Fans familiar with the Truck Series recognize that while Honeycutt joins a new ride midseason, the “pickup” benefits both Niece Truck and its playoff ambitions, making it feel like a win-win play.

Another fan quipped in, saying, “Not to mention Kaden is a big dirt guy like Stewart. They have a lot in common in that regard, driving styles etc. Great move all around.” Honeycutt captured the 57th Snowball Derby in December 2024 at Five Flags Speedway, prevailing in a nail-biting late-race sprint over Stephen Nasse and Ty Majeski to seal his first Super Late Model win. Meanwhile, Friesen’s gritty reputation as a dirt road warrior is built on more than 900 dirt victories and his dramatic first NASCAR Truck Series win in the 2019 Eldora Dirt Derby, where he mastered an extended green-flag shootout to take the checkered flag. The similarities between the two make the move one that fans easily see as appropriate.

Some others captured the tension perfectly, saying, “The question becomes whether or not Friesen will apply for a waiver. And then, will NASCAR grant it? Everybody knows that there’s no way in hell he races again in 2025, but I’m sure Toyota would like him to apply for a waiver to keep a Ford from making the playoffs.” NASCAR’s 2025 playoff waiver rules allow exceptions for medical injuries, but grant a waiver only under strict conditions. If they are approved, the driver forfeits all accumulated playoff points and begins the postseason with 2,000 points. With Friesen’s return before the playoffs highly unlikely, the question of whether NASCAR will grant the waiver or reset the points still remains a serious question.

One fan added, “Yep. Get introduced & adjusted to the Toyota system before going full time with Tricon next year.” Honeycutt’s anticipated move to Toyota’s Tricon Garage in 2026 aligns perfectly with his ambition to acclimate to their system before making a full-time push. A short-term fit, including potential rides at Young’s or HFR through the payoffs, followed by a full-time launch with Toyota under Tricon next season, seems very promising. That mirrors strategic transitions other drivers have made in the past, using a partial arrangement to adapt to new crew chiefs, chassis setups, and manufacturer feedback before fully integrating in a marquee ride. And that could be the case for Honeycutt, too.

In a similar instance, Ross Chastain pulled off a dramatic playoff entry through vehicle number swaps during the 2018 Truck Series season. Chastain raced most of that year in Kyle Busch Motorsports’ #4 truck, but when he ran select events in the #38 and #44 entries, winning at Iowa, he maintained eligibility to make the playoffs thanks to owner points attached to those trucks. Therefore, regardless of the driver swaps, the owner point line stays locked in, making the #52 a prime vehicle for playoff contention if Honeycutt steps in. One fan agreed, saying, “It makes perfect sense for this to happen, especially since the 52 is in the playoffs in owner points.”

This move adds another plot twist to an already unpredictable season, reshaping the playoff narratives in ways few could have foreseen.