“I want to make sure I solidify myself in this series as a good, clean racer.” Those words perfectly summed up Kaden Honeycutt’s mindset heading into the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway. In his first full-time season and first shot at the Championship 4, the young driver had already beaten the odds. He’d switched teams midseason, fought through the playoff chaos, and still found himself in the mix with the sport’s heavyweights.

When the green flag waved under the Arizona lights, Honeycutt didn’t just hold his own. In fact, he raced smart, fast, and fearless. Eventually, he finished third. An impressive result. But while his breakout drive won him new fans, something else entirely (off-track and on-screen) became the unexpected talking point of the night.

Focus shifts to off-track news at NASCAR Truck Series finale

During Friday night’s NASCAR Championship race at Phoenix, fans were treated to an intense battle for the Truck Series title. And an unexpected case of breaking news gone wrong. In the middle of the broadcast, FS1 reporter Amanda Busick casually dropped a bombshell.

“Kaden Honeycutt will return to the NASCAR Truck Series full-time next season with TRICON Garage.” The problem? That news wasn’t supposed to be public yet. If you guys remember, on October 1, 2024, Honeycutt was officially announced as the full-time driver of Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 truck for 2025. But that partnership ended abruptly on August 4, 2025, when Niece announced Honeycutt‘s release after he signed an agreement with a different manufacturer for 2026.

The details of that new deal had been kept under wraps until Busick’s mid-race comment spilled the beans before Honeycutt or TRICON could confirm anything themselves. Now, an official announcement will come soon, it seems. Many pointed out how the moment felt like déjà vu.

Remember Christopher Bell’s 2024 slip-up, when he accidentally revealed that Chase Briscoe would join Joe Gibbs Racing before the official announcement? “It could be whoever has a good race that week, so I don’t think that there really is a leadership role in that aspect, and whenever Chase comes into the car,” Bell said before cutting himself short. This forced his team to scramble with an awkward confirmation, turning into one of that season’s most memorable on-air blunders.

This time, it was FS1’s turn in the hot seat. What was supposed to be a routine championship broadcast ended up giving fans not just high-stakes racing but also a spoiler no one saw coming. It led the NASCAR community to collectively go, “C’mon FOX… 🤦”

Fans call out FOX after premature announcement

The moment Amanda Busick’s words hit the airwaves, NASCAR fans erupted across social media. “To be fair, we’ve all known that since August,” one fan posted, referring to when Niece Motorsports confirmed Honeycutt’s sudden release after he reportedly signed with a different manufacturer for 2026.

At the time, it was speculated that Honeycutt most likely had a TRICON Garage deal, but neither the driver nor the team had publicly confirmed anything. Until a reputed organization like FOX accidentally did it mid-race. Another fan echoed the sentiment, saying, “This isn’t even the first time they’ve done this in 2025. Yes, it’s been reported where Honeycutt is going, by multiple people, but at least let the team make the announcement. Now, you’ve told everyone where he’s going and when they’ll be announcing it. SMH.”

With the 2025 NASCAR season wrapping up this week (and FOX’s blunder), official team news is expected next week. One fan took a lighter jab. “Imagine if one day they did it and the driver themselves didn’t even know 🤣🤣🤣 Like, SURPRISE!” It’s a funny thought, but not far-fetched. Given how closely guarded driver contracts usually are, a leak like this can blindside even those directly involved.

And then came the confusion: “Fox said Honeycutt is going to TRICON next year?????????? WTF????????” summed up the general reaction online. What was meant to be a polished end-of-season reveal turned into yet another case of premature reporting, reminding fans and FOX that timing really is everything in NASCAR.