Out of nowhere, a path to light has suddenly appeared in a longstanding legal dispute between Nitro Motorsports and Leland Honeyman. What started as a simple disagreement ended in a civil dispute, bringing unfavorable media limelight to the team. However, something suddenly changed a few hours later, and we were all in for this surprise.

A sudden twist that acted as the finale of a long feud

“Nitro Motorsports and Leland Honeyman have resolved their contractual disputes and look forward to focusing on their respective racing programs. Each wishes the other success in their 2026 racing endeavors,” said a statement released by Nitro Motorsports. This closed the legal dispute into one of the wildest contract conflicts in the ARCA Menards Series offseason.

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This resolution follows Nitro’s February 27, 2026, filing in Iredell County, North Carolina, where the team argued that it has exclusive rights over a racing service agreement. The focus was on the fact that Honeyman had no authority at all to dictate car assignment, due to which the reassignment from the No. 20 to No. 15 did not, in fact, constitute a breach of contract.

Understanding the dispute and its timeline is also extremely simple. It all started on October 28, 2025, when Honeyman was announced as Nitro’s full-time driver of the No. 20 Toyota following the team’s acquisition of Venturini Motorsports. Mind you, this was also the time when the team was integrating into Toyota’s equipment pipeline.

Just a few months later, on January 26, 2026, the plan was completely revised, with Honeyman being shifted to the part-time No. 15 entry. And just a day later, Jake Bollman was confirmed as the new full-time No. 20 driver. Nitro’s entire legal argument centered around the missed sponsorship payments that were tied to Honeyman’s seat. They argued that due to the financial shortfall caused by the act, they were forced into contractual restructuring and that Honeyman had acknowledged and accepted the revised terms, including working with crew chief Danny Johnson.

The counter from Honeyman’s lawyers indicated there was no proper conversation, uncertainty over race-winning equipment, and failure to meet obligations, especially in the context of personnel and competitive intent.

All of this turmoil seemed to be heading in an ugly direction, but the settlement effectively resolves this entire dispute, causing neither side to admit liability. This, in turn, permits them to pursue independently in 2026, with the No. 20 already reassigned and the No. 15 rotating drivers in the season. But who is the prodigy to now get this permanent place?

Bollman takes Nitro No. 20 after ARCA rise and Daytona surge

Jake Bollman, just an 18-year-old boy from Huntington Beach, California, has now emerged as the driver for Nitro Motorsports’ full-time No. 20 Toyota car in the 2026 ARCA Menards Series. He had a steep climb right through the racing ranks. His young career began at the age of 3, progressing through off-road racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series by age 7, before transitioning to asphalt, where he secured a track championship at Orange Show Speedway and advanced into Legends and Late Model competition.

The national pipelines are where he performed even better. Just within ARCA, Bollman made his ARCA Menards Series West debut in 2023, recording two top-10 finishes in three starts. By 2025, driving for Bill McAnally Racing, he delivered his first breakthrough, winning at Colorado National Speedway. What was so interesting about this win was that he had won from the pole in just what was his seventh start. The win had huge significance because it was also the team’s 100th series victory. His ARCA record shines for itself with one win, three top fives, and six top tens across 11 ARCA West starts.

It may seem that Nitro’s decision was too early, but Bollman will be excited to prove why the team made the move. After the shifting of Honeyman Jr. to the part-time No. 15 role, Bollman was elevated to No. 20 because he had tested the car at Daytona. And not just that, he finished second in the 2026 Daytona opener, a mere 0.142 seconds behind the winner.