TRUCKS: Driver In Playoff Contention Released by Niece Motorsports

Niece Motorsports has parted ways with Kaden Honeycutt, who has served as the driver of the organization's No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado throughout the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The move will take place effective immediately, and Connor Zilisch will drive the truck in Friday's Mission 176 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Bayley Currey will slide behind the wheel of the No. 45 for the remainder of the season beginning with Richmond Raceway, the event after Watkins Glen.

According to a statement issued by the team on Monday, Honeycutt has signed a contract to race with a different NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series organization and OEM for the 2026 season. The team says making the change now allows them to prepare themselves for next year.

"Honeycutt has signed a contract to race with a different Truck Series organization and OEM in 2026 - making this change allows our team the opportunity to begin building for next year," the statement from the team read.

Sources within the sport, who have spoken to Racing America On SI, under the condition of anonymity, have indicated that Honeycutt is expected to move to Toyota GAZOO Racing's TRICON Garage for the 2026 season.

While the move allows Niece Motorsports to prepare for next season, it also means they are parting ways with a driver that is very much inside of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs cutline. With just two races remaining until the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs begin, Honeycutt sits ninth in the 10-driver Playoff Grid, and he has a 73-point advantage over Jake Garcia, the first driver outside of the cutline.

Honeycutt will likely find a truck to fill out the remainder of his 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule in order to maintain his Playoffs eligibility. If he misses a race, that will make him ineligible to compete for the championship this season.

The 22-year-old Honeycutt has notched two top-five finishes and nine top-10s through the opening 16 races of the 25-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, and the Texas native ranks sixth in the overall regular-season championship standings.

This marks the second mid-season driver release in as many weeks in the NASCAR National Series ranks, as last week, Kaulig Racing parted ways with Josh Williams, who had been the driver of that team's No. 11 Chevrolet since the 2024 season. Williams, who had underperformed in the Kaulig ride, was shown the door with 12 races remaining in the season.

NASCAR Cup Series full-timer Carson Hocevar filled in for Williams at Kaulig Racing last weekend at Iowa Speedway and earned a sixth-place finish for the No. 11 Kaulig team.