Kaden Honeycutt - Heart of America 200 Race Preview
Race: Heart Of America 200 (134 laps / 201 miles) | Race 8 of 23
Track: Kansas Speedway
Location: Kansas City, Kansas
Date & Time: Saturday, May 4th | 8:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90
No. 45 Niece Products of Kansas Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- KH in KC: Kaden Honeycutt returns to the No. 45 Chevrolet this week for his fourth start of the season. Honeycutt has made two prior NCTS starts at Kansas Speedway, posting a best result of 21st in 2022. Last season while driving for Young's Motorsports, he brought home a 27th place finish. In his lone mile-and-a-half start this year at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Honeycutt scored his best-career finish with a sixth-place effort.
- On the Truck: Honeycutt’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Niece Equipment and Niece Products of Kansas.
- Niece Motorsports' First Win: In 2019, Phil Gould guided Ross Chastain to a thrilling victory in the Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. After taking the lead with three laps to go, Chastain held on to deliver Niece Motorsports' first win as an organization, which kickstarted a three-win season for the No. 45 team en-route to a second-place finish in the championship standings.
- Gould's Kansas Stats: Gould has made nine Truck Series starts atop the pit box at Kansas Speedway, all of which have came while working with Niece Motorsports drivers. Including his '19 win, Gould has a total of two top-fives and four top-10 finishes, most recently finishing sixth with Carson Hocevar last fall. He has also made six Xfinity Series starts here, earning three top-10 finishes (best with Ryan Reed, seventh in 2018).
- Live, Laugh, Late Model: Honeycutt rocketed to the points lead by securing his second-career win in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series on Saturday, April 20th at Orange County Speedway. Later that night, he also competed in the CARS Tour Late Model Stock division and followed the performance up with a runner-up finish. Honeycutt plans to compete in the Tour's next event at Ace Speedway this Friday night before making the trek to Kansas Speedway.
- Stepping up on Saturdays: Last weekend, Honeycutt was called upon with the opportunity to make his second-career NASCAR Xfinity Series start for DGM Racing at Dover Motor Speedway. Honeycutt started the weekend off by qualifying 18th, and began to make his way up the running order until a mid-race issue with the battery placed him a couple of laps down, relegating him to a 23rd-place result.
- In the Sim: Last week, Honeycutt put together another impressive outing in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series at the virtual Dover Motor Speedway. Following his best qualifying effort of the season with a fifth-place starting spot, Honeycutt would lead 35 laps as a threat to win the 120-mile race. A chaotic overtime restart set up a shuffling of the top spots, but Honeycutt would cross the line in seventh and secure his fourth top-10 finish of the season. The JR Motorsports driver currently is tied for the final spot in the eNCCiS Playoffs ahead of round seven at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway next Tuesday.
- Recapping Texas: Johnny Sauter took the wheel of the No. 45 Karl Chevrolet Silverado RST for his second start of the 2024 season in the most recent NCTS race at Texas Motor Speedway. Sauter qualified 18th, but it didn't take long before he was contending for a spot in the top-10 running order. As the race went on, Sauter would bring his truck home with a 17th-place finish at the completion of the SpeedyCash.com 250.
- Owner Points Outlook: Through seven races, drivers Johnny Sauter, Connor Mosack, Ross Chastain, and Kaden Honeycutt have placed the No. 45 team 11th in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series owner points. Entering Kansas, the No. 45 team is only a mere 12 points behind the Playoffs cutoff line. Highlights so far this season include one top-five (Chastain, fifth at COTA) and three top-10 finishes, along with a pair of top-five qualifying efforts (Sauter, second at Daytona & Chastain, fifth at COTA).
- Quoting Honeycutt: What are some of the most important driving techniques that you've been able to pick up while racing on a mile-and-a-half track compared to the short tracks that you're accustomed to?
“I feel like one of the biggest things I’ve learned is getting used to the dirty air. You have to run opposite lanes and make stuff work, while sure you’re not directly behind someone entering the corner. I feel like Kansas is really good for two-lane racing, especially the bottom was good last last year. It changes so much, but that was one of the biggest things was making sure I’m out of line from the truck in front. On the restarts, you need to be in the lane to move to the front on either the top or the bottom lane, whichever is moving forward. You’re just having to constantly search for the air that’s making ground up.”
- Quoting Gould: Five years removed from the team's first win in Kansas, how much growth have you seen come from the organization?
“There’s been a lot of growth, honestly. At that time, we were just getting going. Now, to see what it’s grown to, there’s a huge difference. We’re building our own chassis and hanging our own bodies, so definitely a lot of good changes that have happened since. It’s been great to see all of the improvements that have been made.”
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2024, Niece Motorsports enters its ninth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.
About Niece Equipment: For over 30 years, Niece Equipment has provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Our reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. Each of our water and fuel/lube trucks are engineered with quality and durability in mind. Our capability ranges from 2,000 gallon water trucks to 12,000 gallon water towers. The fuel/lube trucks we offer range from 600 to 4,000 gallons.