Kaden Honeycutt led the opening 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice at Daytona International Speedway, putting his TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at the top of the leaderboard. The session, an early indicator ahead of qualifying, gave Honeycutt and his team crucial preparation on the superspeedway.
Honeycutt Leads With Strong Performance
In the Kaden Honeycutt Truck Series Practice, Honeycutt utilized the draft to clock a leading lap of 48.439 seconds at 185.801 mph. This effort placed him ahead of his TRICON Garage teammate, Taylor Gray, who posted a time just shy of Honeycutt’s by less than one-hundredth of a second. The team’s strong showing came on a truck that previously celebrated a championship season with Safelite and now welcomes Honeycutt as its new pilot.
Front Runners in Daytona Practice
Behind the TRICON Garage entries, Michael McDowell and Grant Enfinger delivered matching lap times of 48.449 seconds. Both captured third and fourth positions on the charts during the first practice at the 2.5-mile oval in Daytona Beach, Florida. Cole Butcher, driving for ThorSport Racing and vying for Rookie of the Year honors, closed out the top five. For Butcher, the session marked his initial superspeedway experience in any NASCAR division, as he spent time adapting to the draft.
Others filling out the practice top ten included Timmy Hill, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Dawson Sutton, Gio Ruggiero, and John Hunter Nemechek. Each driver used the 50-minute session to gather crucial data ahead of the qualifying round.
RAM and Kaulig Racing Make Their Return
One notable development at the 2026 season-opener is the return of RAM to the Truck Series, with Kaulig Racing fielding five full-time trucks this year. None of the RAM entries participated in drafting runs during practice, prioritizing individual laps to hone their setups for qualifying. Among the RAM contingent, Brenden Queen achieved the fastest lap, ranking 27th. Other drivers representing RAM, such as Daniel Dye (29th), Justin Haley (30th), Tony Stewart (31st), and Mini Tyrrell (35th), all found themselves further down the order without strong drafting support.
Technical Issues Prevent Some Drivers From Participating
Not all scheduled entrants made it onto the track. Daniel Hemric, Toni Breidinger, Bryan Dauzat, Greg Van Alst, Kris Wright, Justin Carroll, and Jason Kitzmiller were unable to post times, as they did not clear pre-practice technical inspection on Thursday.
Key Details and Upcoming Schedule
Corey Heim, while previously associated with the No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, is not driving in the event at Daytona. Practice provided teams with a preview of competition, but the true test will come during qualifying. The session for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for Friday, February 13, beginning at 3:00 PM ET, and will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
This session set the stage for the season ahead, giving insight into which teams and drivers may start strong as the campaign begins at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks.
