Kaden Honeycutt celebrates after profitable Friday’s zMAX CARS Tour Skyline Nationwide Financial institution 100 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. (HHP/NWS picture)
Kaden Honeycutt sweeps the zMAS CARS Tour doubleheader at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Friday night time after the Skyline Nationwide Financial institution 100.
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (July 17, 2026) – Kaden Honeycutt raced his manner into the historical past books on Friday night time at North Wilkesboro Speedway, sweeping an action-packed zMAX CARS Tour doubleheader in entrance of a spectacular crowd. Honeycutt held off T.J. DeCaire within the Spears Manufacturing 75 Professional Late Mannequin race earlier than managing the identical towards Corey Heim within the Skyline Nationwide Financial institution 100 Late Mannequin Inventory occasion.
Honeycutt Sweeps Doubleheader at North Wilkesboro
“I simply refuse to lose,” Honeycutt stated. “I knew (Heim) and I have been actually sturdy. We have been in virtually the identical automotive. Man, what a race automotive. Thanks to the followers popping out to the observe on a Friday night time. I can’t consider it. It’s an unbelievable stage that we simply received on, twice.”
Honeycutt started Friday with a seventh-place qualifying effort for Saturday’s FaithFest 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection race — then, he upped his sport for prime time.
The motive force ranked second in Truck Collection factors turned North Wilkesboro’s five-eighths-mile oval into his private playground, dominating the Late Mannequin Inventory Automotive nightcap. Not even a spate of lapped site visitors within the remaining laps may maintain Honeycutt from profitable, however Corey Heim made it fascinating.
Heim has received the final two Truck Collection races at NWS, however his appreciable expertise across the iconic bullring wasn’t sufficient to steal the zMAX CARS Tour crown from Honeycutt. As an alternative, Honeycutt maneuvered his well beyond Ronnie Bassett Jr.’s lapped automotive on the ultimate lap and stored Heim at bay by simply 0.313 seconds
Heim settled for second forward of Jake Bollman, Connor Corridor and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen. Carson Kvapil, Conner Jones, Carson Loftin and Carson Brown accomplished the highest ten.
Honeycutt Holds Off DeCaire, Claims SPEARS Manufacturing 75
Honeycutt had all he may deal with within the 75-lap PLM occasion. He fought with Luke Baldwin for a lot of the race earlier than rising with the lead within the closing levels and pulling away from his opposition. In what turned a well-recognized theme, lapped site visitors slowed Honeycutt’s momentum within the remaining two laps. Honeycutt’s hard-earned, one-second lead over DeCaire almost evaporated, however Honeycutt held his nerve and crossed the end line first by 0.256 seconds.
“That lapped automotive positively made it fascinating on the finish,” Honeycutt stated. “It’s simply so cool to win right here. The observe modified an entire lot from apply (on Thursday). I discovered a line I believed I may run (after Friday’s Truck Collection apply) and made it work for us.”
Conner Jones completed third with pole winner Luke Baldwin fourth and Mason Walters fifth. Kasey Kleyn, Keelan Harvick, Brody Monahan, Case James and Albert Francis rounded out the highest .ten.
Layne Riggs Stays Sizzling, Captures FaithFest 250 Pole
Certainly one of North Carolina’s personal led the cost for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection on Friday, as Bahama, North Carolina, native Layne Riggs received the pole for Saturday’s FaithFest 250 offered by Mercer Transportation.
The motive force of the No. 34 Entrance Row Motorsports Ford lapped North Wilkesboro in 18.502 seconds at a median velocity of 121.608 miles per hour, scoring his second pole of the season.
“Observe place right here is essential,” Riggs, the sequence factors chief, stated. “We didn’t have any final yr. That is the primary time we’ve certified on the brand new floor right here. Lots of people did mock qualifying runs in apply and mine didn’t go effectively in any respect. I used to be a ten out of 10 tight. It will not even try to show. It was arduous to inform my crew chief how a lot I wanted to free it up.“Throughout my (qualifying) lap, I believed, ‘We’re nonetheless manner too tight.’ I believed we’d have an eighth- to Tenth-place qualifying run. Supposedly, I received very fortunate with the clouds overlaying the observe. I’d moderately be fortunate than good.”
Carson Hocevar was the quickest of a number of NASCAR Cup Collection regulars within the area. Hocevar missed the pole by a scant 0.016 seconds, qualifying second after posting the quickest lap in pre-qualifying apply on Friday afternoon.
Cup Collection star Christopher Bell was third with Corey Heim fourth and Giovanni Ruggiero fifth. Chase Elliott’s sixth-place effort made it three Cup standouts within the prime six, whereas Kaden Honeycutt, Grant Enfinger, Chandler Smith and Stewart Friesen accomplished the highest ten.
With a full slate of on- and off-track pleasure coming to Sunday’s Window World 450 – together with a Sawyer Brown Pre-Race Live performance offered by Raymer Oil that’s free with Sunday admission – a restricted variety of tickets can be found. They are often bought on-line, together with Saturday tickets, at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com.
