Honeycutt Perseveres Despite Late Dover Battery Issue

Kaden Honeycutt in action at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

DOVER, Del. – In just his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start, Kaden Honeycutt used pit strategy to spend time in the top-10 while taking care of his race car Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway.

Honeycutt, who landed a ride for the BetRivers 200 at the one-mile concrete oval with DGM Racing after original driver Ross Chastain was unable to contest the event due to its Dash 4 Cash status, “flipped the script” by pitting under caution at lap 30 and then staying out during the first stage break at lap 45.

That allowed him to line up on the second row for the ensuing restart on lap 52, where he maintained for several laps before fading to ninth place on lap 60.

From there, Honeycutt battled with A.J. Allmendinger for the next three laps before finally ceding a spot inside the top 10, though he maintained lead lap status through the end of stage two.

The 20-year-old Texan then raced among the back half of the top 20 before finally losing a lap to the leaders with 54 to go.

He eventually finished 23rd due to late-race electrical issues after starting a career-best 18th.

Though on paper, the finish might not have been “something to write home about,” Honeycutt was pleased with the fact that he stayed out of trouble all afternoon and raced among the leaders for a portion of the event.

“To end the day 23rd for DGM Racing doesn’t tell the story of how much fun we had working together,” Honeycutt said. “We qualified inside the top 20, raced in the top 20 for a lot of the day, and even got to restart inside the top five at one point, which provided me a lot of opportunities to grow as a driver.

“Unfortunately, the battery somehow died and forced us to pit road during the final stage so that we could get it fixed,” he added. “We were able to do that, but ended up losing a couple of laps and couldn’t gain back more spots because of that. I’m super thankful to Mario [Gosselin], Ross [Chastain], and David Erikson for the chance to get back in an Xfinity car; I learned so much and had more fun than I thought I ever could have.”

Honeycutt would like to thank DGM Racing, Mario and Michelle Gosselin, and the Delaware Office of Highway Safety for giving him the opportunity to return to Xfinity Series competition at Dover.

Additional supporters of Honeycutt’s various racing endeavors are Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet Accessories, Solid Rock Carriers, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, Fayetteville Heating & Air Conditioning Inc., Wynn Site Development, R&S Race Cars, Dreamworks Motorsports, PageKC.com, On Tire Tailgate Systems, Tom Usry Racing, and Mavrick Page Motorsports.

The next race for Honeycutt will be in the Niece Motorsports No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 4.

Broadcast coverage of the Heart of America 200 is slated for 8 p.m. ET live on FS1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.