Is Kaden Honeycutt the Next Breakout Star?

Is Kaden Honeycutt the next breakout star if he can find a full-time ride?

James Krause: He’s got as good a chance as anyone. What’s impressed me is that Kaden Honeycutt has managed to jump in-between rides and always be able to pick up where he left off. Honeycutt has run four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, a NASCAR Xfinity Series race, five zMax CARS Tour events and a few dirt late model shows in 2024. Honeycutt’s finding outstanding consistency with an inconsistent schedule in the Truck Series, including last season when he picked up three top 10s with three different teams. Imagine what Honeycutt can do with a full-time ride in the Trucks.

Kevin Nix: I think so, but the key to this question is the full-time ride. Honeycutt has outperformed his equipment at a pace that rivals Carson Hocevar, and his Kansas Speedway performance was just the latest example of that. Honeycutt is the first non-NASCAR Cup Series driver since Hocevar to put Niece Motorsports in contention to win, so his talent is not in question, the funding is. Money talks, but so does winning. While it is clear Honeycutt is loaded with talent, he needs to win to get the appropriate backing he needs to go full time.

Vito Pugliese: That depends on the quality of the ride and how it’s funded. Talent only goes so far, and while Honeycutt’s had some impressive limited runs, if he’s going to leapfrog promising talents like Corey Heim, Rajah Caruth or Jesse Love, he’ll need to be on equal footing to do so.

Mike Neff: Honeycutt is a good-looking young driver, but comparatively, Carson Kvapil seems to have the ability and adaptability to succeed in any series.

What is your favorite throwback paint scheme?

Pugliese: It may not be the most popular or even NASCAR-centric, but the No. 15 of Kaz Grala and Rick Ware Racing, paying homage to the No. 15 Parnelli Jones 1969 Trans-Am BOSS 302 Mustang. The only downside is that it highlights that the number placement on the Cup cars makes no sense and wastes even more real estate down the entire side of the car.

Nix: Kyle Larson‘s throwback to Terry Labonte. The Kellogg’s Corn Flakes scheme that Labonte ran was a part of multiple iconic moments in the 1990s. You look at the scheme, you immediately think of the Ice Man. It is a clean paint scheme with simple colors that pops out at the viewer, and Larson’s No. 5 does that. It is as good of a throwback scheme as I’ve ever seen, and it is a huge…