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Nitro Motorsports Sues ARCA Driver Leland Honeyman Jr.

TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 18: Leland Honeyman, driver of the #70 Wawa Chevrolet, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 18, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama.
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Neha Dwivedi

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Royal T Grafix

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What’s Happening?

Nitro Motorsports has filed a lawsuit against ARCA Menards Series driver Leland Honeyman Jr., alleging a contract dispute over which car number he is bound to drive in the 2026 ARCA season.

Last season, Honeyman drove the No. 20 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports in three ARCA races at Bristol, Salem, and Kansas, finishing inside the top five each time. But in April, the team had already announced it would shut down operations, and the ownership would shift to Nitro Motorsports beginning October 1.

And when that shift happened, Honeyman was named a full-time driver for Nitro Motorsports in late October 2025 and was scheduled to drive the same No. 20 entry in 2026. But then, in January, the team cut that role to part-time, assigning him to the No. 15 for eight races.

The team stated that Honeyman’s schedule cut was due to missed sponsorship payments. The lawsuit claimed that Honeyman had acknowledged missing the payment and agreed to be shifted to part-time status.

The team argued that the change forced a move from the No. 20 to the No. 15, which Honeyman accepted, initially even expressing enthusiasm about working with crew chief Danny Johnson. However, the team later named Jake Bollman as the full-time driver of the No. 20.

The Complete 2026 ARCA Menards Series Driver Roster (So Far)

After the part-time plan surfaced, representatives from Honeyman’s camp contacted Nitro, claiming he was not told about the car number change and raising concerns about equipment, crew chief alignment, and spotter support.

In another letter through legal counsel, Honeyman argued that Venturini Motorsports had obligations to provide a crew chief and spotter acceptable to both sides and to make good-faith efforts to contend for wins in each race, which the team allegedly failed to do. The letter contends that those failures constituted breaches that released Honeyman from further obligations.

Nitro countered in its filing that Honeyman had no authority to dictate which car he would drive, particularly after agreeing to the No. 15 with Johnson atop the pit box. The team also claimed it has met its contractual obligations and disputes any suggestion to the contrary.

The lawsuit seeks a judgment affirming that Honeyman’s contract was properly transferred and accepted, that the agreement does not grant him control over the car number, and that neither Venturini nor Nitro breached the deal by assigning a new number. Nitro argues Honeyman remains bound by the contract.

For now, the dispute leaves Honeyman’s 2026 ARCA plans up in the air as the case plays out.

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AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 28: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Safety Culture Chevrolet, and Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, lead the field during the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on February 28, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

What to Keep an Eye on in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race at COTA

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

The NASCAR Saturday Double-Header continues with O’Reilly Auto Parts Series action from Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Here’s what you need to look out for and what to expect in today’s race.

  • Road course heavy hitters, Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen, are in the field today. You know what that means: another slobber knocker of a race between them as everyone else struggles to keep up. And, you guessed it: they both are starting on the front row with Zilisch claiming the pole in his No. 1 JRM Chevy. SVG is driving the No. 9.
  • Since Zilisch is in the No. 1, Carson Kvapil has been demoted to the No. 91 of DGM Racing. While the car is prepared by JR Motorsports, it won’t be his usual pit crew. Rather, his crew is made up entirely of DGM employees. So, there are a lot of unknowns for him heading into today’s race. He’s starting 6th.
  • Speaking of JRM, Rajah Caruth turned some heads in the first two races of this season. How will he fare on a road course? That No. 88 team is used to winning on these types of tracks. Keep an eye on him. Caruth is rolling off 19th.
  • Austin Hill bounces back after a disappointing finish last week in Atlanta, thanks to the ruthless bumper of Ross Chastain. He’s rolling off in the 3rd position.
  • Coverage for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at COTA begins at 3 PM EST on the CW.

Starting Lineup

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ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Layne Riggs, driver of the #34 Long John Silver's Ford, drives during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 28, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida.

Trucks: Layne Riggs Wins Inaugural Race at St. Petersburg

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

We had another NASCAR doubleheader on Saturday. First up, we had the NASCAR Truck Series debut at the St. Petersburg street course. It was a surprisingly clean yet exciting race all the way from the drop of the green flag right up to the finish. Layne Riggs went on to claim his first victory of the 2026 season.

The mark is Riggs’ sixth career win. It was a welcome performance after he got off to a rocky start with the superspeedways of Daytona and Atlanta. He finished 31st and 27th, respectively, in the first two races of the season. Today, though, was a dominating performance as he led a race-high 40 laps, also capturing the Stage 2 win.

  • Fords dominated this race, from the drop of the green flag all the way down to the checkered. Ben Rhodes seemed to be the class of the field early on as he managed to lead 23 laps of the opening stage, taking the Stage 1 win. Various pit issues, however, would have the driver of the No. 99 Ford for Thorsport fall behind the 8 ball and he never was able to regain the lead.
  • Speaking of Thorsport, Ty Majeski in the Menards No. 88 also showed some speed late in the race as he was able to briefly wrestle the lead away from Layne Riggs. However, late in the going, he entered a corner too hard with too much momentum and veered off course. He and his teammate Rhodes stayed in the running and made a valiant effort to fight back but came up just short of eventual winner, Layne Riggs.
  • Leading the most laps today was none other than Front Row Motorsports driver, Layne Riggs. He won the second stage and led through to the finish, leading a grand total of 40 laps. This marks Riggs’ sixth career Truck Series win, a good recovery after being caught up in accidents late at both Daytona and Talladega.
  • Also showing some serious speed today was Riggs’ teammate, Chandler Smith. At the end of the second stage, both FRM trucks were up front battling for the lead. Smith also managed to lead a handful of laps.
  • Jimmie Johnson’s debut as a crew chief ends in heartbreak. After running in the top 10 for most of the afternoon, 4-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. In the process, he lost a lap and ultimately finished in the 27th position. Jimmie will take over the ride later this year at the San Diego Street Course, making his second career Truck start.
  • It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the IndyCar legends. Former IndyCar driver and FOX Sport analyst, James Hinchcliffe, managed to bring his No. 77 Spire truck home in the 10th position. He was in the hunt all day long.

Race Results

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ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Chandler Smith, driver of the #38 OnlyBulls Ford, drives during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 28, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida.

Trucks: St. Petersburg Mid-Race Report

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

It’s been a relatively clean affair so far for the NASCAR Truck Series down in St. Pete. Truck Series vet Ben Rhodes paced the field early on, winning the first stage. The second stage belonged to Chandler Riggs. Two stages deep, here’s where everything currently stands in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at St. Petersburg.

  • Ben Rhodes has led the most laps thus far at 23. He dominated the opening stage on his way to the stage win. Rhodes has had a solid start to his 2026 campaign. He showed speed at Daytona, earning a 12th place finish. And he scored his first top 5 of the year at Atlanta with a 4th place finish. He’s certainly riding a wave of momentum right now down in St. Pete.
  • The IndyCar veterans of Dario Franchitti and James Hinchcliffe have held their own so far. Franchitti finished both stages in the top 10 and Hinchcliffe was right there in the mix as well.
  • The second stage belonged to the Ford of Chandler Smith. He led 3 laps of the second stage while his teammate Layne Riggs led 7. They were duking it out in the closing laps of the third stage.
  • The on-track incidents we’ve seen so far have all involved the No. 5 Toyota of Adam Andretti. He triggered one caution and plowed into the tire barrier, destroying the left rear of his truck. He currently is running in the 30th position.

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