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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
For the first time ever, NASCAR joins the historic race weekend on the Streets of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tomorrow is the IndyCar season opener. But first, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series take to the streets. Here’s what to keep an eye on in today’s race.
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