The Craftsman Truck Series kicks off a triple header weekend at Darlington Speedway with the Buckle Up South Carolina 200.
Thirty-six teams brought trucks to Darlington for 36 starting spots, ensuring all drivers will start the race, including Cup Series drivers Carson Hocevar, Christopher Bell, and Ross Chastain. With Daniel Dye’s suspension, AJ Allmendinger is taking over the driving duties of the number 10 truck this weekend. Corey Heim returns to the Truck Series this week in the number five truck.
The 45 truck being driven by Ross Chastain has been held 10 minutes of practice for inspection issues.
The drivers get a full 50 minute practice session and two sets of tires.
The drivers get seven sets of tires for today – two for practice, one for qualifying, and four for the race.
Tires are falling off a full second in just seven laps.
A number of the drivers have had some issues with the inspection process and are late getting out on the track.
After the conclusion of the inspection process, four teams failed twice; as a result, the truck chiefs have been ejected from the track and the teams will lose their pit stall selections for the next race.
The number one Tricon Garage truck driven by William Sawalich with truck chief Bayley Currey.
The remaining trucks are all Kaulig Racing Ram trucks; number 10 driven by AJ Allmendinger this week with truck chief Ethan Hutchens. The number 12 truck driven by Brenden Queen with Ryan Richmond as truck chief. And the number 25 driven by Corey LaJoie this week with Donald Colwell as truck chief.
Only the top 10 drivers have run laps in the sub 30 second range with Kaden Honeycutt leading the way with a time of 29.45 seconds.
Darlington is one of those tracks where the drivers have to race the track, not each other.
While it is not an official throwback weekend, many of the drivers throughout the weekend will be sporting paint schemes from the past.
This is the first Driver’s only broadcast in the Truck Series with Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano in the booth with Austin Cindric, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr serving as pit reporters.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Justin Carroll who posted a time of 31.319 seconds around the 1.3 mile egg shaped track.
Frankie Muniz’s truck is in the garage with a mechanical issue and will not make a qualifying run.
Timmy Hill is the first driver to post a sub 30 second lap with a time of 29.522 seconds.
The seventh truck out on the track, Christopher Bell posted a time of 29.978 seconds.
With a time of 28.848 seconds Kaden Honeycutt earns his first pole with Carson Hocevar starting alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Buckle Up South Carolina 200:
Kaden Honeycutt
Carson Hocevar
Tanner Gray
Gio Ruggiero
Corey Heim
Christopher Bell
Ty Majeski
Layne Riggs
Ross Chastain
Connor Mosack
Grant Enfinger
Chandler Smith
Stewart Friesen
Daniel Hemric
Ben Rhodes
Christian Eckes
Cole Butcher
Tyler Ankrum
Conner Jones
Corey LaJoie
Andres Perez
AJ Allmendinger
Jake Garcia
Dawson Sutton
Justin Haley
Timmy Hill
William Sawalich
Kris Wright
Brenden Queen
Mini Tyrrell
Josh Reaume
Spencer Boyd
Clayton Green
Justin Carroll
Caleb Costner
Frankie Muniz
Stages one and two of the race are 45 laps each with stage three lasting 57 laps for a total of 147 laps around the 1.3 mile track. The drivers can run 57 laps on a single load of fuel; but it is the tire wear that will be an issue for the drivers.
Josh Reaume will have to start the race from the back of the field after the crew made some unapproved adjustments to the truck.
Tonight is the first of the three Triple Truck Challenge races with the race winner earning an extra $50,000!
Kaden Honeycutt brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Carson Hocevar alongside. Honeycutt gets out in front for the lead. Drivers are getting three wide on the track.
The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap three when Ben Rhodes who gets into the wall with a flat tire.
The top five are Kaden Honeycutt, Carson Hocevar, Tanner Gray, Corey Heim, and Gio Ruggiero.
Kaden Honeycutt brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap nine with Carson Hocevar alongside. Honeycutt edges out in front but Corey Heim moves up to battle for the lead.
“Heim Time” returns with Corey Heim taking the lead with Kaden Honeycutt in second; Christopher Bell, Carson Hocevar, and Tanner Gray round out the top five.
Lap 12, Christopher Bell passes Kaden Honeycutt for second.
Lap 13 Carson Hocevar passes Kaden Honeycutt for third.
The caution flag comes out on lap 14 when William Sawalich spins out. He kept the truck off the wall.
Outside the infield care center, Ben Rhodes said that the 18 truck of Tyler Ankrum made contact with his right rear before the flat tire and hitting the wall.
Christopher Bell passes Corey Heim to take the lead before the caution flag came out.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 19 with Corey Heim alongside. Getting a push from behind, Corey Heim gets out in front.
Layne Riggs got into the wall but the track stays green.
Lap 20, the top five are Corey Heim, Christopher Bell, Carson Hocevar, Kaden Honeycutt, and Ross Chastain.
Lap 22, after starting from the back of the field, Frankie Muniz has entered the top 30.
Ross Chastain is reporting a tight condition.
Lap 26, Christian Eckes and Tanner Gray battle for sixth.
Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar battle for second.
Lap 28, Corey Heim has a near one second lead on Carson Hocevar; Christopher Bell, Kaden Honeycutt, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.
Lap 31, Corey Heim’s lead over Carson Hocevar is down to just over half a second; Kaden Honeycutt, Christian Eckes, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Kaden Honeycutt has passed Carson Hocevar for second.
Lap 35, Clayton Green makes an unscheduled trip down pit road after spinning out.
Lap 37, Corey Heim has a half second lead on Kaden Honeycutt; Christian Eckes, Carson Hocevar, and Ty Majeski round out the top five.
Christian Eckes is running some of the fastest laps on the track and is now less than a second behind the leader.
Kaden Honeycutt has caught leader Corey Heim with just four laps remaining in stage one.
Lap 42, Chirstian Eckes passes Corey Heim and Kaden Honeycutt for the lead.
Lap 43, Christian Eckes has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on Kaden Honeycutt; Corey Heim, Layne Riggs, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Christian Eckes wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Christian Eckes
Kaden Honeycutt
Corey Heim
Layne Riggs
William Sawalich
Ty Majeski
Carson Hocevar
Ross Chastain
Tanner Gray
Daniel Hemric
Drivers come down pit road for service with Kaden Honeycutt winning the race off of pit road.
Christian Eckes had a slow pit stop and lost several spots on the track.
Kaden Honeycutt brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with William Sawalich alongside on lap 54. Honeycutt gets out in front for the lead with Corey Heim in second; Ross Chastain, William Sawalich, and Layne Riggs round out the top five.
Ross Chastain passes Corey Heim for second.
Layne Riggs passes William Sawalich for fourth.
The caution flag comes out 56 for debris on the track.
Layne Riggs made an unscheduled trip down pit road for a flat tire.
Kaden Honeycutt brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ross Chastain alongside on lap 61. Honeycutt gets out in front for the lead from the inside lane. Corey Heim and Ross Chastain battle for second.
Corey Heim drops out of the top five to sixth.
Lap 62, the top five are Kaden Honeycutt, Ross Chastain, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, and William Sawalich.
Josh Reaume is off the track. There are 31 trucks on the lead lap.
Lap 65, Ross Chastain has caught leader Kaden Honeycutt and battle for the lead. “Melon Man” is the new leader.
Lap 67, the topo five are Ross Chastain, Kaden Honeycutt, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, and Corey Heim.
Lap 75, Kaden Honeycutt and Ross Chastain battle for the lead with Honeycutt getting back in front from the inside lane.
The top five are Kaden Honeycutt, Ross Chastain, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, and Corey Heim.
With 10 laps remaining in stage two, Kaden Honeycutt has pulled out to a lead of over a second and a half on Ross Chastain; Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Lap 84, Kaden Honeycutt has pulled out to a near three second lead on Ross Chastain.
Lap 85, Kaden Honeycutt now has a three and a half second lead on Ross Chastain.
Three laps remain in stage two, Kaden Honeycutt continues to increase his lead and is now over four seconds in front of Ross Chastain.
Corey Heim passes Christian Eckes for fourth.
Kaden Honeycutt wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Kaden Honeycutt
Ross Chastain
Ty Majeski
Corey Heim
Christian Eckes
Tyler Ankrum
Carson Hocevar
Layne Riggs
Jake Garcia
William Sawalich
Drivers come down pit road for service with Kaden Honeycutt winning the race off of pit road; Ross Chastain comes out in second.
Kaden Honeycutt brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Ross Chastain alongside on lap 99. Honeycutt takes the lead with Corey Heim in second; Ross Chastain, Ty Majeski, and Tyler Ankrum round out the top five.
Ross Chastain passes Corey Heim for second.
Mini Tyrrell is off the track.
The caution flag comes out on lap 105 for Conner Jones getting against the wall with a flat tire after contact with Dawson Sutton. Jones truck is smoking.
Layne Riggs and William Sawalich had to make tire changes early and are short one set of tires.
Kaden Honeycutt leads the field of drivers coming down pit road for fresh tires. Kaden Honeycutt wins the race off of pit road with Ross Chastain coming out second.
After staying out on the track, Timmy Hill leads the race and brings the field down for the green flag restart with Kaden Honeycutt alongside on lap 111. Kaden Honeycutt takes the lead from the inside lane.
Ross Chastain comes up on the inside to battle for the lead. “Melon Man” gets out in front.
Lap 113, the top five are Ross Chastain, Kaden Honeycutt, Corey Heim, TY Majeski, and Layne Riggs.
Carson Hocevar passes Layne Riggs for fifth. He has advanced nine spots since the restart.
Lap 117, Ross Chastain has a half second lead on Kaden Honeycutt.
Lap 119, Carson Hocevar is moving through the field and has passed Ty Majeski for fourth.
The caution flag comes out on lap 121 for Ty Majeski, Layne Riggs, and Andres Perez when they make contact and wreck.
With just 25 laps remaining in the race, drivers come down pit road for that last set of sticker tires. Kaden Honeycutt wins the race off of pit road with Carson Hocevar coming out second; Ross Chastain is in third.
The team worked franticly to make repairs to Ty Majeski’s truck and get him back in the race.
Conner Jones stayed out on the track and brings the field down for the green flag restart with Kaden Honeycutt alongside on lap 128. Honeycutt takes the lead with Carson Hocevar on the inside to take the lead.
The top five are Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain, Christian Eckes, Kaden Honeycuutt, and Corey Heim.
Seventeen to go, Carson Hocevar has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Ross Chatain; Christian Eckes, Kaden Honeycutt, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Kris Wright is off the track.
Fourteen to go, Kaden Honeycutt is in a battle for third with Christian Eckes.
With 12 laps to go, Kaden Honeycutt passes Christian Eckes for third. Carson Hocevar has a lead of over half a second on Ross Chastain.
Ty Majeski and Andres Perez are out of the race.
Ten to go, Carson Hocevar has a half second lead on Ross Chastain; Kaden Honeycutt, Christian Eckes, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Just eight laps remaining in the race, leader Carson Hocevar has encountered slower traffic.
Five to go, Ross Chastain has caught leader Carson Hocevar. There are some sparks coming out from under Hocevar’s truck.
Carson Hocevar spins out with a flat tire and gets into the wall to bring out the caution flag with just four laps remaining in the race.
Ross Chastain is the new leader.
The race goes into overtime!
Ross Chastain brings the field down for the overtime shootout to the end of the race with Kaden Honeycutt on the outside lane. Ross Chastain edges out in front as trucks wreck behind them to bring out the caution flag. Tyler Ankrum, Corey LaJoie, Stewart Friesen, Jake Garcia, Justin Haley, and Daniel Hemric were all involved.
The race will go into a second overtime.
Ross Chastain brings the field down for the second overtime shootout for the end of the race with Kaden Honeycutt alongside. Chastain gets a push from Christian Eckes to take the lead.
Ross Chastain takes the white flag.
Corey Heim comes up on the inside to passe Ross Chastain for the win.
Ross Chastain and Corey Heim are not regular Truck Series drivers and cannot win the Triple Truck Challenge money. Christian Eckes is the first winner of the 2026 Triple Truck Challenge.
The unofficial results of the Buckle Up South Carolina 200:
Corey Heim
Ross Chastain
Christian Eckes
Kaden Honeycutt
Connor Mosack
Christopher Bell
Grant Enfinger
Gio Ruggiero
Daniel Hemric
William Sawalich
Layne Riggs
Tanner Gray
Timmy Hill
Justin Haley
Conner Jones
Chandler Smith
Frankie Muniz
Dawson Sutton
Brenden Queen
Corey LaJoie
Carson Hocevar
Jake Garcia
Tyler Ankrum
Stewart Friesen
Justin S. Carroll
Caleb Costner
Cole Butcher
Clayton Green
Spencer Boyd
Ty Majeski
Andres Perez
Kris Wright
Mini Tyrrell
Josh Reaume
Ben Rhodes