Kaden Honeycutt opened his Friday (July 24) doubleheader at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with a victory in the ARCA Menards Series race, leading 72 of the final 73 laps en route to the checkered flag.
Honeycutt, who scored his first ARCA and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins at Watkins Glen International in May, will have the opportunity to double up and repeat that feat tonight as he prepares to compete in the Truck race at IRP.
Speaking post-race to FOX Sports 1, Honeycutt shared that he has “never felt so prepared in his career.” When asked if he could capture another doubleheader victory that night, he responded, “I hope so, but it’s going to be tougher.”
Honeycutt later added, “I hope you fans are ready for another show.”
The race did not belong to Honeycutt early on. Carson Brown started from the pole and led every lap before the halfway break. Brown also led every lap in his ARCA Menards Series West victory at Phoenix Raceway earlier this season, and it appeared he was on his way to another dominant performance.
Honeycutt first took the lead on lap 78 but surrendered the top spot to Brown with 11 laps remaining. He battled back to reclaim the lead in lapped traffic, and Brown later fell off the pace when his car shut off. After the race, Honeycutt showed respect for his competitor, stating that, “Carson had a hell of a race.”
Thomas Annunziata made his way up to second place, continuing an impressive run of finishes for the Nitro Motorsports driver, while Brown settled for third after his dominant day. Gavan Boschele finished in fourth, and Isaac Kitzmiller rounded out the top five.
A pivotal moment in the race came on lap 11 when Max Reaves and Tristan McKee made contact while navigating lapped traffic entering turn 1. McKee was the car stuck in the middle and received heavy damage, which sent him out of the race. McKee later returned, but the incident cost him the points lead in the ARCA Menards Series East. Reaves finished in ninth with damage, while McKee ended up in 32nd.
Although the night featured exciting side-by-side racing, it was not without stoppages. After the first caution involving McKee and Reaves, another yellow flag flew on lap 71 when Dystany Spurlock spun. ARCA full-timer Isabella Robusto then brought out another caution after getting loose underneath Reaves, ending her day and creating more problems for Reaves. On the following restart, the caution came out once again after Rita Goulet spun down the track.
ARCA IRP Results
The ARCA Menards Series is off until Aug. 7, when it heads to Iowa Speedway. Next up, the East returns to action at Flat Rock Speedway on Aug. 1. The green flag at Flat Rock Speedway in Flat Rock, Mich., is scheduled to fly at 7:30 p.m. ET, with coverage provided by FloRacing.
