After Niece Motorsports decided to cut ties with Kaden Honeycutt once it was revealed that he had signed with a rival manufacturer's team, presumed to be Toyota's TRICON Garage, for the 2026 NASCAR Truck Series season, they needed to find a new driver to drive the No. 45 Chevrolet in this past weekend's race at Watkins Glen International.
They turned to Connor Zilisch, the rookie JR Motorsports Xfinity Series sensation who was then set to have the opportunity to run triple duty at the eight-turn, 2.454-mile (3.949-kilometer) Watkins Glen, New York road course, having already been confirmed as a fourth Trackhouse Racing driver for Sunday's Cup race.
Zilisch did indeed run the Truck Series race, and he finished in eighth place in his first start in the series since last year. But after winning the Xfinity Series race and falling from his No. 88 Chevrolet in victory lane, breaking his collarbone, he was forced to miss Sunday's Cup Series race, and a return date has not yet been confirmed.
Connor Zilisch replacement confirmed for Richmond
As for Niece Motorsports, the driver set to replace Zilisch this weekend at Richmond Raceway is the driver who was set to take over behind the wheel of the No. 45 truck for the rest of the season even before Zilisch was sidelined with an injury, and that is Bayley Currey.
Currey has competed part-time for Niece Motorsports going back to 2020, and that includes the first half of this season in the No. 44 Chevrolet. In eight starts, he has recorded three top 10 finishes, including a top finish of fourth place at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February.
Though he is personally not playoff eligible, the No. 45 team remains in championship contention in the owner standings, sitting sixth in points ahead of the 250-lap regular season finale at the four-turn, 0.75-mile (1.207-kilometer) Richmond, Virginia oval this Friday night. Zilisch aided in that effort, placing eighth at Watkins Glen.
As for Honeycutt, he moved to Chevrolet's Young's Motorsports team for the race at Watkins Glen, and now he is set to move to Toyota's Halmar Friesen Racing for the remainder of the year, filling in for the injured Stewart Friesen after Joe Gibbs Racing Cup driver Christopher Bell filled in for him this past weekend. Even if Friesen returns, Honeycutt is set to finish out the season with the team.
The Xfinity Series has off this weekend, so Zilisch has time to rest up before next weekend's race at Daytona International Speedway. Whether or not he competes in this race is yet to be determined, as is a replacement in the event that he is forced to sit out.
Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of Friday night's eero 250 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET from Richmond Raceway. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the action from the final race of the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series regular season!