Going into the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, there are a lot of unknowns. The 2025 Truck Series lineup will look completely different from its 2024 counterpart, and the 31st season of Truck Series competition will be one of the most intriguing campaigns yet. Here are four underrated drivers that could be surprise contenders during the 2025 season.
Layne Riggs, No. 38 Ford F-150, Front Row Motorsports
Riggs’ rookie season didn’t start out very well, but he and the No. 38 team were on fire over the final three months of 2024. Riggs won the first two races of his Truck Series career and Milwaukee and Bristol, and had he made the playoffs, he would’ve been a championship threat. With momentum behind the No. 38 team and a year of experience under Riggs’ belt, don’t be surprised if Riggs makes the Championship 4 at Phoenix.
Kaden Honeycutt, No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado, Niece Motorsports
Honeycutt’s solid numbers in a 14-race part-time campaign in 2024 prompted Niece Motorsports to sign the 21-year-old to a full-time deal for 2025. Honeycutt impressed several times throughout 2024, and turned heads with a fourth-place effort at Kansas in May. He followed that up with another fourth-place run at Kansas in September, while notching four additional top-10 finishes. Honeycutt is a raw talent, but if he can learn on the fly, he could earn a playoff berth for an organization in Niece Motorsports looking to get back to winning form.
Daniel Hemric, No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Yes, Hemric is an Xfinity Series champion, and yes, he has two full seasons of Cup Series experience under his belt. But since winning his first race at Phoenix in 2021 to clinch the Xfinity Series title, his career has gone stagnant. Two middling seasons with Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity Series program followed his championship run, and a lackluster return to the Cup Series with Kaulig in 2024 means he’s now tasked with once more finding his way back to the top division. His road back to the Cup Series will begin with his 2025 Truck Series campaign. Christian Eckes took the MHR No. 19 truck to the Championship 4 in 2024, and expectations are high for Hemric. Don’t be surprised if the veteran driver gives the No. 19 team another championship race appearance as he attempts to make his way back up the NASCAR ladder.
Dawson Sutton, No. 26 Chevrolet Silverado, Rackley W.A.R.
Say what you want about Dawson being the son of team partner Curtis Sutton, but the 18-year-old from Lebanon, Tennessee is extremely talented. After Rackley W.A.R. parted ways with Ty Dillon near the end of the 2024 season, Sutton stepped up. With only two prior Truck Series starts under his belt going into the September race at Kansas, Sutton qualified fifth and brought the No. 25 truck home in the fifth position. For a driver with zero Truck Series experience prior to May of 2024, an average finish of 18.4 in seven races is nothing to scoff at. Rackley W.A.R trucks aren’t the fastest on the track, but Matt DiBenedetto proved that they’re capable of both getting to victory lane and making the playoffs. Don’t expect a Cinderella postseason run for Sutton, but don’t be shocked if he’s in the mix for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award, either.
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