Nineteen drivers took the green flag for all 25 Craftsman Truck Series races in 2026. From the championship contenders of Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs to drivers like Mini Tyrell who celebrated top-10s, all 19 drivers had different expectations entering this season and all had varying success levels at achieving those expectations. In this article I will grade these drivers based on their achievements this season relative to their expectations.
#9 Grant Enfinger: B
A season with a win and a Chase appearance is not bad for Grant Enfinger, but he only earned two other top-5s all season. Two seasons ago, the CR7 Motorsports No. 9 team made the Championship 4 and won twice. This driver/team combination will return for a fourth season, and while they will likely make the Chase, it appears that the 41-year-old’s days of championship contention are over. The victory and ninth-place points finish earn Enfinger a B, but the missed potential and lack of consistent speed prevent him from earning higher.
#11 Kaden Honeycutt: A+
A season that saw five wins and a championship could only earn one grade. While Honeycutt did not live up to Heim’s record-breaking 12 win season, the number was near-impossible to live up to. This season saw five victories, sixteen top-5s, and nineteen top-10s, and the goal for 2027 will be to improve. Kaden Honeycutt will return to Tricon Garage’s No. 11 Toyota Tundra in 2026 to defend his championship and to become the first driver since Matt Crafton to win back-to-back championships.
#12 Brenden Queen: B+
The first season back for RAM was going to be difficult no matter who the drivers were. Brenden Queen, a Truck Series rookie, earned five top-10s and was the highest finishing Kaulig Racing Ram in points (13th). Queen has two recent Cup Series drivers, Justin Haley and Corey Lajoie, as teammates and outearned them both. If the 28-year-old returns to the No. 12 Ram 1500 in 2027, a Chase appearance or even a first win in Ram’s return are possibilities for 2027. For this strong effort, Queen earns a B+ on the season.
#13 Cole Butcher: D-
Cole Butcher was also a rookie this season, but he did not impress. Butcher only earned one top-10 and finished 18th in points despite driving for ThorSport Racing. A best finish of tenth is unacceptable for a ThorSport Racing driver, even a rookie like Butcher. The 30-year-old Canadian is an ASA champion and strong short track racer, so he evidently has talent, but something just did not click with the ThorSport Racing No. 13 Ford-F150 this season. Additionally, it is unknown if Butcher will return to NASCAR in 2027. His rookie status saves him from failing, but another season with these statistics would earn him an F.
#14 Mini Tyrrell: D
The three rookies drove sequential numbers, so Mini Tyrell will be the third and final rookie graded. Like Butcher, Tyrell only earned one top-10 on the season. Despite finishing four spots lower in points then the Canadian, and earning less points then four part-time drivers, he earns a better grade then Butcher for a two reasons. First, the 22-year-old is a true NASCAR rookie, Butcher had two Truck Series starts in 2025 while Tyrell’s NASCAR debut came at Daytona. Second, Butcher drove for an established, championship contending team, while Tyrell drove for Kaulig in its first year in the Truck Series and in Ram’s first year back. It is unknown if the 22-year-old will get a chance to improve his grade, as he will not return to Kaulig’s No. 14.
#15 Tanner Gray: F
Tanner Gray, driving for the team that won the championship and eight races, managed two top-10s and a best finish of eighth place. These results and a 14th-place points finish are unacceptable for any Tricon driver, let alone a seven-year series veteran who has spent all of those years in the team’s No. 15. Sammy Smith will replace the 27-year-old in 2027, and it is unlikely Gray will return to Tricon in any capacity. These disappointing results in such strong equipment earn Gray the first F of the season.
#16 Justin Haley: B
Justin Haley rounds out the full-time Kaulig drivers. Despite the team’s growing pains, Haley earned one top-5 and six top-10s. He earns a slightly lower grade then Queen since the rookie beat the Cup Series winner in points, but the 27-year-old still had a strong season. If Ram improves in 2027 and is in contention for the Chase or even the championship, it is very likely that Haley will lead that charge.
#17 Gio Ruggiero: B+
In terms of points finish, Gio Ruggiero improved massively from his rookie season. He went from missing the Chase in 2025 to finishing sixth in the 2026 standings. However, he earned one less top-10, only one more top-5, and went winless compared to his rookie season. An all in all strong year earns the 20-year-old a B, but he will need to bring his No. 17 Tricon truck back to victory lane and contend for the series championship if he wants to be seen as a potential Cup Series prospect.
#19 Daniel Hemric: B
Like Ruggiero, Hemric’s second season in the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 Chevrolet was a slight regression from 2025. Both drivers failed to return to victory lane and earned less top-10s then the previous season. However, Hemric also earned less top-5s, but improved two positions in the points. A NASCAR veteran and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion should be a Truck Series championship contender, but Hemric has not been.
#34 Layne Riggs: A
Layne Riggs led the series with six wins in 2026. Six victories, the Regular Season Championship, and entering the final race of the season in championship contention should allow for an A+. However, for the second consecutive season, Riggs earned the second most points to the driver of Tricon’s No. 11. Riggs will pilot the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 for a fourth season in 2027, and will seek redemption from a somewhat dissapointing Chase run.
#38 Chandler Smith: A-
While he did not a six-win championship caliber season, Chandler Smith had a 2026 season to be proud of. He still won three races, actually earned one more top-10 then Riggs, and finished third in points. Additionally, the 24-year-old will move to O’Reilly in 2027 for RCR. For lower series prospects, the Cup Series is the goal, and Smith put himself in a position to be closer to Cup in 2027.
#44 Andrés Pérez de Lara: C
Andrés Pérez de Lara improved from his rookie season, earning four top-10s compared to three while driving arguably lesser equipment. He also earned slightly more points than in 2025, but earned a second consecutive sixteenth place points finish. The 21-year-old seems to be developing into a Truck Series lifer, which is a career most drivers dream of. If he returns to the series in 2027, Perez will look to improve upon a 16th-place points finish and to earn his first top-5.
#52 Stewart Friesen: B
For a few weeks in the summer of 2025, returning to the Truck Series at all would have been a major victory for Stewart Friesen. Not only did he return, but he earned several top-5s and was in contention for the Chase all the way to the checkered flag of the regular season. While missing the Chase is dissapointing, and his end to the season wasn’t the greatest outside of a top-5 at Homestead Miami Speedway, the driver-owner of the No. 52 will earn a B for his season.
#81 Kris Wright: F
Kris Wright finished last of every full-time driver, including the rookies, and five part-time drivers in the points. In a full schedule for MHR, where all his teammates made the Chase, Wright put the No. 81 in the top-20 six times. Additionally, he finished behind the driver he replaced (Connor Mosack) in points, despite Mosack only running half the schedule. The 32-year-old will not return to MHR in 2027 and has not announced any plans.
#88 Ty Majeski: A-
2026 was a second consecutive winless season for Ty Majeski. The 2024 Series champion earned nine top-5s and finished fourth in points, but the No. 88 team expects to contend for wins and championships rather then for top-5s in races and the season standings. Once the team found consistency, they earned four top-5s in a row, but the 32-year-old built a reputation of finishing top-10 in one race then outside the top-20 in the next.
#91 Christian Eckes: A-
Like Majeski, Eckes had a somewhat surprising winless season. A season with top-5s and a top-5 points finish is still a great season, but like the No. 88 team, the No. 91 expects to win multiple races a year and to contend for the championship. The Chase was strong for the 25-year-old, and he will return to BMR in 2027.
#98 Jake Garcia: B
Five full-time Truck Series drivers won a race in 2026: The championship contenders of Honeycutt and Riggs, the series veterans of Smith and Enfinger, and Jake Garcia. Despite missing the Chase, Garcia won his first race at Bristol Motor Speedway, earned a second top-5 at Phoenix Raceway, and finished “Best of the Rest” in eleventh place. Additionally, the 21-year-old was the only ThorSport driver to win. This allowed him the opportunity to pilot the FRM No. 38 truck in 2027.
#99 Ben Rhodes: B
The final full-time driver is 2021/2023 series champion Ben Rhodes. Rhodes returned to the postseason after missing it in 2025 and earned one more top-5, but earned the same amount of top-10s and extended his winless streak to three-and-a-half seasons. Rhodes’ plans are unknown from 2027, but it would be surprising to see him driving anything else but ThorSport’s No. 99.
