The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the St. Petersburg Street Course is Saturday at 12 p.m.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While the NASCAR Cup Series takes on the challenging corners of Circuit of the Americas, the Craftsman Truck Series ventures into uncharted territory this weekend, taking to the streets of St. Petersburg for the first time in a joint event with IndyCar.

The Truck Series and IndyCar will showcase a unique doubleheader at the downtown St. Petersburg street circuit, a venue that has hosted open-wheel racing for decades but has never seen NASCAR competition. Qualifying was rained out for the event, leaving Connor Mosack on the pole. The race is Saturday at 12 p.m. 

For drivers like Kaden Honeycutt, who pilots the No. 11 Toyota for TRICON Garage, the assignment is straightforward. 

“The biggest part of street course racing is just staying on the racetrack and not knocking the fence down,” Honeycutt said. “I fully expect it to be an attrition race of survival and just keeping your track position the best you possibly can.”

Honeycutt was leading at the white flag at Daytona before finishing eighth, then suffered a cut tire at Atlanta that threw off his race. He said a strong finish at St. Petersburg could go a long way.

“To kick off our third race and get a win would be really awesome,” Honeycutt said. “It’d be huge for us, especially points-wise.”

Honeycutt is starting 19th in Saturday’s race

The Truck Series is no stranger to road courses with stops at Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, and the Charlotte ROVAL, but a street circuit presents a different set of challenges. Walls replace runoff areas, and there is little margin for error.

Honeycutt said the key to street course success is learning to stay on the track first, then finding pace. He noted that the unfamiliarity of the venue may actually level the playing field.

“It’s gonna be different for everybody, and I think that will be a good thing,” Honeycutt said. “People will have a harder time figuring things out, and that’s where we can take advantage in our sim at Toyota. I think we’ll be really dialed in as soon as we get there.”

TRICON will also have a notable resource on hand this weekend. IndyCar veteran and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti will racing the No. 1 truck for the team, bringing firsthand knowledge of the St. Petersburg circuit.

“The main question I would ask him is what about the course stands out that I should know before I get there,” Honeycutt said. “He won’t be able to help too much with the stock car stuff, but he can help with the curbing and things about St. Pete in real life that maybe we don’t know from the sim.”

The joint weekend also brings veterans of other racing disciplines into the Truck Series field, including former IndyCar winner James Hinchcliffe and endurance racer Colin Braun. Honeycutt is not concerned about the crossover competition, noting that driving a truck for the first time is its own learning curve, regardless of a driver’s experience.

“It’s really not doable for your first time,” Honeycutt said. “It’s kind of like if I got in Kyle Larson’s Cup car and tried to match what he’s been doing. Everyone’s on an even playing field, not having experience at this racetrack.”

Honeycutt said he expects the Truck Series race to be the show of the weekend and is already looking ahead to Darlington, the fourth race of the year, as another opportunity to chase his first series win.

St. Petersburg is a 14-turn, 1.8-mile street course that has hosted the IndyCar Series since 2003. 

This is NASCAR’s second street course effort following three seasons at the Chicago Street Course with the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. All three series will race at the Coronado Street Course on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego in June.