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After all, Kaden Honeycutt had a solid reputation in stats. In 50 Craftsman Truck Series starts, he had four top fives and nine top tens. What is more, Honeycutt is a multiple-time winner in the CARS Tour, claiming the 2024 Pro Late Model championship. So Dale Jr. urged Honeycutt to stay focused despite the current storm:<\/a> \u201cThe best thing Kaden can do going forward is to just spin the positive, man. Hey, look forward to next year. Going to do everything I can. Stay out of the, you know, stay out of the negative. Stay out of the social media back and forth, even if Niece says something, which I don\u2019t think they will.\u201d<\/p>\n Dale Jr. clearly saw this broken bond as unnecessary. But according to Niece, the reason was far deeper than it appears.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Tracing the personal ties<\/p>\n After all, holding together a team for a driver demands heavy investment. Niece Motorsports, despite its successes, has only ever won with two drivers \u2013 Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain. After witnessing Kaden Honeycutt<\/a>\u2018s talent since mid-2023, the team invested its resources in his ride. Most of the No. 45 truck\u2019s sponsors, like DQS and Precision Vehicle and Logistics, joined the team specifically to sponsor Honeycutt. According to Niece General Manager Cody Efaw, the team and the sponsors pieced together a program to get Honeycutt to the NASCAR Cup Series one day. That is why Honeycutt\u2019s sudden 180-degree flip felt like a slap in the face of everybody who worked hard for him.<\/p>\n In an interview with Sirius XM NASCAR, Cody Efaw highlighted the principle of loyalty that the team follows. From team owner Al Niece to crew chief Phil Gould, everybody is aware of that, and that is why Honeycutt\u2019s move seemed personal. Efaw said, \u201cI just think there\u2019s a sense of loyal morals and values. There\u2019s a standard that I think Al holds us to, [our sponsors] hold us to, myself, Phil Gould\u2026 I have people out here [at the shop] that work their tail off. They spend a lot of time away from their family, they travel. \u2026 They\u2019re invested in our drivers and what we do. They take it as a gut punch of \u2018We\u2019re not good enough.’\u201d<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n