Leland Honeyman Bio
Leland Dillon Honeyman Jr. (born February 23, 2005) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the ARCA Menards Series, and part-time in both the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Nitro Motorsports. He previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Early Life and Background
Leland Honeyman was born on February 23, 2005, in Phoenix, Arizona. He began his motorsports journey far earlier than most drivers, sitting on a quad for the first time at the age of two. By four, he had moved up to International Trophy Karts, building a foundation in competitive karting before he was old enough for school sports.
From there, Honeyman spent three seasons racing in Junior Trucks and Off Road Junior Trucks, where he captured three championships in the off-road series. On his eighth birthday, he ran his first sanctioned go-kart race and added three more championships to his resume before shifting focus to paved competition.
In 2017, Honeyman won the Bandolero championship under the INEX sanctioning body, confirming his rapid progression through the youth ranks. He also competed in two races of the CARS Tour in 2019, gaining exposure to late model equipment while still in his early teens.
Path to NASCAR
Honeyman’s stock car climb started in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, where in 2021 he earned Rookie of the Year honors and finished runner-up to Nick Loden in the season championship. He also won the Fall Brawl during that 2021 campaign, one of his first signature victories on the late model scene.
On January 28, 2022, Young’s Motorsports announced that Honeyman would race full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 02. In the same announcement, the team revealed plans for him to attempt his first NASCAR national series start later that year, formally launching his path into NASCAR’s top developmental ladders.
Leland Honeyman Career
Early Career (2017–2021)
Honeyman’s earliest documented stock car success came in 2017 with the INEX Bandolero championship. The win signaled that the young Arizona native could handle full-bodied cars at a developmental level, not just karts and off-road trucks.
He built on that momentum with two CARS Tour starts in 2019, then stepped into the Carolina Pro Late Model Series in 2021. Beyond the Rookie of the Year award and the Fall Brawl victory, his runner-up points finish behind Nick Loden showed he could contend for a title against established late model veterans.
ARCA Menards Series East Breakthrough (2022)
Honeyman’s first full ARCA season came in 2022 with Young’s Motorsports, where he wheeled the No. 02 across the ARCA Menards Series East schedule. He produced five top-ten finishes and ended the year third in the series standings, an impressive debut for a 17-year-old competing on short tracks across the eastern United States.
The consistent results turned heads and positioned Honeyman as one of the rising names in NASCAR’s developmental pipeline. That same year, he also made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway, starting 31st and finishing 29th, earning his first national series credit.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut (2023)
On December 30, 2022, Alpha Prime Racing announced Honeyman would join the organization part-time for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, driving the No. 45 car. He debuted at Phoenix Raceway, qualifying 23rd and finishing 27th, then added 25th-place runs at Richmond and Martinsville.
At Portland, Honeyman qualified 21st but was sidelined mid-race by food poisoning and was replaced by Brad Perez, who was later punted into the tire barriers by Josh Williams on the final corner. Because Honeyman started the car, he was officially credited with the 28th-place result. He also drove the No. 35 for Emerling-Gase Motorsports at Sonoma, where he failed to qualify, and at Kansas in September he failed to qualify in Alpha Prime’s No. 44 before the team struck a deal with MBM Motorsports to replace Timmy Hill in the No. 66, which made the show.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Full-Time (2024)
On January 3, 2024, Young’s Motorsports announced an expansion into the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2024, fielding the No. 42 with Honeyman behind the wheel full-time. The promotion gave him his first full national series schedule and a chance to chase stage points and top-ten finishes on a weekly basis.
The breakthrough came at Talladega Superspeedway, where Honeyman scored his first top-five in the series with a fourth-place finish. The pack-racing result announced his arrival as a draft-track threat and gave Young’s Motorsports one of its strongest Xfinity finishes.
Cope Family Racing Era (2025)
On January 2, 2025, it was announced that Honeyman would move to the newly rebranded Cope Family Racing team to drive the No. 70 Chevrolet SS part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He was scheduled to share the ride with Thomas Annunziata, with Honeyman set to drive in seventeen races and Annunziata in sixteen.
The shift to a part-time Xfinity schedule coincided with Honeyman taking on a full-time ride in the ARCA Menards Series with Nitro Motorsports in the No. 20 Toyota. He also planned part-time starts in both the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West, balancing national series exposure with regional championship opportunities.
Driving Style and Strengths
Honeyman’s most visible strength is his comfort on superspeedways and high-draft tracks, where his Talladega top-five in the Xfinity Series showed he can thread the pack without getting caught up in someone else’s mess. His ability to qualify consistently in the low-twenties during his rookie Xfinity campaign also suggests a disciplined single-car setup approach, even when results did not always follow.
Notable Races and Milestones
Honeyman’s signature moments include his 2021 Fall Brawl win in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, his 2022 ARCA East debut season that ended third in points, and his first NASCAR Xfinity Series top-five at Talladega in 2024. His 2022 Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway also marked his first official national series start.
Leland Honeyman Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public sources do not detail Honeyman’s parents or a broader family racing lineage, so any extended family history beyond his documented personal background is not included here.
Personal Life
Honeyman is based in the United States and balances a national ARCA Menards Series schedule with select Xfinity Series starts. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and began racing competitively as a small child, eventually rising through karting, off-road trucks, late models, and ARCA before reaching NASCAR’s national series.
2025 Season Performance
Honeyman’s 2025 season centers on a full-time ARCA Menards Series campaign with Nitro Motorsports in the No. 20 Toyota, paired with part-time entries in the ARCA Menards Series East and West. The regional split is designed to keep him sharp on a variety of tracks while he chases his first ARCA national series victory.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Honeyman joined Cope Family Racing’s newly rebranded No. 70 Chevrolet SS for a part-time schedule, sharing the car with Thomas Annunziata across a 33-race combined slate. The arrangement lets him pick premier events while keeping his primary focus on ARCA.
The outlook for 2025 is built on progression: build ARCA consistency with Nitro Motorsports, chase that first national series win, and use the Xfinity part-time starts at tracks like superspeedways to pile up stage points and top-tens. If his Talladega form carries over, his draft-track strengths could quickly turn into his first NASCAR win.
