TOYOTA RACING – NCTS Nashville Post-Race Report – 05.29.26

FRIESEN, RUGGERIO SECURE TOP-10 FINISHES AT NASHVILLE
Halmar Friesen Racing Bring Home Both Trucks Inside Top-11

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 29, 2026) – Stewart Friesen led Team Toyota with a sixth-place finish in Friday night’s rain-delayed NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Gio Ruggerio also recorded a top-10 finish, coming home ninth.

Parker Retzlaff, making his debut for Halmar Friesen Racing in the team’s second No. 62 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, finished 11th, giving the organization two trucks in the top 11. Early in the race – which concluded just after 1 a.m. ET – Kaden Honeycutt ran in the runner-up position for much of the 150-lap event. However, Honeycutt lost power with 30 laps to go and was eventually pushed to pit road, where the TRICON Garage team made a battery change. The issue ultimately took him out of contention for the race win.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS)
Nashville Superspeedway
Race 11 of 23 – 199.5 Miles, 150 Laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Layne Riggs*

2nd, Rajah Caruth

3rd, Chandler Smith*

4th, Ross Chastain*

5th, Tyler Ankrum

6th, STEWART FRIESEN

9th, GIO RUGGIERO

11th PARKER RETZLAFF

13th, BRANDON JONES

27th, KADEN HONEYCUTT

30th, WILLIAM SAWALICH

33rd, TANNER GRAY

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEWART FRIESEN, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

How were you able to rally to finish in sixth?

“Really, really, fast Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Dustin (Dunn, crew chief) did a really good job getting this thing setup. We had some misfortune there where the lugnut took the valve stem off. Had to come in, but it took most of the splitter off and we were really tight after that. We just kept adjusting on it to overcome that. It was a good call to get tires, but I overdrove it, tried to get too much and bounced it off the fence and then we ended up sixth. It’s ok, from where the last couple of races have been and what we’ve battled with, we always battle something but it’s ok.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Are you a die-hard NASCAR fan? Follow every lap, every pit stop, every storyline? We're looking for fellow enthusiasts to share insights, race recaps, hot takes, or behind-the-scenes knowledge with our readers. Click Here to apply!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

SM SPEEDWAY SHOTS

Latest articles

NASCAR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IRP Weekend Schedule

The NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series are at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend while the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Indianapolis

Hendrick Motorsports has piled up more than twice as many wins as any other organization (11) in the crown jewel event and also leads in top fives (29), top 10s (46) and laps led (1,101).

WILKERSON EYES REDEMPTION AT MUCKLESHOOT CASINO RESORT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS AFTER RUNNER-UP

Funny Car driver Daniel Wilkerson was .042 of a second away from securing his first NHRA win on Sunday in Sonoma and he will have another opportunity for redemption at this weekend’s 37th annual Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

2026 Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Preview: Indianapolis Raceway Park

Niece Motorsports IRP Stats: NCTS Starts: 15; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 4th (Carson Hocevar, 2023).

Best New Zealand Online Casinos