We have reached the point in the season where rumors begin to swirl about the futures of drivers and race teams, and announcements regarding the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign start to be revealed. While the silly season in the NASCAR Cup Series appears like it might be rather subdued, that is not the case in NASCAR’s second-tier series.
Here are some of the major storylines:
- An Opening at JRM:
- With Connor Zilisch expected to go NASCAR Cup Series racing, there’s destined to be a vacancy at JR Motorsports. So, who takes it? Daniel Suarez seems to be a contender, but could somebody else sneak in and get the opportunity of a lifetime?
- Another Great Rookie Battle?
- The rookie class in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has been SENSATIONAL in 2025, with the rookies showing up and performing from the drop of the green flag in Daytona. It appears we could be shaping up for another solid rookie battle in 2026. Some possible candidates include Brent Crews, Corey Day, Rajah Caruth, and maybe Corey Heim.
2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ROTY Contenders
- No. 17 – Corey Day
- No. 19 – Brent Crews
- No. 32/88 – Rajah Caruth
- No. 45 – Lavar Scott
- No. 87 – Austin Green
CONFIRMED ENTRIES:
| # | Driver | Team / Manufacturer | Sponsor(s) | Crew Chief(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team Chevrolet | ||
| 02 | Ryan Ellis | Young's Motorsports Chevrolet | Tablo TV (11 Races) Sweetwater Construction (4 Races) Demco Products (3 Races) Four Loko Eclipse Claims ROSCH | |
| 07 | Josh Bilicki | SS-GreenLight Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | SS-GreenLight Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 1 | Carson Kvapil Connor Zilisch | JR Motorsports Chevrolet | Champion Irrigation (Darlington 1, Talladega 1, Phoenix 2) KOA Kampgrounds (Chicago) Roto-Rooter Jarrett Industries Carolina Carports Registix | Rodney Childers |
| 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | Whelen | |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports Chevrolet | BRANDT Roto-Rooter Jarrett Carolina Carports Registix | Andrew Overstreet |
| 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports Chevrolet | Pilot TMC Transportation Allstate Peterbilt Group | Corey Shea |
| 17 | Corey Day | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com | Adam Wall |
| 18 | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | SoundGear Starkey | |
| 19 | Brent Crews (29 Races) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | Seth Chavka | |
| 20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | Menards | |
| 24 | Harrison Burton | Sam Hunt Racing Toyota | Brian Gainey | |
| 26 | Dean Thompson | Sam Hunt Racing Toyota | Kris Bowen | |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing Chevrolet | Night Owl Companies Sustainachem | Aedan McHugh |
| 30 | Stanton Barrett Motorsports w/ CFR Chevrolet | George Church | ||
| 31 | Blaine Perkins | Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 32 | Rajah Caruth (10 Races) Jordan Anderson | Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing Chevrolet | SciAps | Matt Noyce |
| 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team Chevrolet | ||
| 42 | Young's Motorsports Chevrolet | |||
| 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 45 | Lavar Scott | Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 48 | Big Machine Racing Chevrolet | Patrick Donahue | ||
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet | ||
| 54 | Taylor Gray | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | Jason Ratcliff | |
| 87 | Austin Green | Peterson Racing Chevrolet | 3Dimensional.com | |
| 88 | Rajah Caruth (23 Races) | JR Motorsports Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com (23 Races) | Mardy Lindley |
| 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing Chevrolet | Steve Addington | |
| 96 | Anthony Alfredo | Viking Motorsports Chevrolet | Joshua Graham | |
| 99 | Parker Retzlaff | Viking Motorsports Chevrolet | Danny Efland | |
| TBA | TBA | Sigma Performance Services Ford |
PART-TIME ENTRIES:
| # | Driver | Team / Manufacturer | Sponsor(s) | Crew Chief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Shane Van Gisbergen Ross Chastain Carson Kvapil | JR Motorsports Chevrolet | Roto-Rooter Jarrett Registix Carolina Carports | Phillip Bell |
