Trackhouse Racing announces changes for 2026 season

Trackhouse Racing announced personnel changes and car number adjustments for the winning three car organization for the 2026 season.

Ross Chastain will continue to pilot the No. 1 Chevrolet as he has done since 2022. Brandon McSwain joins Trackhouse Racing from Hendrick Motorsports to lead Chastain and the No. 1 team. McSwain spent the past several seasons as race engineer at JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports. Most recently, he served as lead race engineer for William Byron and the No. 24 team. Chastain’s crew chief for the past five seasons, Phil Surgen, has moved to another role within the organization.

Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Jockey x Folds of Honor Chevrolet, celebrates by smashing a watermelon after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images for NASCAR)

“I’m thrilled to have Brandon McSwain as my crew chief next year,” said Chastain. “I worked with Brandon very early in my career and he has a lot of talent and experience as a race engineer. He’s someone I’ve kept my eye on for a while in case the chance to work together ever came to fruition and I’m looking forward to getting started.”

McSwain is a Florida native and graduated from University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a mechanical engineering degree. He’s earned 16 wins as a race engineer in the Cup Series.

“Becoming a crew chief and working with Trackhouse and Ross is a huge opportunity in my career,” said McSwain. “Ross is dedicated to the sport and puts a lot of time and effort into his craft. I’m looking forward to helping him continue his success while taking the next step in my career. I appreciate Ross believing in me and can’t wait to get started.”

Shane van Gisbergen will drive the No. 97 for his second full-time Cup Series season. The No. 97 has many special meanings to Van Gisbergen as his father, Robert van Gisbergen, drove the same number during his racing career. In 2013, Van Gisbergen first debuted the No. 97 in Australian Supercars where he created a legacy for the number with 80 wins, 3 Championships, 48 pole positions and 152 podium finishes. In 2024, Van Gisbergen was honored with the special number for his NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie campaign. In the No. 97 entry, he claimed three victories and three pole positions.

Trackhouse Racing's Van Gisbergen Leads Cup race — Trackhouse Racing’s Van Gisbergen Leads Cup race

“It’s awesome to carry a car number that is so special to me,” said 2025 Cup Series Rookie of the Year Van Gisbergen. “When Justin offered me the opportunity to change to the No. 97, it was pretty special. It’s a number that means a lot to my family and me. My dad used it in his racing career, so when I started racing, I wanted to use it too, and then basically I’ve used the No. 97 in everything since. I’ve had many special moments with that number and it’s cool to get the opportunity to create even more in the Cup Series.”

For the second consecutive season, Stephen Doran will remain crew chief for Van Gisbergen and team. He guided Van Gisbergen to five victories – Mexico City, Chicago Street Race, Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Charlotte Roval – the most wins by a rookie in a single season.

“The 2025 season was pretty special but I’m already starting to look ahead to 2026 and see where we can improve and build off our past success,” said Doran. “Shane is one of the best road course drivers NASCAR has ever seen and it’s an honor to be part of it. Just being able to build from the very beginning with Shane and adapt to his driving style and learn off each other, it’s special. I’m really looking forward to accomplishing more together next season.”

Connor Zilisch will drive the No. 88 for his Cup Series rookie campaign in 2026. Zilisch drove the No. 88 Xfinity Series entry for JR Motorsports where he captured 10 wins and was crowned the 2025 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year. As previously announced, veteran Cup Series crew chief Randall Burnett will guide Zilisch in his first full-time Cup season.

“It’s cool for me to carry on the legacy of the 88 number,” Zilisch said. “That number has quickly become important to me and the history of that number in the sport with Shane, Dale Jr., Dale Jarrett, and everyone who has run the 88. I certainly have big shoes to fill but hopefully I’ll be able to carry that on. I’m really excited to be working with Randall in 2026. We have already started working on how we’re going to approach next season. I feel like we are starting to build that relationship which is very important. I’m looking forward to learning a lot from Randall and his experience in this sport.”

Burnett is a Missouri native and a graduate of University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a mechanical engineering degree. He is a veteran NASCAR crew chief with six Cup Series wins and has called 253 Cup races. Burnett won the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with Tyler Reddick.

“Connor is a talented young driver and has been successful in other racing series,” said Burnett. “To be the guy who will guide him in his first full Cup season and doing it at Trackhouse is a privilege. He’s very energetic and dedicated to being a successful driver.”

2026 marks Trackhouse Racing’s second season with three full-time Cup Series entries. In its five-year existence, the Justin Marks owned team has accrued 14 wins, 57 top-five and 113 top-10 finishes, along with appearances in the NASCAR Playoffs four consecutive seasons.

“There was an opportunity for the 2026 season to kind of reset everything with our driver lineup changing, Phil Surgen expressing desire to come off the road, and Todd Meredith joining the team,” said Marks. “We looked at the organization as whole and see the 2026 season as the next iteration of Trackhouse. Ross, Shane and Connor are all excited about who they’re working with next year, the cars they’re driving, and our partners have been very supportive of the changes as well. This is another big step in creating the Trackhouse legacy.”

The new crew chief pairings and car numbers will debut at NASCAR Cup Series season opening exhibition race on February 1 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.