NASCAR News: Driver, Team, and Schedule changes for 2026 summarized
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series sees relatively few driver swaps compared to prior years, with the lineup largely stable and no open full-time chartered seats (barring any lawsuit outcomes). Key moves include one major driver switch, several crew chief shuffles, and some team alliances/manufacturer changes. Here’s a breakdown by category:
–by Mark Cipolloni–
NASCAR Cup Driver Changes
– Daniel Suárez: Leaves Trackhouse Racing (No. 99 Chevy) after mutual agreement and joins Spire Motorsports (No. 7 Chevy), replacing Justin Haley.
– Connor Zilisch: Promoted from Xfinity (JR Motorsports No. 88) to full-time Cup with Trackhouse Racing (No. 88 Chevy, formerly van Gisbergen’s number).
– Shane van Gisbergen: Stays with Trackhouse but switches car numbers from No. 88 to No. 97 Chevy.
– Cody Ware: Returns full-time to Rick Ware Racing (No. 51 Chevy) for a second season.
– No other full-time driver seats are changing hands; veterans like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott are locked in with extensions.
NASCAR Crew Chief and Personnel Changes
– Ross Chastain (Trackhouse No. 1): New crew chief Brandon McSwain (formerly an engineer with Hendrick’s No. 24). Previous chief Phil Surgen moves to another role at Trackhouse.
– Kyle Busch (RCR No. 8): New crew chief Jim Pohlman (from JR Motorsports Xfinity). Randall Burnett shifts to Trackhouse for Zilisch.
– Connor Zilisch (Trackhouse No. 88): Crew chief Randall Burnett (from RCR No. 8).
– Daniel Suárez (Spire No. 7): Retains Ryan Sparks as crew chief; Matt McCall promoted to competition director at Spire.
– Erik Jones (Legacy No. 43): New crew chief Justin Alexander (RCR veteran); Ben Beshore moves to race engineering director.
– Noah Gragson (Front Row No. 4): New crew chief Grant Hutchens; Drew Blickensderfer becomes competition director.
NASCAR Team and Manufacturer Changes
– Trackhouse Racing: Expands effectively with Zilisch’s promotion; car number swap (88 and 97); new Red Bull sponsorship for Zilisch and van Gisbergen (25 races total).
– Haas Factory Team (No. 41): Switches from Ford to Chevrolet with Hendrick alliance; Cole Custer full-time.
– Rick Ware Racing: Switches from Ford to Chevrolet with RCR alliance; ownership shift to T.J. Puchyr; Corey LaJoie runs partial schedule in No. 15.
– Other Stables: Front Row, Hendrick, Joe Gibbs, Penske, Roush Fenway Keselowski, 23XI, Legacy, and Kaulig see no major team expansions or folds, but various sponsorship renewals (e.g., Dollar Tree/Family Dollar through 2028 for Legacy).
– Technical Boost: NASCAR increases horsepower to ~750 on short ovals (<1.5 miles) and road courses (up from 670).
Changes in Other Series (Xfinity/O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Trucks)
For completeness, here’s a high-level overview of notable shifts mentioned in broader silly season coverage:
– O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity): Rebranded with new sponsorship. Key driver moves include Brent Crews to Joe Gibbs No. 19 (29 races), Rajah Caruth splitting JR Motorsports No. 88 and Jordan Anderson No. 32, Corey Day to Hendrick No. 17 full-time, and Harrison Burton to Sam Hunt No. 24. Teams like Viking Motorsports expand to two cars, Kaulig pauses operations, and RSS switches to Chevrolet. Age minimum lowered to 17 for certain tracks.
– Craftsman Truck Series: Michael McDowell heads to Trucks (as noted in your article), Ross Chastain gets a new crew chief in some reports, and Justin Haley joins Kaulig full-time. Other moves: Rajah Caruth leaves Spire No. 71; expansions at Jordan Anderson and Young’s Motorsports. Additionally, RAM returns as a manufacturer for the first time since 2012, partnering with Kaulig Racing and Cummins; they’ve introduced a reality show (“Race for the Seat”) to select a driver for one of their entries.
2026 Schedule Highlights
Several tracks shift dates: Chicagoland returns (July doubleheader), North Wilkesboro hosts first Cup points race in 30 years, All-Star at Dover, In-Season Challenge back with new tracks ending at Indy. Trucks add St. Petersburg and San Diego; finale at Homestead.