NASCAR News: Ford’s Xfinity Headache – Desperate for a Lifeline as Teams Flee and Rumors Swirl
Ford has done well in the NASCAR Cup Series, but peel back to the Xfinity Series—the so-called developmental rung—and the picture turns grim. Ford’s footprint there is shrinking faster than a deflating tire, leaving the manufacturer scrambling to rebuild a pipeline that’s vital for nurturing future stars.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Fast-forward to 2025: Just four outfits flew the Ford flag—Haas Factory Team, AM Racing, RSS Racing, and Joey Gase Motorsports—fielding a meager seven Mustangs per weekend on average. The lone bright spot? Sam Mayer’s victory for Haas, a fleeting high note in an otherwise winless campaign. That paltry presence pales against Ford’s Cup dominance, where multi-car juggernauts like Team Penske and RFK Racing keep the wins rolling.
The gut punch landed in September, when Haas Factory Team—Ford’s Xfinity crown jewel, heir to the late Stewart-Haas Racing’s program and 2023 champions with Cole Custer—announced a full-throated pivot to Chevrolet for 2026. The switch includes a juicy technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, ensuring Haas’ lineup of Custer (Cup), Sheldon Creed, and Mayer stays intact but swaps Blue Oval badges for Bow Ties. It’s a seismic shift, stripping Ford of its most potent Xfinity asset and exposing a developmental black hole.
What’s left? A patchwork of underdogs. AM Racing, fresh off Harrison Burton’s exit announcement last week, fields a single full-time entry and has flirted with playoffs but lacks the depth for consistent contention. RSS Racing’s loyalty hangs in the balance, with insiders whispering about a potential defection amid unclear commitments for next year. And Joey Gase Motorsports? A part-time wildcard at best, scraping by without the scale to groom prospects. “Ford’s program is severely depleted,” one insider noted, echoing the sentiment that these holdouts can’t shoulder the load of talent incubation Ford craves.
Enter the rumor mill, churning hotter than a Charlotte Motor Speedway summer. The hottest whisper? Alpha Prime Racing (APR), a scrappy multi-car Chevrolet squad, could flip to Ford in 2026, plugging the Haas-sized gap with immediate firepower. The buzz ignited via a post from @dailydownforce: “RUMOR: Alpha Prime Racing is expected to switch to @FordRacing for the 2026 season.”
APR, co-owned by Tommy Joe Martins and Rodney Riessen, punches above its weight on a shoestring—veteran Brennan Poole racked up two top-5s and five top-10s in the No. 44 Camaro this year despite customer engines that pale next to OEM leases. A Ford marriage could unlock fat funding, Roush Yates power, and a technical lifeline from Penske or RFK, catapulting APR to flagship status overnight.
It’s not a pipe dream. Precedent screams yes: Back in 2022, SS-GreenLight Racing ditched Chevy for Ford, snagging Mustangs, Stewart-Haas chassis, and engines that “raised our competitiveness to the next level,” per owner Bobby Dotter. APR could follow suit, transforming from budget battler to Blue Oval beacon and handing Ford a ready-made multi-car platform for prospect parking.
But the tea leaves aren’t all Ford-friendly. Broader Silly Season scuttlebutt points to Jordan Anderson Racing (JAR)—a two-car Chevy outfit with Blaine Perkins and Jeb Burton—as another defection candidate, per Closing Laps Podcast chatter. Fan forums float Viking Motorsports and Cope Family Racing too, though nothing’s firm.
Meanwhile, Ford loyalists are hemorrhaging talent: Standout Riley Herbst, AM’s playoff tease, is reportedly bound for Toyota’s Sam Hunt Racing after a heartbreaking Round of 12 exit. And with Haas’ drivers sticking put under Chevy, Ford’s Xfinity bench feels barer by the day.
As October’s chill sets in—just weeks from the 2026 lineup lock-in—Ford’s war room must be in overdrive. The stakes? A robust Xfinity feeder system isn’t just nice-to-have; it’s the forge for Cup contenders. Without a marquee partner, Ford risks ceding ground to Chevy’s sprawling empire (think JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing) and Toyota’s rising tide. Will APR bite, or will Ford’s overtures fall flat? In NASCAR’s cutthroat chess game, the Blue Oval’s next move could define a dynasty—or doom it to the sidelines. Buckle up; the off-season’s just getting started.