The NASCAR season ended only one month ago with championship weekend, but teams and drivers are already looking forward to 2026 and the changes they will experience as they compete for wins.
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All three national NASCAR series will feature drivers in new locations. All will see teams switching manufacturers in pursuit of more consistent performances. One series, in particular, will feature a returning OEM partner and a brand new team competing for wins.
From Daniel Suarez to Justin Haley, here are some of the biggest changes ahead of the 2026 season.
Cup Series changes
- Daniel Suarez - The two-time Cup winner will remain in the top series after his departure from Trackhouse Racing. He will move to Spire Motorsports to take over the No. 7 Chevrolet.
- Connor Zilisch - The Trackhouse Racing development driver will move up to the Cup Series full-time. He will drive the No. 88 for Trackhouse while teammate Shane van Gisbergen switches to the No. 97.
- Haas Factory Team - The one-car team rose from the ashes of Stewart-Haas Racing and competed full-time during the 2025 season as part of Ford Racing. Now, Haas Factory Team will switch to Team Chevy while inking a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. Cole Custer will remain the team's Cup Series driver.
- Front Row Motorsports - Technically, not a change, but Front Row Motorsports confirmed that Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, and Zane Smith will all return to the team next season. Smith, in particular, signed a multi-year extension.
The car is officially unveiled. @Daniel_SuarezG @SpireMotorsport pic.twitter.com/W8sKRXCMj1
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) October 22, 2025
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series changes
- Sam Hunt Racing - The team will expand for the 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season with two full-time drivers. Dean Thompson will return to the No. 26 after a solid rookie season. Harrison Burton will join the team after leading AM Racing to the playoffs last year.
- AM Racing - With Burton moving on to Sam Hunt Racing, AM Racing will undergo some major changes. The team will become part of the Sigma Performance Services operation, which will field entries across multiple series. Sigma Performance Services has not provided any details about drivers.
- Brent Crews - The Toyota development driver will join Joe Gibbs Racing for a mostly full-time season. He will make select starts early in the year and then run every race after turning 18 in March.
- Haas Factory Team - As part of the manufacturer change, Haas Factory Team will field two Chevrolet entries in the O'Reilly Auto Part Series. The team will keep Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed as its drivers.
- RSS Racing - The family-owned team will continue to have an alliance with Haas Factory Team. It will switch to Chevrolet to maintain this connection.
- Josh Williams - The Florida native will reunite with DGM Racing on a multi-year deal. He will drive the No. 92 Chevrolet full-time.
- Ryan Ellis - The NASCAR veteran will continue to compete full-time. He will do so in 2026 at Young's Motorsports as the team expands.
- Corey Day - The dirt racing ace will compete full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. He will drive for Hendrick Motorsports as the team fields the No. 17.
- Parker Retzlaff - The former Jordan Anderson Racing and Alpha Prime Racing driver will move to Viking Motorsports for the 2026 season. He will control the No. 99 Chevrolet. Viking Motorsports will also have an alliance with Richard Childress Racing.
#NASCAR - @ryanellisracing scored a multi-year deal with @youngsmtrsports . This is major as it removes a lot of stress for him and his sponsors.
Further comments about his move for 2026. pic.twitter.com/QjZjSEV1EM— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) November 10, 2025
Craftsman Truck Series changes
- Kaulig Racing - The longtime O'Reilly Auto Parts Series team will put one part of the program on pause while focusing its efforts on the Cup Series and its new Truck Series team. Kaulig Racing will be the Ram factory team while fielding five entries. One will be a free agent truck featuring drivers from multiple disciplines.
- Justin Haley - The former Spire Motorsports driver will reunite with Kaulig Racing to drive one of the Truck entries full-time. He will join other full-time drivers Daniel Dye and Brenden Queen in the lineup.
- Christian Eckes - He spent the 2025 season in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, but Eckes will return to the Truck Series in 2026. He will reunite with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing while pursuing the championship.
- Matt Crafton - The three-time Truck Series champion will call it a career, mostly. He will step away from Truck Series competition to focus on other racing that excites him at this point in his life. He may still return for a one-off start for ThorSport Racing at some point.
- Ty Majeski - The 2024 Truck Series champion will remain at ThorSport Racing, but he will switch numbers and sponsors. He will take over the No. 88 Ford.
- Corey Heim - The reigning Truck Series champion has not announced his plans for 2026. The expectation is that he will compete across all three series but will not focus on any particular one. He will just race for wins and to gain experience instead of focusing on the championship. The expectation is that Kaden Honeycutt will replace him in the full-time truck at Tricon Garage.
