2026 NASCAR Cup Series

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Tyler Reddick, the current points leader, became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of a season. Tyler Reddick Driver Introductions Las Vegas 2026.jpg
Tyler Reddick, the current points leader, became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of a season.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series is the 78th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 55th season for the modern-era Cup Series. The preseason featured the Cook Out Clash exhibition race on February 4 at Bowman Gray Stadium, followed by the season-opening 68th running of the Daytona 500 on February 15 at Daytona International Speedway. The season will end at Homestead–Miami Speedway on November 8. [1]

Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports returns as the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion. [2]

Teams and drivers

Chartered teams

ManufacturerTeamNo.DriverCrew chiefReferences
Chevrolet Haas Factory Team 41 Cole Custer Aaron Kramer [3] [4]
Hendrick Motorsports 5 Kyle Larson Cliff Daniels [5]
9 Chase Elliott Alan Gustafson [6]
24 William Byron Rudy Fugle [7]
48 Alex Bowman 32Blake Harris [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Anthony Alfredo 1
Justin Allgaier 3
Hyak Motorsports 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Mike Kelley [13] [14] [15]
Kaulig Racing 10 Ty Dillon Mike Cook [16]
16 A. J. Allmendinger Trent Owens [17]
Richard Childress Racing 3 Austin Dillon Richard Boswell [18] [19]
8 Kyle Busch Jim Pohlman [20] [21]
Rick Ware Racing 51 Cody Ware Billy Plourde [22] [23]
Spire Motorsports 7 Daniel Suárez Ryan Sparks [18] [24] [25] [26]
71 Michael McDowell Travis Peterson [27] [26]
77 Carson Hocevar Luke Lambert [28] [26]
Trackhouse Racing 1 Ross Chastain Brandon McSwain [29] [30]
88 Connor Zilisch (R)Randall Burnett [31] [32] [33] [34]
97 Shane van Gisbergen Stephen Doran [31] [35]
Ford Front Row Motorsports 4 Noah Gragson Grant Hutchens [36] [37]
34 Todd Gilliland Chris Lawson [38]
38 Zane Smith Ryan Bergenty [39]
RFK Racing 6 Brad Keselowski Jeremy Bullins [40]
17 Chris Buescher Scott Graves [18]
60 Ryan Preece Derrick Finley [18] [22]
Team Penske 2 Austin Cindric Brian Wilson [41]
12 Ryan Blaney Jonathan Hassler [42]
22 Joey Logano Paul Wolfe [43]
Wood Brothers Racing 21 Josh Berry Miles Stanley [44]
Toyota 23XI Racing 23 Bubba Wallace Charles Denike [45]
35 Riley Herbst Davin Restivo [46]
45 Tyler Reddick Billy Scott [18]
Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Denny Hamlin Chris Gayle [47] [48]
19 Chase Briscoe James Small [49]
20 Christopher Bell Adam Stevens [50] [51]
54 Ty Gibbs Tyler Allen [18]
Legacy Motor Club 42 John Hunter Nemechek Travis Mack [18]
43 Erik Jones Justin Alexander [52] [53]

Non-chartered teams

ManufacturerTeamNo.DriverCrew chiefRacesReferences
Chevrolet Beard Motorsports 62 Anthony Alfredo Darren Shaw1 [54] [55]
Casey Mears 5
JR Motorsports 40 Justin Allgaier Greg Ives 1 [56]
Live Fast Motorsports 78 B. J. McLeod David Ingram2 [57]
NY Racing Team 44 J. J. Yeley Jay Guy2 [57]
Richard Childress Racing 33 Jesse Love Andy Street2 [58] [59] [60] [61]
Austin Hill 5
Ford Front Row Motorsports 36 Chandler Smith Seth Barbour1 [62]
Garage 66 66 Casey Mears Jason Miller1 [63] [64] [65] [66]
Timmy Hill 1
Chad Finchum 2
Josh Bilicki 1
TBA5
RFK Racing 99 Corey LaJoie Mike Skarbowski1 [67]
Toyota 23XI Racing 67 Corey Heim Bootie Barker 12 [68] [69]
Legacy Motor Club 84 Jimmie Johnson Chad Johnston 2 [70] [71] [72]

Team changes

Chevrolet unveiled a new body style for the ZL1 in November 2025 for the 2026 season to replace the model that had been used since 2022. The redesign is based on the Camaro ZL1 Carbon Performance Package accessories kit. [73] Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing switched from Ford to Chevrolet in 2026. [4] HFT has a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, while RWR formed a technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing. [23]

Driver changes

Justin Haley did not return to Spire Motorsports. [24] Haley returned to Kaulig Racing, driving in the Craftsman Truck Series. [74] Daniel Suárez, who was released from Trackhouse Racing, moved to Spire Motorports in Haley's place. [25]

Rookie

Connor Zilisch signed a multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing to replace Suárez in 2026. [33]

Rule changes

Technical changes

Horsepower

Horsepower increased from 670 to 750 at tracks under 1.5 miles and road courses. [75]

Track packages

Bristol, Darlington, Dover, Nashville, New Hampshire, and St. Louis would run the short track package rather than the intermediate package from previous years. [76] NASCAR also mandated a permanent A-post flap for all races to prevent flips. The A-post flap debuted last year at Daytona II. [77]

Policy changes

Loosening lower series restriction

The amount of races full-time Cup drivers can run in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series was increased to ten and eight, respectively, up from the 2025 restriction of five in each series. Cup drivers remain ineligible for points, as well as unable to compete in the regular season finale and postseason events. [78]

Age limit

The minimum age requirement to race in the O'Reilly Auto Parts series was lowered to 17 for road courses and oval tracks less than 1.25 miles in length. This change creates a staggered minimum age: 16 in Trucks, 17 in O'Reilly, and 18 in Cup series events. [79]

Qualifying hand restriction

The restriction of hands out the window during qualifying at drafting tracks such as Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta (EchoPark) was added, and drivers who touch the window net or the hole in between to redirect air will have their qualifying time disallowed. [80] Noah Gragson was the first to break this rule, having his Daytona 500 qualifying time erased. [81]

Charter agreement changes

Following the outcome of the 23XI Racing lawsuit, all teams were offered "evergreen" charters. In contrast to previous agreements, which expired at a set date, the new agreement would include charters that would not expire. [82]

Points system changes

Postseason format

NASCAR revealed a new postseason format in January 2026. Used in the top three series, it is a return of the Chase format previously used from 2004 to 2013. The top 16 drivers on points after 26 races will qualify for the Chase, with the 'win-and-you’re-in' rule being scrapped, and starting points in the Chase will be staggered based on the regular season standings. [83] This format replaced a derided playoff system, which included four "rounds" with points resets. With the change, playoff points are no longer awarded. [83]

First-place point increase

The points awarded for finishing first in a race was increased from 40 to 55. [83]

Fastest lap restriction

Drivers who enter the garage during a race will no longer be eligible for the fastest lap bonus point. If the driver's fastest lap was achieved before they entered the garage, it will still stand. [84]

Schedule

The 2026 schedule consists of 32 oval races, 3 road course races, 1 street track race, and 3 non-championship races to be held on ovals. [1]

Notes: Race names and title sponsors are subject to change. Not all title sponsors/names of races have been announced for 2026. For the races where a 2026 name and title sponsor has yet to be announced, the title sponsors/names of those races in 2025 are listed. [1]

Bolded races indicate an event generally known as a Crown Jewel race.

 O  Oval track
 R  Road course
 S  Street course

NoRace name Track LocationDateTime (ET) [85] TVRadio
Regular Season
Cook Out Clash  O  Bowman Gray Stadium Winston-Salem, North Carolina February 4 [a] 6 pm FOX MRN
America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona [87]  O  Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida February 127 pm FS1
1 Daytona 500 February 151:30 pm [b] FOX
2 Autotrader 400 [89]  O  EchoPark Speedway Hampton, Georgia February 223 pm PRN
3 DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix [90]  R  Circuit of the Americas Austin, Texas March 13:30 pm
4 Straight Talk Wireless 500 [91]  O  Phoenix Raceway Avondale, Arizona March 8FS1MRN
5 Pennzoil 400  O  Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nevada March 154 pmPRN
6 Goodyear 400  O  Darlington Raceway Darlington, South Carolina March 223 pmMRN
7 Cook Out 400  O  Martinsville Speedway Ridgeway, Virginia March 293:30 pm
8 Food City 500  O  Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee April 123 pmPRN
9 AdventHealth 400  O  Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kansas April 192 pmFOXMRN
10 Jack Link's 500  O  Talladega Superspeedway Lincoln, Alabama April 263 pm
11 Würth 400  O  Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas May 33:30 pmFS1PRN
12 Go Bowling at The Glen  R  Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, New York May 103 pmMRN
NASCAR All-Star Race [92]  O  Dover Motor Speedway Dover, Delaware May 171 pm [c] PRN
13 Coca-Cola 600  O  Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, North Carolina May 246 pm Prime
14 Cracker Barrel 400  O  Nashville Superspeedway Lebanon, Tennessee May 317 pm
15 FireKeepers Casino 400  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan June 73 pmMRN
16 The Great American Getaway 400  O  Pocono Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania June 14
17 Anduril 250 [93]  S  Coronado Street Course San Diego, California June 214 pm
NASCAR In-Season Challenge [94]
18 Toyota/Save Mart 350  R  Sonoma Raceway Sonoma, California June 283:30 pm TNT MRN
19 TBA  O  Chicagoland Speedway Joliet, Illinois July 56 pm
20 Quaker State 400  O  EchoPark Speedway Hampton, Georgia July 127 pmPRN
21 Window World 450 [95] [96]  O  North Wilkesboro Speedway North Wilkesboro, North Carolina July 19
22 Brickyard 400  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana July 262 pm IMS
Regular Season
23 Iowa Corn 350  O  Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa August 93:30 pm USA MRN
24 Cook Out 400  O  Richmond Raceway Richmond, Virginia August 157 pm
25 Mobil 1 301  O  New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, New Hampshire August 233 pmPRN
26 Coke Zero Sugar 400  O  Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida August 297:30 pm NBC MRN
Cup Series Chase [83]
27 Cook Out Southern 500  O  Darlington Raceway Darlington, South Carolina September 65 pmUSAMRN
28 Enjoy Illinois 300  O  World Wide Technology Raceway Madison, Illinois September 133 pm
29 Bass Pro Shops Night Race  O  Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee September 197:30 pmPRN
30 Hollywood Casino 400  O  Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kansas September 273 pmMRN
31 South Point 400  O  Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nevada October 45:30 pmPRN
32 Bank of America 400 [97]  O  Charlotte Motor Speedway [d] Concord, North Carolina October 113 pm
33 Freeway Insurance 500 [99]  O  Phoenix Raceway Avondale, Arizona October 18MRN
34 YellaWood 500  O  Talladega Superspeedway Lincoln, Alabama October 252 pmNBC
35 Xfinity 500  O  Martinsville Speedway Ridgeway, Virginia November 1
36 Straight Talk Wireless 400  O  Homestead–Miami Speedway Homestead, Florida November 83 pm

Notes

  1. ↑ The Clash was originally scheduled to take place on February 1 but was postponed to February 2, before being again postponed to February 4 due to snow in Winston-Salem. [86]
  2. ↑ Originally scheduled to start at 2:30 pm, the threat of rain pushed the start of the Daytona 500 to 1:30pm. [88]
  3. ↑ Originally scheduled to start at 3 pm, the announcement of the race format moved the race up to 1 pm. [92]
  4. ↑ The fall Charlotte race was originally announced as on the Roval configuration, but news broke in January that it would move to the oval track. [98]

Confirmed schedule changes

Homestead–Miami Speedway returned to its traditional date as the season finale for all three major series. [100] To accommodate this change, New Hampshire Motor Speedway was removed from The Chase. [1] Chicago Street Course officials announced that the Grant Park 165 will not return in 2026, with hopes to revive the event in future seasons. [101] The Cup Series returned to Southern California with a street race at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego. [102] To accommodate this change, Mexico City was dropped from the schedule due to a conflict with the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [103] The NASCAR All-Star Race moved from North Wilkesboro Speedway to Dover Motor Speedway, giving the former a points race, the first regular-season race held since 1996. [1] Chicagoland Speedway returned to the schedule for the first time since 2019. [1] The Charlotte Motor Speedway fall race moved away from the roval layout to the oval, after seven years as a road course race. [104]

Season summary

Preseason races

Due to a historic snowstorm over the United States, the Cook Out Clash was postponed three times from its original Saturday and Sunday dates, before ultimately being condensed to a one-day event on Wednesday, February 4. [105] [106] [86] Reigning champion Kyle Larson won pole position. Weather plagued the event, causing NASCAR to mandate use of wet weather tires after a scheduled half-race break. After a event record 17 cautions, Ryan Preece won the Clash, joining Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as drivers who won the Clash before winning their first race. [107]

The Duel at Daytona races set the starting order for the Daytona 500, with the exception of the front row, which is set by the fastest two times in qualifying. Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe won the pole and second place respectively, and therefore started first in each duel race. [108] During the first Duel, RFK Racing dominated the majority of the race, seeking to help Corey LaJoie clinch among the "Open" cars, as he had not qualified for the race. Unfortunately for LaJoie, a last lap wreck ended his chances of making the 500. Casey Mears, despite a spin earlier in the race, dodged LaJoie during the wreck, clinching his spot into the race, as well as making his first Daytona 500 start since 2019's race. [109]

During the second Duel, which ran caution-free, Chase Elliott finished 0.065 seconds ahead of Carson Hocevar. [109] Anthony Alfredo finished in position to make the Daytona 500 as the last open car, but was disqualified after a post-race technical inspection found that his car's cooling hoses were not secured. Due to the disqualification, the next-best finishing open car, driven by B. J. McLeod, qualified for the race. [110]

Regular season

NASCAR moved the Daytona 500 start time forward an hour to 1:30 p.m. eastern time due to the threat of rain in the evening. [88] Zane Smith won stage one after staying out in the middle of pit cycles, as well as getting his first career stage win. Stage two featured a battle between Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson for a battle for the lead for the majority of the stage, Bubba Wallace however won the second stage, after narrowly avoiding "The Big One", caused by Denny Hamlin tapping Justin Allgaier's rear bumper, triggering a 20-car pileup on the tri-oval. [111] After a restart with five laps remaining, Tyler Reddick escaped two wrecks and passed Chase Elliott for the win exiting turn four. [112]

Tyler Reddick won the pole at Atlanta, after qualifying was canceled due to rain. [113] The race had set a new track record for 17 lead changes in stage one, with Austin Cindric winning the stage. William Byron appeared to have won stage two, however Bubba Wallace was later ruled as the stage winner due to a spin by Kyle Larson just feet behind him. During overtime, Reddick, who was involved in a crash on 160, won the race. Reddick became the sixth driver ever, and the first since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the first two races of the season. [114]

Tyler Reddick won his second pole of the season at Austin, his third pole win at the track, with the other pole wins being 2021 and 2025. [115] Pit strategies shook up the stage standings, with Ross Chastain winning stage one, and Ty Gibbs winning stage two. On lap 76, Myatt Snider replaced Alex Bowman, as Bowman experienced vertigo symptoms during the race. [116] Reddick dominated the later half of the race, becoming the first driver in series history to win the first three races to begin a season. [117]

Joey Logano won the pole at Phoenix. [118] Similar to the last season's fall race at the track, tires had increased tire wear, playing a key role in the race. Ryan Blaney won stage one, and Christopher Bell won stage two. A late race caution on lap 295 reset the field, as Bell had led 176 laps to that point. Blaney passed the leader, Ty Gibbs, on lap 303, holding off a hard charging Bell and ultimately winning the race, getting his second consecutive win at the track. [119]

Christopher Bell won the pole at Las Vegas. [120] Bell won stage one, and William Byron won stage two. Denny Hamlin, who finished second to Bell in qualifying, dominated the race. Hamlin would overcome a pit road speeding penalty earlier in the race, and leading a race high 134 laps en-route to his 61st Cup Series win, putting him 10th all time on NASCAR's all-time winners, as well as claiming his second consecutive win at the track. [121]

Tyler Reddick won the pole at Darlington. [122] Brad Keselowski swept the stages, seeking to get his first win since 2024's running of the race. Reddick was battling for the lead with Keselowski, eventually overtaking him on lap 265, winning the race and continuing his early season success. Reddick became the third driver ever; along with Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott, to win 4 of the first 6 races of a season. [123] [124]

Denny Hamlin won the pole at Martinsville. [125] A caution came out on lap 77, ending stage one early with Hamlin winning. Hamlin would eventually sweep the stages. Chase Elliott would take advantage of a late race caution, and would hold off Hamlin for his 22nd career win, and first win at Martinsville since 2020. [126]

Ryan Blaney won the pole at Bristol. [127] Kyle Larson swept the stages for the second straight day, as he also swept Saturday's O'Reilly race stages. A late race caution on lap 498 would shake up overtime, with Ty Gibbs holding off a hard charging Blaney and Larson to get his first career Cup Series win, becoming the first Cup driver to get their first win at Bristol Motor Speedway since Kurt Busch in 2002. [128]


Results and standings

Race results

No.Race Pole position Most laps ledFastest race lapWinning driverManufacturerReport
Cook Out Clash Kyle Larson Kyle Larson N/a Ryan Preece Ford Report
America 250 Florida Duels Kyle Busch Ryan Preece Joey Logano Ford Report
Chase Briscoe Chase Briscoe Chase Elliott Chevrolet
1 Daytona 500 Kyle Busch Bubba Wallace Carson Hocevar Tyler Reddick Toyota Report
2 Autotrader 400 Tyler Reddick Tyler Reddick Cole Custer Tyler Reddick Toyota Report
3 DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Tyler Reddick Tyler Reddick Ross Chastain Tyler Reddick Toyota Report
4 Straight Talk Wireless 500 Joey Logano Christopher Bell Joey Logano Ryan Blaney Ford Report
5 Pennzoil 400 Christopher Bell Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin Toyota Report
6 Goodyear 400 Tyler Reddick Brad Keselowski Bubba Wallace Tyler Reddick Toyota Report
7 Cook Out 400 Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin Chase Elliott Chevrolet Report
8 Food City 500 Ryan Blaney Kyle Larson Ryan Blaney Ty Gibbs Toyota Report
Reference: [129]

Drivers' championship

(Key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by competition-based formula. * – Most laps led. F – Fastest lap. 1 – Stage 1 winner. 2 – Stage 2 winner. 3 – Stage 3 winner. [N 1]

Pos.Driver DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSS MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM Pts.Stages
1 Tyler Reddick 11*1*813115438658
2 Ryan Blaney 271081116362F32481
3 Denny Hamlin 31131051*F112*12F930064
4 Ty Gibbs 2337424564128149
5 Chase Elliott 41172321512226434
6 Kyle Larson 16326373293*1226072
7 William Byron 122813732853024555
8 Bubba Wallace 10*282116934F361123664
9 Christopher Bell 352132*2411972723152
10 Chris Buescher 715241469191323041
11 Brad Keselowski 5172015102*12131422929
12 Joey Logano 3181531F15333721846
13 Carson Hocevar 18F43120224171020938
14 Ryan Preece 2591813111312820922
15 Daniel Suárez 1352530187201219226
16 Shane van Gisbergen 3062113614113417724
17 Chase Briscoe 362373781214517628
18 Austin Cindric 34261323419581617250
19 Michael McDowell 2220592620182417119
20 A. J. Allmendinger 19129192430271515615
21 Ross Chastain 203351F281716162015311
22 Zane Smith 61733271422341914410
23 Erik Jones 2124341020102123133–
24 Kyle Busch 153412172821242513111
25 Josh Berry 93826323117103212825
26 Todd Gilliland 39252112342323612711
27 Austin Dillon 37291916122525181248
28 John Hunter Nemechek 261917252127293511114
29 Riley Herbst 8332318233535211099
30 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2362822292930171074
31 Noah Gragson 11142236302628261041
32 Ty Dillon 141616263331372995–
33 Connor Zilisch (R)3330142932182633842
34 Cole Custer 2422F293527283128763
35 Cody Ware 172730243536323164–
36 Alex Bowman 40233637247
37 Casey Mears 32Wth93
38 B. J. McLeod 41353–
Corey LaJoie DNQ–
Ineligible for driver points
Pos.Driver DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSS MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM Pts.Stage
Austin Hill 2133
Justin Allgaier 38252422
Jesse Love 27
Corey Heim 28
Jimmie Johnson 29
J. J. Yeley DNQ31
Anthony Alfredo DNQ33
Chad Finchum 36
Timmy Hill 37
Chandler Smith DNQ
Myatt Snider RL†
Pos.Driver DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSS MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS ROV PHO TAL MAR HOM Pts.Stage
† – Relieved for Alex Bowman
Reference: [130]
Notes
  1. ↑ Stage 3 winner only for the Coca-Cola 600

Manufacturers' championship

After 8 of 36 races

PosManufacturerWinsPoints
1 Toyota 6400
2 Chevrolet 1295
3 Ford 1283
Reference: [131]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "NASCAR releases 2026 schedule, adding Chicagoland and shifting All-Star to Dover". NASCAR . August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Kyle Larson takes Cup title as Ryan Blaney wins shocker in Sonoran Desert". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. November 2, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Cole Custer to drive for Haas Factory Team in 2025". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Crandall, Kelly (September 5, 2025). "Haas NASCAR team reuniting with Chevrolet in '26". Racer . Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Kyle Larson, HendrickCars.com extend with Hendrick Motorsports through 2026". NASCAR . September 16, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Chase Elliott signs contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. February 20, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron agree to four year contract extension". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. May 23, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Alex Bowman signs three year contract extension; Ally signs five year extension with Hendrick Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. February 15, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Alex Bowman to miss NASCAR race at Phoenix due to vertigo diagnosis; Anthony Alfredo to fill in". Hendrick Motorsports . March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Alex Bowman remains sidelined; Justin Allgaier to drive No. 48 car at Las Vegas". NASCAR . March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Alex Bowman to miss next three NASCAR Cup Series races as he focuses on vertigo recovery". Hendrick Motorsports . Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Alex Bowman cleared to return at Bristol". Jayski's Silly Season Site . April 9, 2026. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Ricky Stenhouse Jr signs contract extension with JTG Daugherty Racing UPDATE". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. May 5, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Justin Haley on the hot seat". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. August 29, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  15. ↑ Christie, Toby (September 2, 2025). "Stenhouse Confirms Return to HYAK Motorsports for 2026 Season". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  16. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (December 3, 2025). "Ty Dillon Returning to Kaulig Racing Full-Time in 2026". Racing America On SI. Sports Illustrated . Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Kaulig Racing says A.J. Allmendinger will return to Cup next season". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. June 1, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "2026 NASCAR Cup Series Team / Driver Chart". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Richard Childress Racing Announces Cup Series Competition Leadership Appointments". Richard Childress Racing . Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Kyle Busch signs one year contract extension with Richard Childress Racing". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. May 24, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Jim Pohlman to serve as Kyle Busch's crew chief next year". Jayski's Silly Season Site . October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  22. 1 2 "T.J. Puchyr agrees to buy Rick Ware Racing". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. June 26, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  23. 1 2 "Rick Ware Racing to switch back to Chevrolet". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. December 6, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Spire Motorsports, Justin Haley to part ways at end of season". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  25. 1 2 "Daniel Suarez signs with Spire Motorsports for 2026". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. October 22, 2025. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 "Spire Confirms Truck Return, Announces Promotions". Frontstretch. December 12, 2025. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Michael McDowell leaving Front Row Motorsports at season's end: UPDATE: Moving to Spire". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. May 8, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Carson Hocevar to drive No. 77 for Spire Motorsports next season". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. October 10, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  29. ↑ DeGroot, Nick (February 16, 2023). "Ross Chastain signs multi-year contract extension with Trackhouse". Motorsport Network . Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Trackhouse to pair Chastain with McSwain". Racer . Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  31. 1 2 "Trackhouse Racing announces changes for 2026 season". Jayski's Silly Season Site . November 7, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Daniel Suarez not returning to Trackhouse Racing in 2026". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  33. 1 2 "Connor Zilisch to drive Trackhouse Chevy in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. August 23, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Randall Burnett to crew chief for Connor Zilisch in 2026". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. September 23, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing announce multiyear contract extension". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. August 8, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  36. ↑ "Noah Gragson signs multi-year deal with Front Row Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  37. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (January 9, 2026). "Front Row Motorsports Announces Competition Changes for 2026". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Todd Gilliland signs extension with Front Row Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. June 5, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Zane Smith returns to Front Row Motorsports, will drive No. 38". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media. January 2, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
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