The silly season is always a fun part of the NASCAR season. Sometimes everyone’s right about a worst-kept secret, sometimes we’re all blown away. Let’s take a look at where the teams sit heading into the 2026 Cup Series season.
Image Credit: Patrick Vallely
TrackHouse Racing
With the announcement coming earlier this season that Daniel Suarez, one of the foundation drivers of the team, would not be returning in 2026. It is not yet known where Daniel will settle, but it’s a pretty sure-fire guess on who takes his place, Connor Zilisch.
| No. 1 | Chevrolet | Ross Chastain |
| No. 88 | Chevrolet | Shane van Gisbergen |
| No. 87? | Chevrolet | Connor Zilisch? |
Team Penske
No Changes expected
| No. 2 | Ford Mustang | Austin Cindric |
| No. 12 | Ford Mustang | Ryan Blaney |
| No. 22 | Ford Mustang | Joey Logano |
Richard Childress Racing
No Changes expected
| No. 3 | Chevrolet | Austin Dillon |
| No. 8 | Chevrolet | Kyle Busch |
| No. 33 (Open) | Chevrolet | Multiple Drivers |
Front Row Motorsports
No changes expected
| No. 4 | Ford Mustang | Noah Gragson |
| No. 34 | Ford Mustang | Todd Gilliland |
| No. 38 | Ford Mustang | Zane Smith |
Hendrick Motorsports
No changes expected
| No. 5 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Kyle Larson |
| No. 9 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Chase Elliott |
| No. 24 | Chevrolet ZL1 | William Byron |
| No. 48 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Alex Bowman |
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
No changes expected
| No. 6 | Ford Mustang | Brad Keselowski |
| No. 17 | Ford Mustang | Chris Buescher |
| No. 60 | Ford Mustang | Ryan Preece |
Spire Motorsports
No changes expected
| No. 7 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Justin Haley |
| No. 77 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Carson Hocevar |
| No. 71 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Michael McDowell |
Kaulig Racing
Ty Dillon’s contract may be up at the end of the season. Sure, there’s a chance he comes back, but there has been exactly 0 consistency with the 10 car at Kaulig. Daniel Suarez is a name that could come up along with Christian Eckes.
| No. 10 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Unknown |
| No. 16 | Chevrolet ZL1 | AJ Allmendinger |
Joe Gibbs Racing
Expect no Changes
| No. 11 | Toyota Camry | Denny Hamlin |
| No. 19 | Toyota Camry | Chase Briscoe |
| No. 20 | Toyota Camry | Christopher Bell |
| No. 54 | Toyota Camry | Ty Gibbs |
Rick Ware Racing
Sold to TJ Puchyr, Ware should remain the driver of the team’s car. There is also the lawsuit between LMC & RWR for the ownership of a charter that we will keep an eye on.
| No. 51? | Ford Mustang? | Cody Ware? |
| No.? | Ford Mustang? | ? |
Hyak Motorsports
No changes expected.
| No. 47 | Chevrolet ZL1 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Wood Brothers Racing
No changes expected.
| No. 21 | Ford Mustang | Josh Berry |
23XI Racing
Despite losing their injunction, 23XI Racing has pledged to run three cars for the remainder of 2025 and into the next season. Tyler Reddick is the toss-up. Per inside sources, Tyler’s contract depends on having a chartered car, which he does not have, allowing him to be a free agent.
| No. 23 | Toyota Camry | Bubba Wallace |
| No. 35 | Toyota Camry | Riley Herbst |
| No. 45 | Toyota Camry | Tyler Reddick? |
Haas Factory Team
No changes expected.
| No. 41 | Ford Mustang Dark Horse | Cole Custer |
Legacy Motor Club
I don’t expect any changes. JHN’s contract terms are unknown; could LMC steal another young talent? He could be out. There is also the lawsuit between Legacy and Rick Ware Racing over the ownership of a charter that we will have to keep an eye on.
| No. 42 | Toyota Camry | John Hunter Nemechek |
| No. 43 | Toyota Camry | Erik Jones |
| No. ? | Toyota Camry | Potential new chartered car |
| No. 84 (Open) | Toyota Camry | Jimmie Johnson |
