JR Motorsports has been the story of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. They alone account for 15 of 24 race victories this season. As announced Wednesday, August 26, they will have at least one new driver next year. Sammy Smith has confirmed he will not return for 2027.
“After this season, I’ll be moving on from JR Motorsports and into a new chapter,” Smith posted on X. “I’m incredibly grateful for everyone at JRM who has been part of the last three years. Being a part of this No. 8 team has given me so much to be proud of, and I’ll always be thankful for the people who have helped me get to this point.”
In his first two seasons for JR Motorsports, Smith made the Round of 8 in the playoffs and secured a victory. Smith has not won a race in 2026, but is the eighth seed in the Chase. The new driver of the No. 8 was announced the next day; Carson Kvapil and crew chief Rodney Childers will move to the No.8 team full-time. This leaves the No. 1 open. Nothing has been confirmed, but former JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer has been rumored for a return.
In nearly four seasons for JRM, Mayer won seven races and made the Championship 4 in 2023. Still, he at times struggled with consistency. He enters the 2026 Chase as the 11th seed due to similar issues this season.
Several other O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers enter the Chase without confirmed 2027 plans. Likewise, several teams are moving forward without a confirmed driver.
JR Motorsports
JR Motorsports has run four full-time entries in recent seasons, and it appears likely they will continue to do so. Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil are confirmed to be staying, and a Mayer return has been the subject of rumors. As for the No. 88, little is known. This season, Rajah Caruth has shared the No. 88 with Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers. If HendrickCars.com continues to sponsor the No. 88, either a similar set-up or running Caruth full-time may be likely options. Caruth will enter the 2026 Chase as the 12th seed. Notably, the No. 32 for Jordan Anderson Racing that Caruth drove part-time is off the board with Daniel Dye taking over next year.
Alternatively, Rick Hendrick could back Jake Finch for a JR Motorsports seat. Finch has driven for Hendrick Motorsports in the past, and will run his second of five races in the JRM No. 9 at Darlington Raceway. If HendrickCars.com does not return as a sponsor, then any driver with funding could land the seat.
Haas Factory Team
Haas Factory Team is expanding to three entries with Dean Thompson joining the organization. Sammy Smith has been rumored to potentially move from JR Motorsports to Haas in a ride-swap with Mayer. Little is known about Creed, who broke through for his first victory at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway early in the season and is the third seed in the Chase. Like JR Motorsports, any driver with funding could be a candidate for an open Haas seat.
Additionally, per FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Custer is not confirmed to drive the team’s Cup Series seat but is expected to return. If he does not, then one of the team’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series seats are a likely landing place. Otherwise, nothing concrete indicates that the Creed/Mayer combination won’t last a third season.
Richard Childress Racing
Both of Richard Childress Racing‘s 2026 drivers are moving to the NACAR Cup Series in 2027. Jesse Love will drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford and Austin Hill will remain in RCR’s No. 33 Chevrolet full-time. Carson Brown, the organization’s 18-year-old development driver, will take over for Love in the No. 2. Brown finished 15th in his O’Reilly debut at Iowa and has seven top-three finishes in eight ARCA Menards Series starts.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Richard Childress Racing and Whelen for believing in me,” Brown said. “This is something I’ve dreamed about for as long as I can remember, and I know how rare and special it is to be in this position. What an absolute honor to drive for Richard Childress, and to be able to represent Whelen, an American-made brand that has invested so much into motorsports over the years.”
Chandler Smith has been confirmed to take over the No. 21 after Hill’s departure. Smith has driven two full-time seasons in the series in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, in 2023 and 2024. In these two seasons for Kaulig Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, he earned three wins. Smith currently competes full-time for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he enters the Chase as the third seed with two victories on the season.
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports will keep Corey Day, who has two wins in his first full asphalt season, in the No. 17 for another season.
“Corey Day is a tremendous talent,” Rick Hendrick said. “And our plan is for him to be in our future for a long time. People don’t realize that he’s only been on pavement for about half a year…it’s going to be good to watch him grow. We have plans for him that go well beyond the next couple of years.”
The only likely change is if Hendrick decides to add a second car, be it full-time or part-time, for Caruth, Finch, or the team’s Cup Series drivers.
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing’s entire 2027 lineup is confirmed. William Sawalich, Brent Crews, Brandon Jones, and Taylor Gray will all return in 2027. The latter two have one victory apiece along with Chase appearances, while Sawalich has one win but failed to make the Chase. Crews also missed out on a Chase spot, but without him missing four races due to age restrictions he’d have almost certainly been above the cutoff line.
JGR enters every season expecting better than the three wins and two Chase drivers they’ve produced this year. With the organization running back their roster in 2027, the expectation will likely be that every driver wins a race and makes the Chase.
Other Teams
Per Bob Pockrass, Parker Retzlaff is expected to return to Viking Motorsports in 2027. Retzlaff has had a career season for the team, with career highs in top-5s, top-tens, and a Cinderella Chase appearance as the ninth seed.
Jordan Anderson Racing and Peterson Racing both announced 2027 driver plans this past week. First, Daniel Dye will drive the No. 32 Chevrolet for Anderson full-time on a multi-year deal. Dye was full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last year with Kaulig and has run partial seasons in 2023, 2024, and 2026. This year, Dye has made starts in all four nationally touring series.
Secondly, Lee Pulliam is driving the No. 87 for Peterson full-time in 2027 and for two races this season. Pulliam is a veteran late model racer with scarce NASCAR experience. His first race in the No. 87 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be only his second career start, with his first coming earlier this season at Martinsville Speedway for JRM. The team is rumored to expand to two full-time entries in 2027, with Josh Berry and Nick Sanchez as potential candidates for the second car.
Additionally, Ryan Ellis has a multi-year deal to drive for Young’s Motorsports and Josh Williams has a similar arrangement with DGM Racing. Much remains to be seen for RSS Racing, SS-GreenLight Racing, Sam Hunt Racing, and Alpha Prime Racing.
