Peterson Racing Group announced Monday that Austin Green will no longer be full-time in their No. 87 Chevrolet Camaro. Nick Sanchez is confirmed to be driving at Pocono Raceway, Chicagoland Speedway, EchoPark Speedway, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Green will still race the road courses at Naval Base Coronado and Sonoma Raceway.
Peterson Racing announces Nick Sanchez will do Pocono, Chicagoland and Atlanta in the No. 87 O'Reilly Series car.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 1, 2026
Green has started every race for the team so far this season. He currently sits 24th in points, ahead of four other drivers who have also started every race. In 16 starts this season he earned two top-ten finishes. The first ten races were difficult, with a best finish of 21st at EchoPark Speedway.
The last six races have been better. This stretch does include a 30th-place result at Nashville Superspeedway and 35th at Texas Motor Speedway, but the other four races were all impressive. Green led laps and finished tenth at Talladega, earned an expected ninth on the road course at Watkins Glen International, then finished 12th and 16th at Dover Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Of course, I am disappointed in not being in the car for a few races, but I welcome Nick to the team. Doug Peterson has done a lot to get this organization to this point, and I am committed to helping with our continued growth,” Green said to Joseph Srigley, who shared the news a day before the official announcement. “I will be in Pocono, Chicago, Atlanta and Indianapolis to learn and help the team any way I can.”
Nick Sanchez entered the 2025 off-season expecting to drive Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 for a second season, but lost the ride to Patrick Staropoli in late December. He drove the first seven races in the AM Racing No. 25 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, earning an impressive third-place finish in the spring EchoPark race.
Sanchez has not raced since his 33rd-place at Martinsville Speedway, after which AM Racing withdrew from the race at Rockingham Speedway and later shut down. Sanchez is the defending winner of the summer EchoPark race, and finished 11th in points his rookie season.
“I am excited and ready for this opportunity with Peterson Racing”, Sanchez said to Jayski’s Silly Season Site. “The Peterson Racing organization has all the pieces in place, and I hope to be a great asset to their growth. I have been in a similar situation before with their team alliance and am familiar with the people and processes.”
