Greetings, 2026, and hello, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. After a thrilling 2025 season resulted in Jesse Love claiming the championship hardware, next on deck is a fresh campaign bound to deliver with just as much — if not more — suspense and excitement.
With much to look forward to — from fresh tracks to a revamped postseason format — how does the O’Reilly field stack up heading into the 2026 season? Let’s give it a look, with NASCAR.com’s John Crane ranking the top 10 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers leading into the season opener on Feb. 14 at Daytona International Speedway (5 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule
1. Jesse Love, No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Analysis: The 2025 champion has to be ranked No. 1, right? Love not only prevailed over his Championship 4 competitors — Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil — but did so in clutch fashion. An inside maneuver to overtake race leader Zilisch on Lap 176 stands out, with the move eventually resulting in the win at Phoenix Raceway to claim the title. With his best friend in Zilisch moving to the full-time Cup Series fold, Love enters 2026 as the driver to beat, even with a change to the postseason format. And better yet: Love has the chance to go back-to-back in the circuit for the first time since Tyler Reddick in 2018-19.
2. Justin Allgaier, No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Analysis: Though Zilisch is departing for Cup, JR Motorsports still has a stalwart on its hands in the veteran Allgaier, who, despite failing to clinch title No. 2, still had a statistically sound 2025. Allgaier tallied multiple wins for a sixth consecutive season and additionally led a series-best 1,056 laps. Allgaier’s career has been consistent through and through, and while the Illinois native enters his age-40 season — with a new crew chief in Andrew Overstreet, too — his stellar results should continue. Will it be enough to capture that second championship crown?
3. Austin Hill, No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Analysis: What if? This could very well be the phrase that defined Hill’s 2025 campaign. Three wins through the opening 11 races netted the No. 21 team valuable playoff points, only for them to get erased after a suspension for on-track actions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A waiver was granted, and Hill still advanced to the postseason. While Hill finished sixth in the final table — respectable enough — it’s a step back from a fourth-place finish in 2024. A rebound is likely in order for Hill and the No. 21 stable.
4. Sam Mayer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
Analysis: Mayer’s 2025 was perplexing. He only found Victory Lane once (at Iowa Speedway), but his 13 top fives matched a career best (2023). And what if I told you that, among all 2025 full-time O’Reilly drivers, Mayer ranked third in average finish at 11.5, behind Zilisch’s 8.0 and Love’s 11.1? These signs seemingly would’ve pointed toward a deep playoff run, but it didn’t transpire, with Mayer finishing 10th in the driver standings, a career low compared to his other full-time campaigns. Mayer was additionally suspended for the season finale after the No. 41 driver spun Jeb Burton at Martinsville. Perhaps Haas Factory Team’s manufacturer switch from Ford to Chevrolet beginning in 2026 could be the necessary step for Mayer to find a better footing.
5. Brandon Jones, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Analysis: A return to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025 after a two-year stint with JR Motorsports proved to be fruitful for the 28-year-old pilot. Not only did the Atlanta native tally multiple O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories for the first time since 2020, but a fifth-place finish in the final driver standings was a career best. So, what’s key for Jones as he enters his 11th full-time season in the circuit? Keep consistency (just one DNF in 2025), build on postseason momentum and take aim at an even better points finish in 2026.
6. Carson Kvapil, JR Motorsports
Analysis: A unique case compared to others on this list, JR Motorsports’ Kvapil is confirmed for full-time O’Reilly racing in 2026, though the complete makeup of his schedule has yet to be announced. Whatever the case, this is excellent news for the 22-year-old, who took the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series world by storm in 2025 with a surprise Championship 4 appearance. He will have the opportunity to continue expanding his short-track expertise and hone his craft at other venues.
7. Sammy Smith, No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Analysis: A gradual build has been Smith’s theme through three full-time O’Reilly campaigns, capturing one win each year. He’s increased his top-five and top-10 finishes year over year, culminating in 2025 with career-bests in both categories — eight and 18 — respectively. An average finish of 14.0 was also a career high, but an eighth-place result in the standings was not, just missing his sixth-place mark in 2023. His 2026 season will be about combining race-leading dominance from 2023 (when he led 334 laps) with improving results from 2025.
8. Taylor Gray, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Analysis: Gray’s first full-time O’Reilly stint had a few learning curves, as to be expected. Even still, the New Mexico native took the 2025 grind in stride and was rewarded with a postseason berth and his first NASCAR victory (Martinsville fall). There is a ton of potential in the 20-year-old pilot, and with more experience comes the possibility of even greater upside. Keep an eye on this driver ahead of what could be a breakout 2026 season.
9. Sheldon Creed, No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
Analysis: The question is simple: When? After 16 top-five finishes in 2024 — including six runner-ups — Creed entered 2025 with optimism that the Victory Lane hump would finally be crossed. Instead, the 28-year-old went the other direction, with just eight top fives and a 16.1 average finish, both well below his 2024 marks. With 136 O’Reilly starts to his name, you have to wonder when that elusive first victory will transpire. Haas Factory Team’s shift from Ford to Chevrolet next season does bring a little familiarity to Creed, who began his career in the series with the manufacturer.
10. Harrison Burton, No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota
Analysis: Burton’s first full-time O’Reilly season since 2021 was an inspiring one, taking the No. 25 AM Racing Ford to the playoffs for the first time in the organization’s history. For 2026, Burton will have a new look, transitioning to Sam Hunt Racing to pilot the No. 24 Toyota. Similarly to Creed, this could spark Burton. After all, the North Carolina native’s best O’Reilly season came in a Toyota, tallying four wins in 2020 with Joe Gibbs Racing.