Posted on by Zack Albert

Front Row Motorsports solidified its personnel roster for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, announcing that Grant Hutchens will be crew chief for the No. 4 Ford and driver Noah Gragson.

Hutchens, a longtime race engineer, will be in his first full season as a crew chief at the NASCAR national-series level. He replaces Drew Blickensderfer, who was paired with Gragson the last two seasons — first with the former Stewart-Haas Racing team and last year under the Front Row banner. Blickensderfer will transition into the role of competition director for the organization, working alongside current technical director Seth Barbour.

RELATED: 2026 NASCAR schedule | Changes to know for 2026

Hutchens was most recently rostered as the lead race engineer with Wood Brothers Racing in 2024, after previous stints with Team Penske and Richard Childress Racing. He has been a crew chief for nine Cup Series races in an interim or fill-in role, with his best result a runner-up finish with Austin Cindric on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2022.

The rest of Front Row Motorsports’ driver-crew chief lineup will carry over from 2025. Chris Lawson returns for his second season as crew chief for the No. 34 Ford and driver Todd Gilliland, and Ryan Bergenty is back for his fourth year as crew chief of the No. 38 team, and his second season working alongside Smith.

Front Row also announced that it has hired Jonathan DeHart as aerodynamics manager. He arrives after stints with Hendrick Motorsports as body production manager and with General Motors’ IndyCar operations as aero car chief.

Those roster pairings will be in place when the Cup Series opens its 2026 campaign next month, first with the Cook Out Clash exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 1 (8 p.m. ET) and then with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 (2:30 p.m. ET). Both events will be broadcast on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max.

Front Row will aim to regain its stride this season after a two-year absence from the Cup Series Playoffs. Gilliland was 27th, Smith 28th and Gragson 34th in the final 2025 standings.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

Editor’s note: Today’s Spire Motorsports preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2026 Cup Series season.

SPIRE MOTORSPORTS

Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: Hendrick Motorsports
Driver-crew chief pairings: Daniel Suárez-Ryan Sparks (No. 7); Michael McDowell-Travis Peterson (No. 71); Carson Hocevar-Luke Lambert (No. 77)

Team outlook: Anyone within the Spire Motorsports camp would probably tell you 2025 was a disappointment. The team showed speed throughout the season and competed for wins, but couldn’t close the deal with any of their three cars. None of their drivers reached the playoffs, but that could and should change in 2026, as Spire understands what they are capable of, attempting to shatter the glass ceiling and make a big statement in the year ahead.

DANIEL SUÁREZ, NO. 7 CHEVROLET

Experience: 9 full-time seasons in NASCAR Cup Series; 323 starts
2025 stats: 29th in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s, 0 poles, 35 laps led

Driver outlook: Suárez had his worst final result in the standings last year since his 2020 campaign with Gaunt Brothers Racing. Going into 2026, he replaces Justin Haley in the No. 7 Chevrolet, and all signs should point toward a far better year for the 34-year-old veteran. Paired with McDowell, the two should be forces to be reckoned with on road courses this year, and Suárez’s recent history at EchoPark Speedway could line him up for a breakthrough multi-win campaign.

MORE: Daniel Suárez driver page

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, NO. 71 CHEVROLET

Experience: 18 seasons in NASCAR Cup Series (full-time the last nine seasons); 537 starts
2025 stats: 22nd in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 3 top fives, 6 top 10s, 2 poles, 96 laps led

Driver outlook: Texas and Chicago were ones that got away from McDowell as the long-time veteran was passed by Logano for the lead in the closing laps before crashing with two laps to go from second in the Lone Star State. At Chicago, McDowell started on the front row and led 31 laps before a mechanical failure ruined the No. 71 team’s day. Even at age 41 with many miles logged, the hunger and drive are still there for McDowell and should be in contention for victories this year, maybe even having an outside shot at a championship run.

MORE: Michael McDowell driver page

CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 77 CHEVROLET

Experience: 2 full-time seasons in NASCAR Cup Series; 81 starts
2025 stats: 23rd in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 2 top fives, 9 top 10s, 1 pole, 122 laps led

Driver outlook: Hocevar lived by the moniker of “checkers or wreckers” last season, and it bit him more times than it rewarded. Consistent, race-contending speed is there in the No. 77 Chevrolet, but the goal for Hocevar is to have the discipline to complete the grind of a full race. He showed that at Nashville, finishing runner-up to a dominant Ryan Blaney, but other races got away from him. If he can hone it in consistently and balance aggression through a 36-race calendar, there’s no telling what Hocevar could achieve in his third Cup season.

MORE: Carson Hocevar driver page

Posted on by Staff Report

Corey LaJoie will drive the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in place of team co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski, the team announced Thursday and as first reported by FOX Sports.

Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is recovering from a broken right femur suffered in a fall exiting his vehicle on a Dec. 18 ski trip, FOX Sports reported. LaJoie is RFK Racing’s reserve driver and will make his first start for the organization in the Feb. 1 exhibition race (8 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

Keselowski intends to be back behind the wheel in time for the 68th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I didn’t want to rush back,” Keselowski said. “The team and I made the decision together that if all the rehab went absolutely perfect, we’d be ready like, literally, the day of The Clash.

“And that seemed super foolish and didn’t give us any time to do any testing on myself or anything like that.”

LaJoie has 276 Cup Series starts to his credit, last running a full season in 2024 before a four-race schedule in 2025 with Rick Ware Racing. The Concord, North Carolina native is a past winner at Bowman Gray, taking first place in the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 in an ARCA Menards Series East race.

“Happy to be of service,” LaJoie shared on social media. “Wishing BK a speedy recovery. Let’s go get another trophy at The Madhouse.”

Keselowski added that his rehabilitation process is six to eight hours per day and that the normal recovery time is approximately between eight and 12 weeks. Per the report, Keselowski hopes to have a medical evaluation test Feb. 5 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to gain medical clearance to return to competition.

“It’s a really painful thing to break,” Keselowski said. “It’s the biggest bone in your body, which is kind of the bad part about it. The good thing is it’s also one of the fastest healing parts of your body, so I’m just really dealing with the pain and trying to recover as fast as I can.”

Keselowski, who joined RFK Racing as a driver and co-owner in 2022, told FOX Sports he slipped and fell on ice after returning to the ski resort, shearing his femur and needing emergency surgery in Boone, North Carolina.

“I’ve broken a lot of different bones and parts of my body,” Keselowski said. “I will tell you, none of them come close to hurting as bad as breaking your femur. It’s a very painful injury, but the recovery is actually fairly similar in time and so forth. So I’ve just got to be tough and get through it. …

“It’s kind of a freak accident. I just fell perfectly on a spot that broke my leg. I wish it was some cooler story than that, like jumping or doing something on the slopes. I think everybody thinks I did it on the slopes, which sounds a lot cooler than the actual story I have, but it just was a freak accident.”

Keselowski has not missed a points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race since October 2009 — a stretch of 581 consecutive races. Because The Clash is an exhibition race, Keselowski’s streak is not in jeopardy unless he were to miss the season-opening Daytona 500.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR will announce the championship format for 2026 and beyond in a Monday, Jan. 12 press conference that will be live streamed from Concord, North Carolina.

Live video coverage will be available to stream at 3:30 p.m. ET on NASCAR.com, The NASCAR Channel and NASCAR YouTube.

RELATED: Watch on YouTube | 2026 Cup Series schedule

Additionally, a special “Inside the Race” studio show will be streamed following the formal press conference at the NASCAR Production Facility.

The announcement comes ahead of the 2026 racing season, which is set to begin with the exhibition Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 1 (8 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The NASCAR Cup Series campaign begins in earnest with the 68th running of the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: How to watch The NASCAR Channel

Posted on by Staff Report

Stewart Friesen will return to the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Friesen confirmed in a Thursday interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Friesen, a four-time winner in the Truck Series, was injured in a July 2025 crash while racing a dirt modified in Quebec, Canada, fracturing his pelvis and right leg in a crash that sent his No. 44 car flipping before catching fire in a Super DIRTcar Series event.

RELATED: 2026 Truck Series schedule

The crash sidelined him for the rest of the 2025 season, with Cup Series regular Christopher Bell filling in for Friesen at Watkins Glen International before Kaden Honeycutt substituted for the conclusion of the season, earning a Championship 4 berth in the process. On Dec. 5, Friesen posted a video to his X account showing his first steps without assistance since his accident, bouncing back from a reconstructed pelvis, right tibia and fibula, and recovering from a fractured C7 vertebra and fractured left hip.

Friesen told SiriusXM’s “The Morning Drive” that his recovery has gone well and that he’s ready to climb back behind the wheel of his No. 52 Toyota after multiple sessions on the manufacturer’s simulator as he prepares for competition.

“It’s going very well,” Friesen told SiriusXM of his recovery. “The last month, I’ve been making some leaps and bounds. No more crutches, no more cane, walking pretty normal and just trying to work out as much as I can. Still doing a lot of physical therapy and anticipating a return at Daytona here in just over a month.

“I feel great. I’ve done some sim over at TRD in Salisbury, (North Carolina) a few times. I had another session yesterday morning that went really well and really, really looking forward to getting back into action and getting back to normal and getting rolling here to start the season.”

Friesen said his time spent in recovery has allowed him time to reflect on making his dirt modified race cars safer, but the 42-year-old Canadian has no intentions of slowing down either.

“It’s been a long process, but at the end of the day, I’m a racer. It’s what I love to do,” Friesen said. “I’ve wanted to do this since I was probably 8, 9 years old, growing up around a race track and then racing my whole life. It’s just something that we do, and I don’t think I could go through life the same way not being in the seat or not wanting to be in the seat. I feel like I’ve still got a couple more decent years in my prime left before I gotta hang up the Simpsons (seat belts). But right now, that’s the goal — get back to what I love to do and what our family does and go back racing.”

Friesen anticipates getting back behind the wheel of a big-block dirt modified in early February at All-Tech Raceway as well as Volusia Speedway Park before climbing back into his No. 52 Toyota, but admitted his prior commitment of 50 to 60 dirt races per year may be scaled back in 2026.

HFR will also field the No. 62 Toyota full time in the new year, Friesen said, with multiple drivers filling out the 25-race schedule.

The No. 52 truck finished third in the 2025 owners points standings, the team’s best result since going full time in 2018. Friesen credited Honeycutt for his professionalism and talent leading to a Championship 4 berth.

“What a great race car driver and great person, first off,” Friesen said. “Young racer, super passionate about racing. I mean, you see him run almost every division he could at the Snowball Derby. Comes from a dirt-racing background in East Texas. And I think the Toyota guys made a really, really good pick in Kaden to jump in and replace Corey (Heim, defending series champion) in the 11 truck over at Tricon. …

“It was cool for him to jump in my seat and work with him. I was logged into every sim session that he did, and all the races, obviously listening on the radio, and just a great race-car driver. And it really helped our team to develop and make a championship push. That was awesome. That was all we could ask for. He did a great job and got us another, maybe, rung up the ladder with the building of this race team.”

The 2026 Truck Series season begins with the Fresh from Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 13 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson will return to the Craftsman Truck Series with Tricon Garage to compete in the June 19 race at Naval Base Coronado.

Johnson, a native of nearby El Cajon, California, will drive the No. 1 Carvana Toyota for Tricon on the 16-turn, 3.4-mile San Diego street course in NASCAR’s inaugural race on an active United States military base. An 83-time Cup Series winner, Johnson is also set to compete in the Anduril 250, the June 21 race for the NASCAR Cup Series featuring the same scenic San Diego backdrop.

MORE: 2026 Truck Series schedule | Johnson guaranteed 2026 Daytona 500 start

The start will mark Johnson’s second appearance in the Craftsman Truck Series, making his lone start back in 2008 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“Racing in San Diego means everything to me — it’s home,” Johnson said in a release. “Getting behind the wheel of a Truck Series entry has been on my mind for a while. The competition is incredible, and doing it at a historic street race on a Navy base in my hometown? That’s special. I’m grateful to Tricon and Carvana for making this happen, and honestly, I can’t think of a better way to honor our military and celebrate where I’m from.”

Carvana will also serve as Johnson’s primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series event on his No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE, one of two Cup starts slated for Johnson in 2026 — the other being the 2026 Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 2026 Craftsman Truck Series season begins with the Fresh from Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Nathan Solomon

Editor’s note: Today’s Haas Factory Team preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2026 Cup Series season.

HAAS FACTORY TEAM

Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: Hendrick Motorsports
Driver-crew chief pairing: Cole Custer-Aaron Kramer (No. 41)

Team outlook: Heading into its second Cup Series season, Haas Factory Team has a big change on the way, aligning with Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports in 2026. The organization previously raced underneath the Ford banner, dating back to 2017 during the Stewart-Haas Racing era. But with the new partnership, the Gene Haas-owned enterprise is hoping to take the next step and reap the rewards for both Cole Custer in the No. 41 Chevrolet, as well as the team’s two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series entries piloted by Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed.

RELATED: Haas Factory Team aligns with Chevrolet in 2026

COLE CUSTER, NO. 41 CHEVROLET

Experience: Four full-time seasons in NASCAR Cup Series; 153 starts
2025 stats: 32nd in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s, 0 poles, 10 laps led

Driver outlook: Custer made a return to Cup in 2025 after two seasons back in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, winning the title in 2023. While he struggled most of the season, he nearly pulled off a pair of superspeedway victories late in the season at Daytona and Talladega. Certainly, a learning curve is expected with a new manufacturer in 2026, but Custer has his eyes set on a return to Victory Lane for the first time since 2020, when he won at Kentucky as a rookie. Expect the 27-year-old from Ladera Ranch, California, to contend at the early-season drafting tracks, and as 2026 progresses, he’ll likely be a candidate for a bounce-back season.

MORE: Cole Custer driver page

Posted on by Staff Report

Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club will utilize the Open Exemption Provisional to guarantee Johnson’s spot as the 41st car in the 2026 Daytona 500, NASCAR officials confirmed Wednesday.

Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hall of Famer, will drive the No. 84 Carvana Toyota in the 68th running of the “Great American Race” on Sunday, Feb. 15 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: 2026 Cup Series schedule

NASCAR created the OEP ahead of the 2025 season as a guaranteed “promoter’s choice” provisional in a given NASCAR Cup Series field for accomplished, world-class drivers from NASCAR or other forms of motorsports. Trackhouse Racing became the first team to utilize the provisional in the 2025 Daytona 500 to allow four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Hélio Castroneves to make his NASCAR debut. Revisions to the application of the provisional now mandate a 41-car field whenever the provisional is granted. This differs from last year, when the Duel at Daytona qualifying races determined whether Castroneves would need to rely upon the provisional to make the starting field, typically capped at 40 cars.

RELATED: Jimmie Johnson driver page

Because Johnson, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, will start the Daytona 500 via the provisional, he will be eligible to compete for the race win, the trophy and All-Star Race eligibility, but he will not be eligible to receive championship points or prize money from the event.

An 83-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and team owner of Legacy Motor Club, Johnson retired from full-time competition following the 2020 campaign and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024 before returning to competition on a part-time basis in 2023 with LMC. Johnson is currently scheduled to drive the No. 84 Toyota in both the Daytona 500 and the June 21 race at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego, NASCAR’s first race on an active United States military base and near Johnson’s hometown of El Cajon, California.

Posted on by Staff Report

Reigning NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love is going back to his roots next week by competing in the 40th running of the Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink.

The Chili Bowl, scheduled to take place from Jan. 12-17 inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the largest Midget car racing event in the world.

The event annually draws more than 300 entries from across the globe to compete on a temporary, quarter-mile dirt oval built inside the SageNet Center.

Love, 20, will compete in a Midget car owned by Hendrick Motorsports’ Blake Harris, crew chief for Alex Bowman in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Jesse Love
Jesse Love most recently competed in the Chili Bowl in 2024. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

This will mark Love’s fourth Chili Bowl attempt dating back to 2021. He has not qualified for the championship finale in his three previous attempts, with his best effort being a 13th-place finish in a B-Main in 2021.

Prior to his NASCAR career, Love, the 2023 ARCA Menards Series title winner and two-time West Series champ, honed his skills racing on dirt tracks across the country. The Menlo Park, California native has multiple Midget car victories on his résumé.

Beginning with Sunday’s practice (10 a.m. ET), all seven days and nights of the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink will be shown live on FloRacing. Preliminary night racing begins Monday at 4 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Kobe Lambeth

Editor’s note: Today’s Rick Ware Racing preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2026 Cup Series season.

RICK WARE RACING

Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: ECR Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: Cody Ware-Billy Plourde (No. 51)

Team outlook: Rick Ware Racing will switch to Chevrolet ahead of the 2026 Cup Series season after fielding Ford entries since 2022. To go along with the new General Motors partnership, RWR will begin a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing and use ECR Engines. This move could elevate the No. 51 team’s performance and put them on the right track toward being more competitive at NASCAR’s premier level. 

RELATED: Rick Ware Racing switches to Chevrolet for 2026, forms alliance with RCR 

CODY WARE, NO. 51 CHEVROLET

Experience: Two full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series; 142 starts
2025 stats: 36th in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 poles, 32 laps led
2026 championship odds (DraftKings): 200-1

Driver outlook: In his first full Cup Series season since 2022, Ware’s 2025 campaign was challenging, but he had two standout performances at a pair of drafting-style tracks. His best finish of the year was 13th in the summer race at EchoPark Speedway, but his most memorable was the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway with an opportunity to win his way into the playoffs. Although Ware settled for a 20th-place finish at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in Daytona Beach, he shone under the Florida lights by leading 23 laps and holding his ground against other drivers looking to make a last-ditch postseason push. Looking ahead to 2026, the goal for Ware should be simple: show progress compared to last year and take full advantage of the new alliances with Chevrolet and RCR to push the No. 51 Chevrolet further up the grid.

MORE: Cody Ware driver page