No changes are expected in Joe Gibbs Racing's NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup for the 2026 season, even after early offseason rumors that Denny Hamlin may decide to pull a Carl Edwards following his 2025 championship heartbreak at Phoenix Raceway.
Hamlin is set to be back in the No. 11 Toyota, alongside Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Toyota, Christopher Bell in the No. 20 Toyota, and Ty Gibbs in the No. 54 Toyota.
On the Xfinity (now O'Reilly Auto Parts) Series side, a change was announced early in the offseason. The No. 19 Toyota had been run as a "star car" in 2025, with Justin Bonsignore, Aric Almirola, Riley Herbst, Christopher Bell, Jack Perkins, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs all spending time beyond the wheel at some point.
Almirola was the car's primary driver, winning three races and the owner championship for the No. 19 team.
But in 2026, Brent Crews is set to drive it full-time, though the car will still need a driver for four of the seven races scheduled to take place before his 18th birthday in March.
Other than that, Joe Gibbs Racing's lineup is set to remain exactly as is.
Brandon Jones is set to be back for a second straight season behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota. He spent five years with the team from 2018 to 2022 and returned in 2025 after a two-year stint with JR Motorsports. He recorded his second ever multi-win season in 2025 and finished in a career-high fifth place in the championship standings.
In 2025, the team's other full-time drivers were a pair of rookies in William Sawalich and Taylor Gray. Sawalich missed the playoffs, while Gray qualified and then went on to secure his first career victory at Martinsville Speedway en route to a seventh place finish in the standings.
Both drivers were confirmed as a part of the team's 2026 lineup earlier this week.
The confirmations of Sawalich and Gray mean that Corey Heim, whom many feel is blacklisted by the Toyota powerhouse due to his ARCA feuds with Ty Gibbs, still doesn't have a full-time ride of any kind lined up for a national series in 2026 after his 12-win Truck Series season in 2025.
The four races for which the No. 19 Toyota still needs a driver are the first two races of the year at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, as well as the fifth and sixth races of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway.