As most NASCAR fans expected, Trackhouse Racing decided well before the 2025 season ended that they'd be replacing Daniel Suarez with incoming rookie Connor Zilisch alongside Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen next year.
However, the change wasn't as simple as putting Zilisch behind the wheel of Suarez's No. 99 Chevrolet for the 2026 season.
In fact, the only thing set to remain exactly the same for the Justin Marks-owned team's lineup is the fact that Ross Chastain is set to be back for a fifth year behind the wheel of the No. 1 Chevrolet.
Trackhouse Racing's original car number out for 2026
Zilisch is actually set to replace van Gisbergen behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet after using the No. 88 during his 10-win Xfinity Series season this year, while van Gisbergen is set to use the No. 97, which hasn't been used full-time in the Cup Series since 2005.
Van Gisbergen used the No. 97 during his rookie Xfinity Series season in 2024, and he also used it during his time in Australian Supercars, which saw him win 80 races and three championships before he made the move to NASCAR.
The No. 99, which the team used as their original number when they entered the series with Suarez in 2021, will not return to their full-time lineup next year.
It marks the first time the number has been dropped from the Cup Series full-time since Carl Edwards left Roush Fenway Racing for Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2014 season. From the start of his Cup Series career in 2004 until the end of the 2014 season, Edwards had only ever driven the No. 99 car.
Trackhouse Racing brought the number back full-time for the first time since 2014 in 2021, though it did appear part-time in 2018 when StarCom Racing ran the No. 99 Chevrolet. Derrike Cope, Garrett Smithley, Kyle Weatherman, Landon Cassill, and Gray Gaulding combined to compete in 18 races that year.
The No. 99 car's only other appearance between the 2015 and 2020 seasons came in 2016, when Ryan Reed drove the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing in his one and only Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway.
Van Gisbergen's usage of the No. 88 in 2025 marked the first usage of the No. 88 at the Cup level since Hendrick Motorsports dropped it after the 2020 season.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 15 with the 68th annual Daytona 500. Live coverage from Daytona International Speedway is set to be provided by Fox.