The NASCAR offseason has been a relatively quiet one, at least in regard to announcements actually pertaining to on-track issues. (There is that other thing going on that we're all sick of hearing about).
Only two Cup Series seats will be getting new drivers in 2026, and in the O'Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series and Craftsman Truck Series, news has been moving slowly. But the field is finally starting to come together.
One Truck Series team finalized its lineup for 2026 this week, and it includes a driver nobody wanted to see back on the track.
Kris Wright has been given several chances too many, and we all know why
It must be great to be so loaded that you can singlehandedly shut down a solid Xfinity team by repeatedly destroying their equipment, and yet you get to fall upward into a championship-level Truck Series ride. That's life for Kris Wright, who was announced as the driver of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing's No. 81 Chevrolet in 2026.
That's right: we live in a world where Corey Heim, Taylor Gray, and Nick Sanchez currently don't have rides next year, but this guy does.
BOOM! #NASCAR xfinity series driver Kris Wright slams into the back of @joshbilicki entering pit road for green flag pit stops at Daytona. 💥
— Mark J. Rebilas (@rebilasphoto) February 15, 2025
📸 @rebilasphoto pic.twitter.com/N1gT5RBwH8
Here is the incident, which put an end to an otherwise dominant day for Justin Allgaier. As he approaches the slower lapped car of Kris Wright, Wright changes lanes several times, and it leads to Allgaier crashing. pic.twitter.com/0JQtCtjfMH
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) May 3, 2025
We all know it's an unfortunate reality of NASCAR racing that money and connections trump talent. It's why Riley Herbst is at 23XI Racing instead of Heim. It's why Danica Patrick got five seasons in an elite Cup Series ride. It's why Brandon Jones got to miss the Xfinity playoffs twice with JR Motorsports and then come crawling back to Joe Gibbs Racing, the only team that's ever made him look passable.
But this is just a slap in the face. Wright isn't one of those pay drivers you reluctantly tolerate because at least he takes care of his equipment, or can have the occasional competitive run. He is an outright hazard. He has zero pace and manages to find the wall every week, the worst of both worlds.
Drivers like Wright are the epitome of what's wrong with modern NASCAR. A rich kid with no appreciation for the working men who built the sport he competes in, actively taking opportunities away from those who have actually earned them.
At a certain point, there comes a time when, out of respect to the rest of the field, a driver like Wright needs to just cut his losses and admit this whole race car driver thing isn't for him.
Apparently not, though. Wright is determined to keep playing with his 200 mph fancy toys for as long as his bank account allows him to. Hopefully McAnally-Hilgemann Racing can afford the cost of the destruction he'll inevitably bring.