It would be hard to remember a NASCAR Cup Series silly season with less action that this past year's had. Two of the highlights, quite frankly, were backmarker teams Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing switching from Ford to Chevrolet following finishes outside the top 30 in the owner standings.
All things considered, 35 of the 36 drivers who ran full-time in 2025 are set to be back with the same team in 2026. While the Cup Series can't quite claim what Formula 1 could between 2023 and 2024, that there were no offseason driver changes whatsoever for the first time in series history, it was about as close as it gets.
Here's a look at who is in, who has switched teams, and who is out.
Who's in?
Congratulations to Connor Zilisch on being crowned NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year for 2026, provided he, at the very least, shows up to the season-opening Daytona 500.
The lone rookie in the 2026 driver lineup, who is coming off of a 10-win Xfinity Series rookie season with JR Motorsports, is set to join Trackhouse Racing behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet. But he won't be replacing Shane van Gisbergen, who is simply set to run the No. 97 car after using the No. 88 in 2025.
Who's switching teams?
It's Daniel Suarez, not van Gisbergen, who has been replaced by Zilisch, and the No. 99 he used during his five-year run with the Justin Marks-owned team will simply not be used by anybody in the Cup Series in 2026.
But Suarez isn't out of the Cup Series entirely, as he is set to move to Spire Motorsports to pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet. Spire Motorsports is set to be his fifth different team in 10 full seasons at the sport's top level.
Who's out?
The one and only driver who competed full-time during the 2025 Cup Series season but has no plans to do so in 2026 is Justin Haley, whom Suarez is set to replace.
Haley is set to move back down to the Truck Series, and he is set to reunite with Kaulig Racing, the team for which he competed in the Xfinity Series from 2019 to 2021 and then in the Cup Series in 2022 and 2023, as they embark upon their new partnership with Ram Trucks with a five-truck team after shuttering their Xfinity Series (O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) program.
The 68th annual Daytona 500 is scheduled to get the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season underway on Sunday, February 15. Fox's live coverage is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET. Aside from Zilisch, don't expect to see any new faces, and aside from Suarez, don't expect to see any old faces in new places.