The NASCAR Cup Series, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and Craftsman Truck Series all had this past weekend off, giving teams and drivers a chance to mentally reset as they gear up for the stretch run to the Chase for the championship. But for some drivers this year, every weekend has been an off weekend.
The 2026 season is already well over halfway in the books. Yet there remains no shortage of talented racers who haven't been much (if at all) of a part of it.
While the likes of Kris Wright, Patrick Staropoli, and Cody Ware get to be on track every week because of funding or nepotism, these 10 talented competitors, in no particular order, remain sidelined with their careers hanging by a thread.
Nick Sanchez
Sanchez has been the most snakebitten driver of the 2026 season. First, he was shamelessly bought out of his ride by Staropoli at Big Machine Racing. Then, after signing with AM Racing, the organization shut down midseason. The Florida native has run select races with the Peterson Racing Group and also made a Truck Series start for Spire Motorsports, but he is on a week-to-week basis with no full-time plans.
Matt DiBenedetto
DiBenedetto's only attempt in any of top three series this year was a DNQ for Joey Gase's team at Richmond in the O'Reilly Series. It's been quite the fall from grace for a driver who made the Cup Series playoffs in 2020 and came close to winning multiple times at the top level. But he lacks funding and has parted ways with multiple teams on unceremonious terms, leaving him rideless.
Kaz Grala
Grala made his first top three series start of 2026 just over a month ago in the Truck Series on Naval Base Coronado and finished fifth, but he hasn't gotten another one. After an ill-fated nearly full Cup season with Rick Ware Racing in 2024, his opportunities seem to have dried up. But he's always gotten the most out of his equipment throughout his career, especially on the road courses.
Brett Moffitt
The 2018 Truck Series champion's career seems to be all but over at this point, as he hasn't driven in the top three series since 2024. At one time, Moffitt seemed to have found a home at NASCAR's third level, where he could have found long-term success as a series lifer, but he chose to chase after mediocre O'Reilly Series rides instead. Now he is out of the sport entirely.
Kyle Weatherman
Weatherman is one of NASCAR's many victims of the almighty dollar. Between 2020 and 2024, he ran most of the O'Reilly Series schedule for various low-budget teams and always seemed to find a way to punch above his weight. But he hasn't made a start in either of the past two seasons, and the ship appears to be sailing, even at only 28 years old.
Stefan Parsons
Parsons, a second-generation driver, now primarily works from the spotter's stand rather than behind the wheel. He's been a part-time competitor for the past several years but only has one start in 2026, an 18th-place result for Niece Motorsports at Nashville Superspeedway. The lack of opportunities certainly isn't due to a lack of talent.
Derek Kraus
Kraus was considered one of NASCAR's most exciting prospects in the early 2020s but was extremely raw with a tendency to tear up equipment. After losing his Truck Series ride with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing following the 2023 season, he made a few sporadic Cup Series appearances with Kaulig Racing and NY Racing in 2024 and 2025 but hasn't appeared in any series this year.
Bayley Currey
Currey is another driver who has quietly been on the shelf for the entirety of 2026. He had the occasional impressive run while driving for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series between 2023 and 2025, but this year the team has rolled with younger options, including Landen Lewis, Tyler Reif, and Parker Eatmon.
Bret Holmes
One of NASCAR's most forgotten highway robberies will always be when Holmes was the first driver across the finish line in the 2022 Talladega Truck Series race, but an unnecessary caution in the final yards gave the win to DiBenedetto instead. Two years later, his family team was forced to close up shop, and he's made only one start since.
Brandon Brown
This one is an entirely lost cause, but there's still never a bad opportunity to mention what an injustice it is that Brown is no longer a part of the sport, thanks to political opportunists turning his name into a meme. For several years, he was one of the O'Reilly Series' most impressive overachievers. Now he's the only driver in NASCAR history whose career ended because he won a race. If only it had been Brandon Jones instead.
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