Trackhouse Racing confirmed what many have long expected when they announced that Daniel Suarez will not be returning to the No. 99 Chevrolet for what would have been a sixth year in a row in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The Justin Marks-owned team stopped shy of confirming his replacement, but in doing so, they effectively gave NASCAR one of its traditional "worst-kept secrets" of silly season, as everybody knows that it's only a matter of time before Connor Zilisch is confirmed alongside Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen in their 2026 lineup.
Zilisch has been on a tear since signing with the team as their development driver ahead of the 2024 season. The 18-year-old phenom won on Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports last year, and he has established himself as a championship contender with multiple wins as a rookie this season, in addition to making select Cup starts in a fourth Trackhouse Racing entry.
The writing was on the wall, and for Trackhouse Racing, it's a major boost over one of their rivals.
There are doubts about whether or not Zilisch is ready for the Cup Series. I think we all get that. I certainly hope we don't see people calling for him to be replaced if he finishes 27th in points with two top 10 finishes next year. He may not be a championship contender right away, and that's okay.
But one driver who has shown for years that he is ready for a promotion is Corey Heim, who recently signed with 23XI Racing as their development driver. The Truck Series points leader and perennial championship contender even beat all three of the team's full-time drivers in his first Cup Series start of the year at Kansas Speedway back in May.
Yet all signs point toward the team sticking with Riley Herbst, who is 35th of 36 full-time drivers in the point standings in a competitive race car, alongside Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace next year.
Everyone knows that Herbst is there because of money. And while the doubts about Zilisch's readiness for a promotion are understandable, the doubts about Heim's simply aren't.
Does he really need a fifth year at the Truck level?
23XI Racing are effectively conceding their third car, acknowledging that funding is more important than having three shots to contend in the playoffs.
By cutting ties with the struggling Suarez, who is effectively the face of the franchise since the team was built around him back in 2021, Trackhouse Racing have made a clear statement that their goal is to make the playoffs with all three of theirs.
Marks' team and the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned team have been fairly evenly matched since entering the series as one-car teams in 2021. They have both expanded to two, and now three, cars, and they have both won races on a semi-regular basis.
Trackhouse Racing have had the upper hand with two wins to 23XI Racing's none so far this year. Now they have gained even more ground by avoiding the critical mistake that 23XI Racing seem committed to making in 2026.
All 23XI Racing and Toyota fans can hope for is that Heim finally gets the call in 2027. That is, if he doesn't get away to a rival organization before then.