For just the fourth time in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, a race is set to consist of only the 36 chartered cars this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Sunday afternoon's 301-lap Dollar Tree 301 around the four-turn, 1.058-mile (1.703-kilometer) "Magic Mile" oval in Loudon, New Hampshire is set to be just the third oval race of the seasons not to feature any non-chartered (open) cars. The others were contested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in mid-March and at Iowa Speedway two weekends ago.
Only one open car ran the series' most recent race at Richmond Raceway, and that car's removal is the only subtraction from the entry list since that race a week ago.
One entry list change (plus one number change) confirmed for New Hampshire
Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports) entered the No. 66 Ford for Josh Bilicki at Richmond, marking his second race of the year and the team's 11th. It was supposed to be his third, but the team withdrew from the race at Chicagoland Speedway in early July. He finished 35th at Richmond, which was his best non-DNF result on an oval since 2024.
Carl Long's team does plan to return later this season, but their next scheduled start isn't until the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway on Labor Day Weekend. They've yet to confirm a driver for that event, but Timmy Hill competed for the team in that race in both 2024 and 2025. He also drove the No. 66 car at the track back in March.
The only other change this weekend is a number change, and that is on the Legacy Motor Club Toyota of John Hunter Nemechek. Nemechek is still running for the No. 42 team and scoring points for the No. 42 team in the owner standings, but his car has been renumbered to No. 40 for this week.
This change was made as a nod to primary sponsor Dollar Tree, which is celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. Dollar Tree, as stated, is also the primary sponsor of Sunday's race.
Teammate Erik Jones is still set to drive the No. 43 Toyota, which is alos set to be sponsored by Dollar Tree in this race. The retailer has been a partner of Legacy Motor Club since January 2024.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is scheduled to host the Dollar Tree 301 this Sunday, August 23, with live coverage set to be provided by USA Network beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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