As far as NASCAR Cup Series silly seasons go, this year's was relatively mundane as it pertains to the 2026 driver lineup.
One driver, Connor Zilisch, is set to join the series with Trackhouse Racing. One, Daniel Suarez, is set to switch teams, with Zilisch set to replace him as he moves to Spire Motorsports. And another, Justin Haley, won't return, moving from Spire Motorsports' Cup team to Kaulig Racing's new Craftsman Truck Series team.
Where there has been some action, however, is on the manufacturer side, though calling it "action" when it pertains only to two single-car teams that finished outside the top 32 in the owner standings may even be a bit of a stretch.
Two NASCAR Cup teams switch manufacturers for 2026
Still, it's rare that you go from having the same number of Chevrolet and Ford teams in the series one year to having twice as many Chevrolet teams as Ford teams the next, but that is what is set to transpire in 2026.
Haas Factory Team, which finished 33rd in the 2025 standings with Cole Custer behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford, are set to switch from Ford to Chevrolet. The team was formed in 2025 after Stewart-Haas Racing shut down, as co-owner Gene Haas opted to retain one of the four charters. Stewart-Haas Racing had been affiliated with Chevrolet prior to their 2017 switch to Ford.
Their move to Chevrolet also led to RSS Racing, the Xfinity Series (O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) team with which they have a technical alliance, to return to Chevrolet for the first time since 2020 as well. Naturally, Haas Factory Team's O'Reilly Auto Parts Series program is also set to make the transition.
Custer is set to be back in the No. 41 car on the Cup Series side, while Sam Mayer is set to be back in the No. 41 car and Sheldon Creed is set to be back in the No. 00 car on the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series side.
Then there is Rick Ware Racing, which finished last in the owner standings in what was their fourth year as a Ford-only team. They too are set to move to Chevrolet. They had run with Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota before committing to Ford in 2022 and hadn't run with Chevrolet exclusively since 2017, when they were only a part-time team.
In 2022, they had a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing. In 2023, they aligned with RFK Racing, and they leased out one of their two charters to RFK Racing for both 2025 and 2026. Their 2026 Chevrolet deal is set to include a new technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing.
Ware is set to be back in the No. 51 car.
The announcements leave RFK Racing, Team Penske, Wood Brothers Racing, and Front Row Motorsports as the sport's only full-time Ford teams, placing them just one team ahead of Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing, and Legacy Motor Club).
Meanwhile, Chevrolet now has more than half of the sport's 15 full-time teams: Hendrick Motorsports, Trackhouse Racing, Spire Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing, Hyak Motorsports, Haas Factory Team, and Rick Ware Racing.
The 68th annual Daytona 500 is scheduled to get the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season underway on Sunday, February 15 at Daytona International Speedway, with live coverage set to be provided by Fox starting at 2:30 p.m. ET!