What’s Happening?

Silly season is shaking up the NASCAR garage area, and recent rumors suggest that Harrison Burton could be returning to Toyota for the 2026 season.

Harrison Burton had a whirlwind 2024 NASCAR season. The then 23-year-old locked the Wood Brothers into their third NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a dramatic win at Daytona. But, amidst this win, Burton was without a ride for this season, as WBR had already announced they were moving on from the first-time playoff driver at season’s end.

Burton would ultimately not return to the Cup Series this season, instead signing with fellow Ford team AM Racing for the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. In the newly renumbered No. 25, Burton would make his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff, being eliminated after a short run in the first round this past weekend.

This past Wednesday, shortly after his exit, Burton and AM announced a mutual parting of ways at the end of the year. This announcement came as a shock to many, as the Haas Factory Team’s switch to Chevrolet had left AM looking like the top Ford team in the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series lineup.

Nonetheless, Burton’s departure may lead to a reunion with Toyota for the series veteran.

Our sources at the Daily Downforce confirm that Burton is working out a deal to return to the Toyota camp to race full-time with Sam Hunt Racing in the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.

However, at press time, the two parties have yet to complete this deal, and neither the team nor the driver has announced an agreement.

Burton and Toyota

Prior to his shift to Ford for his 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie Season, Burton made his way up the NASCAR ladder with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, even making his Cup debut at Talladega for the now-defunct Gaunt Brothers Racing in 2021.

Around the same time, SHR was establishing itself as an underdog, yet competitive, Toyota team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, primarily with a revolving door of drivers. In 2023, the team entered its first full-time driver, Kaz Grala, and, after not doing so in 2024, entered rookie Dean Thompson this season.

Of course, for a single-car team, this raises questions about Thompson’s 2026 status, but that doesn’t mean SHR can’t expand. Though they have never had two full-time drivers, the team has occasionally entered up to two cars throughout its time in the series, including 16 times this season.

However, if SHR does opt for two full-time drivers, there is still the possibility that they will have a part-time car.

Rumors suggest that 23XI Racing’s top prospect, Corey Heim, will compete across the three NASCAR National Series next season, with SHR, Heim’s usual Xfinity (soon to be O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) team, as his likely spot in NASCAR’s secondary series.

Nonetheless, Heim, nor any of his suspected teams, have confirmed these plans for 2026.

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