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NASCAR Playoff Team SOLD to ARCA Team Ahead of 2026 Season

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 12: Jesse Love, driver of the #2 Whelen Chevrolet, and Harrison Burton, driver of the #25 AirBox Ford, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 12, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Kauy Ostlien

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Royal T Grafix

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What’s Happening?

Sigma Performance Services, known for its efforts racing in the ARCA Menards Series, has announced that it has purchased the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team AM Racing ahead of the 2026 season.

SPS has competed in the ARCA Menards Series, as well as its regional series, ARCA East and ARCA West, since 2024, but has yet to enter a car in NASCAR’s secondary National Series.

That will change in 2026 with the team purchasing AM Racing ahead of the coming season.

AM has competed in the NASCAR National Series since 2016 and entered the Xfinity Series in 2023. Since then, the team has evolved into a playoff contender, qualifying for the playoffs on points with Harrison Burton this past season.

However, with the announcement of Burton’s departure for Sam Hunt Racing, the team, one of just two remaining teams that race Fords in the series, was set for a change in 2026. Shortly after the news of Burton’s departure, rumors swirled that SPS could purchase AM Racing outright and merge operations.

According to the press release from SPS, the team will continue to compete in the ARCA Menards Series, much like AM, alongside fielding entries in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Fortunately for Ford, which has seen both RSS Racing and the Haas Factory Team switch to Chevrolet, SPS will retain AM’s relationship with Ford, citing “Ford Racing’s technical resources.”

As of presstime, the depth of their relationship with Ford, as well as the drivers, has yet to be announced.

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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - APRIL 06: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on April 06, 2025 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Lionel Racing Reveals First Wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics Diecast

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.

  • This line will include six throwback paint schemes from NASCAR’s 2025 throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. Though they did not release one in 2025, this move restarts an annual tradition of Lionel releasing at least one wave of cars carrying the colors of that prior season’s throwback designs.
  • Included in this wave of cars are Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, William Byron, and Sammy Smith. Alongside these paint schemes’ debuts in the Authentics line is a new design for the packaging of the 2026 line of NASCAR Authentics.
  • Last season was somewhat turbulent for Lionel as, alongside issues with tariffs, the brand only released three waves of NASCAR Autentics, one wave of NASCAR Autentics Winners Circle diecast, and two waves of Haulers.
  • Lionel announcing the first wave of 2026 early on in the new year is perhaps a sign that 2026 could return this line to its regular release schedule. The post from Lionel Racing also confirmed that the brand will announce another wave by the end of the week, further hinting at a recommitment to the Authentics line.

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SPARTA, KY - JUNE 26: Chase Pistone, driver of the #9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet, talks with his crew during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Series UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on June 26, 2014 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Chase Pistone, NASCAR Trucks and Nationwide Series Driver, Passes Away

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Chase Pistone, a former competitor on the short track racing circuit in addition to NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away. Pistone, now a successful Legends Car owner, was 42.

  • Chase’s brothers Nick and Tom Pistone confirmed the North Carolina natives’ passing to LegendsNation.com. The cause of Pistone’s passing is unknown. The family asked that media share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, which is 988.
  • Pistone, the grandson of NASCAR legend “Tiger” Tom Pistone, made his way to NASCAR after competing on short tracks in Legends cars and Late Models. He would make his jump to NASCAR via the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005, racing for Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Pistone would continue his NASCAR pursuits in 2006, racing in ARCA and the NASCAR Busch Series. Unfortunately, these two starts, at Martinsville with the Busch Series and Iowa with ARCA, would be his last for nearly a decade.
  • Pistone returned to NASCAR in 2014, racing in a combined eight NASCAR Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races. During this season, his final in NASCAR, the then 30-year-old scored his best National Series finish, ninth place in the Truck Series annual trip to Gateway.

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8 Takeaways From NASCAR At COTA

by Bryan Aguiar

Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.

  • Has Shane van Gisbergen officially been proven mortal after getting outraced late at Circuit of the Americas?
  • Is 19-year-old Connor Zilisch already ahead of schedule after slicing through the field multiple times?
  • With three straight wins, is Tyler Reddick basically a lock for the postseason this early?
  • And how concerned should the 48 team be after a rough weekend for Alex Bowman?

From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.

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