The Complete 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Roster (So Far)
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is fast approaching, and teams are setting their lineups for the coming season. This article…
Gifts for NASCAR Fans
With the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season soon to kick off, teams are finalizing their rosters, some of which include new Crew Chiefs. Crew Chiefs play a pivotal role in preparation and on-track execution, making their pairing with the right driver crucial for any team, so who are the new combinations in the Cup Series garage this season?
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is fast approaching, and teams are setting their lineups for the coming season. This article…
Crew Chief Out: Phil Surgen
Crew Chief In: Brandon McSwain
After five successful seasons together in both Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 and Trackhouse Racing’s No. 1, where they won six races, including the 2025 Coca-Cola 600, Ross Chastain and Phil Surgen are going their separate ways ahead of the new year. This move is just one of the two changes at Trackhouse ahead of a season in which the team resets for the future.
In place of Surgen, who is moving to a new role within Trackhouse, Trackhouse is tapping former Hendrick Motorsports Engineer Brandon McSwain, who most recently worked with William Byron’s No. 24 team. Though he is somewhat inexperienced as a Crew Chief, with just 21 career National Series races atop the pit box, McSwain’s shift into this top Crew Chief spot will be assisted by his veteran driver, Chastain.
Crew Chief Out: Drew Blickensderfer
Crew Chief In: Grant Hutchens
Drew Blickensderfer is ending a legendary 17-season run as NASCAR Cup Series Crew Chief, during which he won four races, including two Daytona 500s, with Matt Kenseth in 2009 and Michael McDowell in 2021. Blickensderfer followed Noah Gragson back to Front Row Motorsports after a year abroad at Stewart-Haas Racing, with the duo scoring a disappointing 25.2 average finish in their new slot at the Ford team.
With Blickensderfer moving to the role of FRM’s Competition Director, Grant Hutchens, who most recently served as a test team Crew Chief for Team Penske, will take over duties for the No. 4 team. Hutchens and Gragson find themsevles with a chanve to prove what they bring to the table, with Gragson coming off a tumultous 2025 season, and Hutchens in his first full-time Crew Chief job.
Crew Chief Out: Randall Burnett
Crew Chief In: Jim Pohlman
One of the biggest shocks of this past offseason was Randall Burnett’s defection from Richard Childress Racing to Trackhouse Racing. Despite their early success, scoring three wins 15 races into Busch’s tenure at RCR, the two have disappointed the past two seasons, scoring just eight top-five finishes.
To replace Burnett, RCR is calling on former JR Motorsports Crew Chief for Justin Allgaier, and 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, Jim Pohlman, to call the shots for the No. 8. Pohlman is a great hire for RCR, though, there are questions as to whether or not this could be a lame duck tenure, as Busch’s contract is set to expire at year’s end.
Crew Chief Out: Ben Beshore
Crew Chief In: Justin Alexander
Erik Jones will move to his fifth Crew Chief in his sixth season at Legacy Motor Club (formerly Richard Petty Motorsports and Petty-GMS Racing), as Ben Beshore leaves his role to become the team’s new Director of Race Engineering. In his place, former RCR Crew Chief and 2018 Daytona 500 Champion with Austin Dillon, Justin Alexander, moves to the No. 43 team.
Last season was a breakthrough year for LMC following a disastrous first season with Toyota in 2024. Even though they are making improvements on track, the team still has not found victory lane, but with Alexander and Jones’ combined winning experience, the team can finally get its first breakthrough win in its LMC era.
Crew Chief Out: Matt Swiderski
Crew Chief In: Randall Burnett
Trackhouse Racing is reshuffling ahead of 2026, as long-time driver Daniel Suarez leaves the team for Spire Motorsports, and they promote start prospect Connor Zilisch to full-time action. As part of this reshuffling, Shane van Gisbergen’s No. 88 becomes the No. 97, with Suarez’s former No. 99 transitioning to the No. 88.
With these changes, Trackhouse is replacing the former No. 99 Crew Chief, Matt Swiderski, with a veteran, Randall Burnett. Though Burnett may be coming off a cold spell with Kyle Busch at RCR, he has a proven track record with young drivers, transitioning former RCR prospect Tyler Reddick from rookie driver to multi-time Cup Series winner in the early days of the Next Gen Car.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.