What’s Happening?

NASCAR drivers, much like any athletes, have a period of free agency and multi-million dollar contracts. Based on information made available from race teams, here’s the current contract status of every full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver.

• Unlike other major sports, NASCAR teams often keep contract lengths and amounts under wraps. But that doesn’t mean there is no information for these teams, as comments from drivers or owners and reports from NASCAR insiders can sometimes supply this info.
• Some teams use terms like “Multi-Year Deal”, “Multi-Year Contract”, or “Long-Term Contract” when talking about these deals. Though these deals are not exact, they do confirm that a driver is under contract for two or more seasons.
• Unfortunately, some teams do not use such vague language and supply no information at all. For these drivers, make sure to check the section below.
• Unlike other sports, it is important to remember that no matter how long a driver’s contract is, or their status within a team, this can change at a moment’s notice. For example, in 2025, Justin Haley was on a multi-year deal with Spire Motorsports, prior to his abrupt exit just one year into that deal.

Drivers With No Released Contractual Status:

• No. 10 – Ty Dillon – Kaulig Racing – No Clear Information
• No. 16 – A.J. Allmendinger – Kaulig Racing – No Clear Information
• No. 35 – Riley Herbst – 23XI Racing – No Clear Information
• No. 41 – Cole Custer –  Haas Factory Team – No Clear Information*
• No. 51 – Cody Ware – Rick Ware Racing – Son of Owner; No Clear Information*
• No. 54 – Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing – Grandson of Owner; No Clear Information
• No. 60 – Ryan Preece – RFK Racing – No Clear Information

* – These single-car teams will not be included below; both have family members owning or working as executives for the team they race at.

Single Car Teams

HYAK Motorsports

• No. 47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – “Multi-Year Contract Extension”; Signed in 2024

With JTG-Daugherty Racing’s transition to Hyak Motorsports, very few things actually changed within the team. Long-time driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr is currently sitting on a multi-year contract extension he signed with JTG in 2024, which transferred to the team’s new ownership.

Wood Brothers Racing

• No. 21 – Josh Berry – “Multi-Year Agreement”; Signed in 2024

Josh Berry may have found a long-term home at Wood Brothers Racing, with the team and driver winning early on in the 2025 season. Though he has outperformed the driver he replaced in the No. 21, the team has, as of the offseason, yet to announce an extension to his original “Multi-Year Agreement” he signed in late 2024.

Two Car Teams

Kaulig Racing

• No. 10 – Ty Dillon – No Clear Information
• No. 16 – A.J. Allmendinger – No Clear Information

Kaulig Racing has one of the more interesting lineups in NASCAR, with two veteran drivers with little to no information on their contract status. While Allmendinger may race at Kaulig for many years to come, his teammate, Ty Dillon, may be on a year-to-year deal.

Legacy Motor Club

• No. 42 – John Hunter Nemechek – No Clear Information
• No. 43 – Erik Jones – “Multi-Year Contract Extension”; Signed in 2024

Legacy Motor Club will reunite its pairing of John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones in 2026. Nemechek signed his deal with the team in late 2023, though there is no indication of how long the deal is. Jones is riding out a “multi-year” extension he signed in late 2024. Look for LMC to sign a new driver during the 2026 season to drive their new third car for the 2027 season.

Richard Childress Racing

• No. 3 – Austin Dillon – “Recently signed a multi-year contract extension,” according to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic; Signed in 2024
• No. 8 – Kyle Busch – One-Year Contract Extension Through 2026; Signed in 2025

Change is likely on the horizon for Richard Childress Racing in 2027, though their plans for 2026 are already set in stone. Veteran Austin Dillon will be back in the No. 3, though there is no information on the number of years left on his 2024 “multi-year contract extension.” We do know that, much like the 2025 season, Kyle Busch is on a contract year with RCR, having signed a one-year extension with the team in May 2024.

Three Car Teams

Front Row Motorsports

• No. 4 – Noah Gragson – “Multi-Year Agreement”; Signed in 2024
• No. 34 – Todd Gilliland – “Multi-Year Contract Extension”; Signed in 2024
• No. 38 – Zane Smith – “Multi-Year Contract”; Signed in 2025

Front Row Motorsports locked down long-term plans with its drivers as part of their dramatic 2024-25 silly season in which they shuffled one driver to a new car and signed two more drivers. These drivers were Noah Gragson, who signed a “multi-year agreement,” and Zane Smith, who recently extended his 2024 deal to a “multi-year contract” in late 2025. Veteran Todd Gilliland is working off a multi-year extension signed in 2024.

Team Penske

• No. 2 – Austin Cindric – “Contract Extension” Through 2026; Signed in 2023
• No. 12 – Ryan Blaney – “Long-Term Contract Extension”; Signed in 2022
• No. 22 – Joey Logano – “Long-Term Contract Extension”; Signed in 2022

UPDATE January 26: A report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports reaffirms that Cindric is on a contract year.

Team Penske could make changes this coming off-season, with one driver coming to the end of his current deal. First, former Cup Series Champions Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are on long-term contract extensions signed in 2022. Though their teammate, Austin Cindric, per Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, is in the final year of his deal signed in 2023.

RFK Racing

• No. 6 – Brad Keselowski – Team Owner: On contract year per Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports; Expected to re-sign
• No. 17 – Chris Buescher – “Multi-Year Contract Extension”; Signed in 2024
• No. 60 – Ryan Preece – No Clear Information

UPDATE January 26: A report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports claims that Keselowski is on a contract year but will likely re-sign with RFK.

There is very little information on the status of the three drivers at RFK Racing. Ryan Preece signed with the team in late 2024, but this is the final season of their charter lease agreement with Rick Ware Racing, meaning they could be without a charter for 2026. Likewise, veteran Brad Keselowski is the team owner, and though there is no info about a contract with the team, he likely has some form of agreement. Finally, Chris Buescher is the only driver with known contract information, having signed a multi-year extension in early 2024.

Spire Motorsports

• No. 7 – Daniel Suarez – No Clear Information; Signed in 2025
• No. 71 – Michael McDowell – “Multi-Year Contract”; Signed in 2024
• No. 77 – Carson Hocevar – Long-term deal that signs him to the team “into the next decade”; Signed in 2026

UPDATE February 5: Hocevar is now signed to the team long-term, with the team claiming the deal “will see the 23-year-old rising star at the controls of the team’s No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the next decade.”

Last year, Spire Motorsports was locked in for the long haul with its three-car lineup. Carson Hocevar, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, was on a “multi-year” contract he signed in 2023, and the team had just signed former Daytona 500 Champion Michael McDowell to a “multi-year contract.” While these two are back in 2026, Justin Haley, who also signed a multi-year deal ahead of 2025, is gone, with former Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez now in the No. 7. Suarez’s deal is unknown, though there are rumors it is a one-year deal.

Trackhouse Racing

• No. 1 – Ross Chastain – “Multi-Year Driver Agreement”; Signed in 2023
• No. 88 – Connor Zilisch – “Multi-Year Agreement”; Signed in 2025
• No. 97 – Shane Van Gisbergen – “Multi-Year Contract Extension”; Signed in 2025

Trackhouse Racing may have the most secure long-term roster in the NASCAR Cup Series. It’s foundational driver, Ross Chastain, signed a multi-year contract extension in early 2023, and, per a May 2025 report from Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Chastain has “multiple years” left on that deal. In 2025, Trackhouse extended road course ace Shane van Gisbergen on a multi-year extension, and promoted 2026 Rookie of the Year candidate Connor Zilisch with a “multi-year agreement.”

23XI Racing

• No. 23 – Bubba Wallace – “Multi-Year Renewal”; Signed in 2024
• No. 35 – Riley Herbst – No Clear Information
• No. 45 – Tyler Reddick – On contract year per Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports

UPDATE January 26: A report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports claims that Tyler Reddick is on a contract year with 23XI Racing.

23XI Racing’s roster is somewhat locked down beyond 2026. Though Tyler Reddick is racing under his original deal signed ahead of the 2022 season, there are no details on when his contract is up, though it seems he is with the team for the long haul. Bubba Wallace is entering year two of a long-term renewal he signed in late 2024. The potential weak link could be Riley Herbst, though his deal is unknown. Some rumors suggest that Herbst could be in the final year of his contract, signed in 2024, with top prospect Corey Heim waiting in the wings to take over the No. 35 in 2027, though these rumors are unfounded.

Four Car Teams

Hendrick Motorsports

• No. 5 – Kyle Larson – Contract Extension Through 2026; Signed in 2022; Expected to re-sign per Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports
• No. 9 – Chase Elliott – Contract Extension Through 2027; Signed in 2022
• No. 24 – William Byron – Contract Extension Through 2029; Signed in 2025
• No. 48 – Alex Bowman – Contract Extension Through 2028; Signed in 2023; On contract year per Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports

UPDATE January 26: A report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports claims that while Larson is expected to re-sign, despite Bowman signing a deal through 2028, the driver is now on a contract year and will be a free agent by year’s end.

If you want fine details, then Hendrick Motorsports often delivers. HMS has lined out its contracts to expire one at a time. Last year, William Byron signed an extension through 2029 in the final year of his contract. Alex Bowman is under contract until 2028, with Chase Elliott riding a deal signed in 2022 that is good through 2027. This year, Kyle Larson’s first extension was signed in 2022, and it is up; though, it seems likely that Larson will return for 2027.

Joe Gibbs Racing

• No. 11 – Denny Hamlin – Contract Extension Through ?2027?; Signed in 2025
• No. 19 – Chase Briscoe – “Multi-Year Deal”; Signed in 2024
• No. 20 – Christopher Bell – “Long-Term Extension”; Signed in 2022
• No. 54 – Ty Gibbs – No Clear Information

Joe Gibbs Racing is set for 2026 and perhaps 2027. Drivers Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell are on multi-year and long-term deals signed in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Beyond them lies Ty Gibbs, who has no details about his contract in the public, but is the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs. That leaves NASCAR legend Denny Hamlin, who signed an extension in July 2025. This extension is a multi-year extension, though some believe it was a two-year extension; neither party has confirmed this detail.

This list will be updated as extensions, confirmed departures, and signings happen during the season.