NASCAR Driver Shockingly LOSES Ride Ahead of 2026 Season
What’s Happening? NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Nick Sanchez will not return to Big Machine Racing, leaving fans and Sanchez…
Following his surprise announcement that he will not return to Big Machine Racing, former NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie Nick Sanchez opened up about his exit from the team during a recent interview.
What’s Happening? NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Nick Sanchez will not return to Big Machine Racing, leaving fans and Sanchez…
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series silly season wheel kept turning this week when 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year Candidate Nick Sanchez announced he would not return to Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 in 2026.
This move was surprising, as Sanchez was coming off a year in which he was just one of three rookies from a stacked class to win a race. Furthermore, he had previously been reported to return to the team, suggesting this move was not the team’s initial plan for the coming season.
During an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier week, Sanchez explained that fans weren’t the only ones surprised by this announcement, calling the news “quite shocking” when he found out this past Saturday.
“I got the call Saturday and released it yesterday [Monday],” Sanchez said. “So definitely quite shocking, especially in December given the season that we had.”
Though he did not give a direct reason for his abrupt departure from the team, the 24-year-old pointed to his social media post from Monday, which said it was “strictly business” and that fans “could only guess what that means from a financial standpoint.”
Sanchez then opened this door a little bit more, saying:
“Look, the business revolves around the finances of race teams and, obviously, this team was a little different in that regard, the past couple years. But it sounds like something may have changed in a financial way that affected the way we did business this coming year in 2026. So I can only assume those are the reasons, at least that’s what I was told.” — Nick Sanchez
What Sanchez is perhaps referring to in saying “this team was a little different” is perhaps due to the in-house sponsorship brought by owner and long-time record executive Scott Borchetta.
Though the team has yet to announce a driver for the coming season, much like Sanchez, this transition comes late during Silly Season, with plans for several big names and seats already set for the coming season.
Nonetheless, the multi-time NASCAR National Series winner is keeping his door open to opportunities, with Sanchez suggesting he is open to a return to the Truck Series should the opportunity come his way.
“Obviously, at this stage in the game, you can’t be picky. I’m certainly not, and I’m a driver who likes to win,” Sanchez said. “So I know whatever I get in, I want to see a future and a path to do that, right? I don’t want to be there to be there.”
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is fast approaching, and teams are setting their lineups for the coming season. This article…
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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.
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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.
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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NASCAR’s top two National Series head to the deserts of Arizona for the first short track race of the season at Phoenix Raceway. Here are the major storylines you need to keep in mind ahead of this weekend.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series veteran Erik Jones gave race fans a favorable review of NASCAR’s 2026 horsepower increase during a…
This weekend, NASCAR’s new Next Gen short track package makes its points-paying race debut at Phoenix.
Now, this package was first used in a race in the preseason clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, and last week at Circuit of the Americas (as it is used at all road courses this season). But this race will make its first use on a short track during the regular season.
With the increase in horsepower from 670 to 750, teams would like to get a handle on any potential changes that could come their way, as Phoenix is not only similar to tracks like Richmond, but is one of a handful of tracks that will make a regular season and Chase appearance.
The NTT IndyCar Series kicked off its 2026 season last weekend, in a joint event with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix in Florida.
While the Trucks have the weekend off, the NTT IndyCar Series takes on Phoenix Raceway for their first race at the iconic venue since 2018, and their first joint weekend with the Cup Series since July 2020 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Even though this is not the first time the Cup Series and IndyCar have shared a weekend, it is the first weekend the top two divisions of oval racing in the United States will share a track during a weekend, as, in 2020, IndyCar and the NASCAR Xfinity Series raced on the IMS Road Course, while the Cup Series raced on the oval.
We are three races into the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, and as of right now, no team has looked particularly dominant.
While Austin Hill has a commanding lead after solid outings at Daytona, EchoPark, and COTA, Phoenix kicks off a stretch of races in which the series heads to more and more tracks that better reflect the bulk of the 2026 calendar.
This stretch could supply fans with a better look at who might be a real title contender, and who was propelling themselves on drafting tracks and road courses to kick off the season.
Joining the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this weekend is one of the best drivers at Phoenix Raceway in all of NASCAR’s three National Series.
Front Row Motorsports driver and current Craftsman Truck Series points leader, Chandler Smith, will drive Hettinger Racing’s No. 5 Mustang this weekend, in his first OAP Series start since the 2024 season finale at Phoenix.
That season, with Joe Gibbs Racing, Smith pieced together a career season, with two wins, 17 top fives, and 22 top tens, but fell short of making the Championship Four. Though he didn’t win the title, an early-season win at Phoenix propelled Smith into this great season.
In his combined nine starts at Phoenix across the Truck and OAP Series, Smith has two wins, seven top-fives, and nine top-tens. Expect Smith to be some form of threat this weekend at the 1-mile oval.
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