The Complete 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts 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…
Recent NASCAR Owners Points transactions are suggesting that Joe Gibbs Racing could enter a fifth car during the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
Wednesday, NASCAR fans got a glimpse at the list of owner point transfers for the sport’s three National Series ahead of the 2026 season.
Typically, owner points are not that important to fans, who usually pay attention to drivers’ points in the championship standings, though the list of transfers can usually give fans a glimpse at what teams are planning to field new or part-time cars during a given season.
This year’s list included the usual shuffling, with teams moving points to their new entries, such as Truck team ThorSport Racing moving the No. 98’s 2025 points to their No. 88 for Ty Majeski, or teams buying owner points from another team, such as Barrett-Cope Racing buying the 2025 owner points from Richard Childress Racing’s Xfinity Series championship-winning No. 2.
Alongside these were a number of teams who claimed a new number ahead of the new year. But, amongst these teams, all of which were isolated to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, one team stood out among the crowd.
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is fast approaching, and teams are setting their lineups for the coming season. This article…
Joe Gibbs Racing has entered three or four full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series teams over the past few seasons.
Most of the time, this came as a mix of part-time and full-time drivers. For example, in 2024, the team had two full-time drivers in the No. 18 and No. 81, and in 2025, they had three in the No. 18, No. 20, and No. 54, with the No. 19 as a full-time entry with part-time drivers.
But, for the first season of the newly renamed NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, all four of last year’s cars will have at least one driver star the majority of races, with William Sawalich in the No. 18, Brent Crews in the No. 19 (for most of the season), Brandon Jones in the No. 20, and Taylor Gray in the No. 54.
2026 Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Lineup
Early in the offseason, fans were quick to point out that these plans left somewhat of a gap in the JGR lineup, as the team usually has one car that part-timers or drivers from the Cup or Truck Series can drive throughout the year, such as the No. 20 in 2024 or the No. 19 in 2024 and 2025.
While this car does not race for the driver’s championship, it gives less experienced drivers more seat time in a top division, Cup drivers a chance to race more during the year, and JGR another shot at the owners’ championship.
Though this might be an issue right now, the list of 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series owner point transfers suggests that JGR might have a plan in place to fill this gap for 2026, as it lists the team as claiming the No. 11 before the new year.
What’s Happening? Brent Crews will compete in the majority of NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races for Joe Gibbs Racing during…
This small footnote was a welcome surprise to many fans who enjoy seeing part-timers and JGR Cup Series drivers racing in the OAP Series, even though the team has yet to confirm this new entry.
Of course, there is no guarantee that the team will field this car, as some teams will often claim a number early in the year simply to have it available. Last year, one team that did this was Big Machine Racing, which claimed the No. 98 ahead of the new year, but, for reasons unknown, never used the number during the season.
But, this number is no stranger to Toyota’s top team. JGR last used the No. 11 in the OAP Series from 2011 to 2014 for drivers Brian Scott and Elliott Sadler.
Furthermore, JGR has not had the chance to claim the No. 11 in NASCAR’s secondary series since 2016, as Kaulig Racing entered the car in every season since then, but, with Kaulig stepping away from the OAP Series this season, JGR may have been given the chance to reclaim a traditional number.
Though this could be a claim for the sake of a claim, if JGR wanted to take a step to fielding five cars in the OAP Series, be that with a full-time or part-time fifth car, this would be the year to do so.
Alongside the many changes to the schedule, including the additions of Chicagoland and the San Diego Street race, new rules will allow Cup Series drivers to race in a total of ten OAP Series races a year.
Combined with JGR’s stacked Cup Series roster with part-timers like Aric Almirola, if the team wanted to field a fifth car as the No. 11, it could be a worthwhile effort. Nonetheless, with just a few weeks until the season opener at Daytona, the team has yet to announce a fifth OAP Series entry for the new year.
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.
