NASCAR’s Cup Series playoffs begin Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, the free-agency “Silly Season” is still churning, the 2026 schedule is out, and there’s an ongoing federal lawsuit involving a team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. NASCAR has no shortage of noteworthy storylines at the moment. All of which means The Athletic readers had questions. Let’s get to it.
(Note: Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.)
Regarding the 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports lawsuits, if NASCAR prevails and is able to go ahead and move (the teams’) six charters elsewhere, what happens to 23XI and FRM? Are we looking at two major teams going away literally overnight? I assume Tyler Reddick (and) Bubba Wallace would eventually get rides with some existing or new organization, but this late in the game, all of the good rides are taken up until 2027, so could they be sidelined to lesser orgs for a season? — Phillip B.
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports made clear in their most recent filings what would happen if the teams lose their charters. They said they would be “out of business following the 2025 Cup Series season.” The filings were made in advance of a hearing Thursday, at which 23XI and Front Row are seeking an injunction barring NASCAR from selling any of the charters once held by the teams until the case is settled.
Should one or both teams disband, suddenly, what has been a rather quiet Silly Season would become anything but.
Among the drivers needing new teams would be Tyler Reddick, a Championship 4 finalist a year ago, Bubba Wallace, who just won the Brickyard 400, Corey Heim, and FRM’s Zane Smith, a young talent viewed as having big upside. Predicting where these guys all would land is nearly impossible; there will be teams that don’t currently have openings but will reevaluate their driver lineups if an upgrade is suddenly available.
Against this backdrop, the federal lawsuit 23XI and FRM levied against NASCAR continues forward, with stakes quite significant for both sides. The trial is scheduled to begin on Dec. 1.
Any prediction on the lawsuit? — Joseph P.
Yes. Each side’s lawyers are the real winners here. Billable hours remain undefeated.
Regarding the outcome of the lawsuit, it is impossible to make an accurate prediction. There are too many unknowns. Perhaps both parties will heed the words of the presiding judge in the case, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell, who said during a hearing this summer: “Hard to picture a real winner if this goes to the mat, or the flag, in this case.”
Where does Corey Heim spend his time in the 2026 NASCAR season? — Sole M.
The likely plan for Heim, according to industry sources, is a combination schedule where he runs select races in all three national series — in the Cup Series for 23XI Racing, in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for Sam Hunt Racing and in the Truck Series for Tricon.
This is not necessarily what Heim deserves, as most everyone within the Cup Series garage acknowledges he is ready for a full-time ride now, but a combination of no open seats in Cup and a lack of sponsorship means he’ll have to wait until 2027 before advancing to Cup full-time — which is expected to happen. And if the right funding can be secured, Heim racing full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series next year is still on the table.
Corey Heim enters the Truck Series playoffs in the points lead after a dominant, seven-win regular season. (Samuel Corum / Getty Images)
What is your sense about Ram/Dodge’s Cup Series ambitions, including timeline and likely teams to make the switch? Presumably Kaulig Racing, but this seems like a prime opportunity for a manufacturer’s second-tier team to leap to top-tier, like Joe Gibbs Racing moving from GM to Toyota. — John M.
Stellantis, which owns the Ram and Dodge brands, has said it intends to one day enter the Cup Series. Whenever Stellantis does expand into Cup, Kaulig is in good position to be a Dodge flagship team. Both sides made this deal with this objective in mind.
What exactly that timeline is, however, is less clear, a Stellantis executive told The Athletic on Saturday when the company and Kaulig Racing announced their partnership that will field five full-time entries in the Truck Series beginning next year.
This move is a big jump for Kaulig from its current place well down Chevrolet’s pecking order. Team owner Matt Kaulig wants to grow the organization into a perennial contender. He’ll be far better able to accomplish this goal with greater access to resources and technical support, preferred status and likely additional capital — and he’s not going to receive that to the same degree from Chevrolet.
Kaulig Racing’s position here is exactly why NASCAR is so focused on bringing new manufacturers into the sport. It raises the level of competitiveness across the board, with more organizations getting a better opportunity to vie for wins, and maybe a championship. This evolution has happened before — in 2001 when Dodge entered Cup (it left after the 2012 season), and when Toyota did so in 2007. Expect the same whenever Dodge returns to Cup.
Which Cup teams are most likely to jump to Dodge in a year or so? Is Richard Childress Racing on that list given their relationship with Kaulig Racing? They might be No. 1 over there and get all the resources. — Kevin H.
It’s still too early to definitely state which team(s) will join Kaulig in carrying the Dodge banner whenever it re-enters Cup, as there are several candidates, but Richard Childress Racing is an intriguing option — especially because of its engine program that could then supply engines to other Dodge-backed teams.
Whether RCR would actually make the switch from Chevrolet to Dodge is another question. Since RCR first entered Cup back in the late 1960s, it has always fielded General Motors-branded cars (Chevrolet, Oldsmobile or Pontiac). Severing these ties would be something team owner Richard Childress, who values loyalty, would not do without great hesitation.
But there are compelling reasons why RCR should consider a switch, if the option is there. Staying aligned with Chevrolet assures RCR will never rise above being Chevrolet’s No. 2 team, with Hendrick Motorsports cemented in the top spot. A hypothetical jump by RCR to a different manufacturer, however, presents an opportunity to be the top dog. If RCR wants to win its first Cup title since 1994, Childress might have to cut his longstanding ties with Chevrolet.
The Watkins Glen race moving to May, when weather can be unreliable in Upstate New York, raised some eyebrows with fans and in the garage. (Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
What is the pulse of the garage on the schedule? I’m sure they’re happy about the second off week, but do they have similar ire as the fans for the Dover All-Star Race and Watkins Glen in May? — Josh A.
With Watkins Glen getting moved to Mother’s Day, is this a sign that the track is falling out of favor with NASCAR? Is it on the verge of being removed from the schedule? — Ravi D.
Like most everyone, there has been a lot of head-scratching within the garage over NASCAR moving Watkins Glen off its traditional August date to Mother’s Day, considering a race in Upstate New York at that time of year faces an increased possibility of inclement weather. One crew chief, half jokingly, said this past weekend he was preparing to race in a blizzard. That said, the race weekend could have unseasonably nice weather, making this a non-issue.
The date change, though, isn’t because NASCAR has it out for Watkins Glen. It’s more a reflection of how hard it is to construct a 38-race schedule that satisfies all parties while also making complete sense. The main hurdle this year was a lack of viable options to pluck from the June-July-August portion of the schedule to relocate into the early May slot. Here’s some of what NASCAR was facing in sorting out which track went where, according to several industry sources:
— NASCAR was hesitant to bump Richmond off its August date after the track just had its first sellout in several years;
— Iowa needs to be somewhere in the summer because of sponsorship considerations;
— A preference to keep North Wilkesboro on a network that has Dale Earnhardt Jr. as an analyst (Amazon or TNT) due to his strong affiliation with revitalizing the short track;
— The desires of Amazon and TNT, which broadcast the bulk of the summer schedule and each have certain preferences.
That’s a lot of pieces on the chessboard. Add it all up, and Watkins Glen drew the short straw. Here’s hoping the track returns to August in 2027.
The reaction to Dover hosting the All-Star Race can best be described as a collective shrug. Many in the garage feel that NASCAR must come up with either a format or rules package that juices the on-track action, otherwise there’s a strong possibility the 2026 All-Star Race will be one to forget.
We’ve seen some musical chairs already in Trucks and Xfinity preparing for next season. With the Cup playoff field set, do you see any teams making changes in the final 10 races — i.e. another driver swap in the No. 7? — Joshua D.
Silly Season tends to have a surprise or two, but so far, none of the moves made are all that surprising. So, yeah, maybe something happens over the next 10 weeks, even if no move appears to be on the horizon.
The one potential opening to monitor is with the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team. That car is currently driven by Justin Haley, who is very much on the hot seat. Serious consideration was given to replacing Haley during the season, though a lack of enticing candidates combined with Haley’s recent uptick in performance have somewhat cooled his seat.
But while Haley may not be jettisoned before the season ends, there is no guarantee he’ll be back with Spire next year. The team continues to evaluate its options, with Daniel Suárez and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as two possibilities. Suárez is a free agent, while Stenhouse has term remaining on his contract with Hyak Motorsports, which means a buyout would need to be negotiated.
Ultimately, Haley will have a significant say in whether he returns to Spire for a second year. If he can deliver results over the final 10 races, it would go a long way to showing he should return. If he can’t, expect Spire to continue looking around.
(Top photo of Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
