Chandler Smith is returning to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2026. Smith will return to Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 38 truck during the 2026 Truck Series season, the team announced. The Front Row Motorsports driver will keep Jon Leonard as his crew chief for the second straight year.

In 2025, Smith earned two wins, five top-5 finishes, 16 top-10 finishes, an 11.8 average finishing position, and an eighth-place finish in the point standings. The driver of the No. 38 truck was eliminated in the Round of 10 finale at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after significant issues in the first two events.

Front Row Motorsports will bring back the same lineup with Smith and Layne Riggs driving their entries. The No. 38 team was a last-second announcement for 2025, so expectations are higher going into 2026. Smith hopes to be on the same level as Riggs with eyes on a Truck Series championship.

JR Motorsports has a brand new sponsor for the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Series season. Arby’s is switching NASCAR teams from Rick Ware Racing to JR Motorsports starting in 2026, the team announced. Arby’s sponsored Cody Ware’s No. 51 Cup car throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

In 2026, Arby’s will sponsor Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, and Sammy Smith for a total of eight races. Kvapil will have support from the company at EchoPark Speedway, Rockingham Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Chicagoland Speedway. Smith will have Arby’s at Talladega Superspeedway, San Diego, and the Charlotte ROVAL. Finally, Allgaier will have one race with Arby’s at Darlington Raceway.

JR Motorsports inked a multi-year deal with Arby’s, so the food company will stick around the O’Reilly Series for several seasons. Arby’s had a great time sponsoring Rick Ware Racing in the Cup Series, but it hopes to find victory lane with JR Motorsports at some of NASCAR’s greatest race tracks in 2026.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 16, 2025) – JR Motorsports today announced that Arby’s, the leading destination for a high-quality meat-fueled menu with more than 3,500 restaurants in six global markets, has teamed up with JRM and Dirty Mo Media for a multi-year, multi-faceted partnership. As part of this new agreement, Arby’s will be featured as the primary partner for eight NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events in 2026 with drivers Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith and Justin Allgaier, as well as serving as a season-long associate onboard Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet. Additionally, Arby’s will have a personal service agreement with JRM owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to have Arby’s partner up with our companies,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Arby’s is very aggressive with their activation and we pride ourselves on being a tremendous asset when it comes to offering a variety of unique marketing platforms, so I’m looking forward to how we can work together to continue to grow their business.”

“We’re thrilled to begin this multi-year partnership with JRM and Dirty Mo Media,” said Jeff Baker, Chief Marketing Officer at Arby’s. “Arby’s has always been about delivering high-quality, impactful experiences with speed. Joining forces with such respected organizations in the racing community allows us to connect with NASCAR fans in meaningful new ways – both on and off the track. Plus, Arby’s food makes everything better and can’t wait to deliver with JRM and Dale Jr. all season long.”

Arby’s kicks off their first race as a primary partner for JRM with Kvapil and the No. 1 Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 21. In total, Arby’s will be onboard Kvapil’s Chevrolets for four events during the 2026 season, Smith’s No. 8 Chevrolet for three events and Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet for one event.

Be sure to catch Kvapil and the No. 1 Arby’s Chevrolet hit the track at Atlanta on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 5:00 p.m. ET on CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

ABOUT ARBY’S:

Arby’s, founded in 1964, is a leading destination for high-quality meat-crafted sandwiches, with more than 3,500 restaurants in six global markets. Arby’s is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit Arbys.com and InspireBrands.com.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:

JR Motorsports is the racing operation co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame member and 15-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick. Now in its 25th year of overall competition, JR Motorsports competes in multiple divisions, including the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series where it currently fields four full-time teams and earned championships in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2024. The company also owns seven titles in regional Late Model divisions with consecutive championships in 2022-23 and a prized national title in 2020. To learn more about the organization, its drivers and its sponsorship opportunities, visit www.jrmracing.com.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were the only two of 15 NASCAR Cup Series teams that did not sign the new charter agreement late in the 2024 season, and they proceeded to file an antitrust lawsuit against the sanctioning body.

While the sides finally settled out of court, ending a 15-month fiasco that most fans were tired of hearing about, the consensus has been that the teams got what they want, particularly thanks to the influence of Michael Jordan, whereas NASCAR and its executives were the ones left with their tails between their legs.

All things considered, this was always the most likely outcome; it was just a matter of how much time it took, and whether or not the decision was made in or out of court. Fortunately, all parties finally came to their senses, after months and months of seemingly going in circles.

23XI Racing, Front Row get their charter status back

One of the big wins for the teams is that charters have become permanent, and 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, which a judge ruled in July would no longer be allowed to use charters as the lawsuit unfolded, have received an undisclosed amount of money after losing a significant amount of revenue during their 16 races operating as non-chartered (open) teams to wrap up the 2025 season.

The future of charters was in question as the sport proceeded with just 30 chartered teams, even as they made an abrupt rule change (to save themselves from embarrassment) to ensure that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports remained locked into every race, despite not receiving the financial benefit of the chartered teams.

But now NASCAR is once again indeed set to have 36 chartered teams in 2026, with the six 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports teams that spent the final three and a half months of the 2025 season as open teams set to regain their charter status.

Those teams include the No. 23, No. 35, and No. 45 23XI Racing teams of Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, and Tyler Reddick, respectively, and the No. 4, No. 34, and No. 38 Front Row Motorsports teams of Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, and Zane Smith, respectively.

No driver changes are expected at either of these two teams. There had specifically been rumors about Reddick having a contract which required him to compete in a chartered car, but that is obviously no longer an issue.

These six cars have not been chartered cars since the mid-July race at Sonoma Raceway, which was the 20th of 36 points races on the 2025 schedule.

Toyota’s 23XI Racing expanded from two to three cars before the 2025 season, and Ford’s Front Row Motorsports did the same. Both acquired a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing, which shut down after the 2024 campaign.

One other charter went to Trackhouse Racing, which also expanded from two to three cars, and another was retained by Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Gene Haas for his new Haas Factory Team.

Pirelli Motorsport has a vacancy for a Trackside Engineer.

You will be analysing and interpreting race data for Pirelli and allocated motorsport teams and producing clear, accurate and factual reports within required timeframes.

Candidates must have a minimum of three years’ experience within a motorsport environment.

Mission 44 is looking for a Senior Impact Manager, Motorsport Engagement.

The purpose of this role is to develop and maintain strategic relationships with motorsport employers to support young people from underrepresented backgrounds into early career opportunities.

You will have experience working in the motorsports sector and/or F1, with a strong network of connections.

Applications close on the 9 January 2026.

Join Chicane, a specialist Aston Martin car restoration, engineering and service company, as a Managing Director.

Aspects of this role will focus on automotive expertise in high-end marques, leadership and team management, strategic and operational management, business development and client relations, financial oversight and brand and reputation management.

Successful candidates will have at least 10 years’ experience of working in the high-end classic automotive sector.

The FIA has an opening for a Head of Circuit Racing and Historics based at their Geneva offices.

This position will see you driving the development of global racing categories, such as GT, Touring Car, Truck Racing and Historic Motorsport, shape championship architectures and ensure the highest level of governance in sporting regulations.

You will have a minimum of 10 years’ experience in the motorsport industry, having attained a position such as Sporting Manager, Team Principal or Sporting Director.

Applications close 4 January 2026.

The McLaren F1 Team is recruiting a Junior Project Manager.

You will be assisting the design team with scoping projects and allocating resources, helping to develop design plans, mapping interdependencies across multiple teams and helping to create and maintain dashboards and planning tools.

The ideal candidate will have a degree in Engineering or a related discipline.

We want to hear from you!

– The Autosport.com Team

With charter values surging in the wake of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ antitrust settlement with NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would almost certainly need outside investment to move JR Motorsports into full-time Cup Series competition. NASCAR came to the negotiating table on Day 9 of the antitrust trial this month, bringing an end to nearly 14 months of legal conflict between the two Cup teams and the sanctioning body.

23XI and FRM launched an antitrust lawsuit in October 2024, accusing NASCAR of engaging in monopolistic practices after refusing to sign up to the recent charter agreement. The legal battle saw both sides endure course-altering changes, including a December 2024 preliminary injunction allowing the two teams to maintain their chartered status for 2025, which was overturned on appeal in June 2025.

23XI and FRM raced the remainder of 2025 as “open” teams, losing the benefits afforded to chartered outfits, which yielded significant financial implications. NASCAR had barely begun its trial defense when a settlement was reached on Day 9, and some of the agreed-upon concessions included a substantial monetary payment to the teams, likely covering the losses incurred after racing from June to November as “open” teams.

The two teams also secured “evergreen charters,” changing the landscape of Cup Series racing forever. Permanency was one of 23XI and FRM’s key pressure points, and the impact of NASCAR’s concession has seen charter values skyrocket.

The buy-in for a NASCAR charter before this month’s settlement stood at north of $20 million. Now, it is speculated that charters will be valued close to, or exceeding, nine figures. Earnhardt Jr., who runs the Xfinity outfit JR Motorsports alongside his sister, Kelley, has long stated that they would like to take the team to NASCAR’s premier series.

However, they were put off by the thought of parting with $30M to race in the Cup Series. When the charter system was first created, JR Motorsports did not take up a $1M opportunity to buy a charter from Michael Waltrip Racing either. Following the settlement, Earnhardt Jr. says that the Cup Series buy-in has now more than quadrupled.

“If the charter remains nothing more than a guaranteed entry into a single event, I think then values remain where they are today. What the teams have recognized are if those charters were to become permanent and therefore basically a franchise, the values are well north of $150 million,” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr. Download podcast.

“So, you’re sitting there with a charter that’s worth let’s say $25 million, and by the stroke of Jim France’s pen, it will now be $150 million. If you’re a charter owner, of cours,e you’re hoping for that to happen. I believe, secretly, even the people that signed the Charter Agreement that someway, somehow, in the end, that these do become permanent. That is the ultimate decision that I think comes out of this whole trial.

“They’ll be some other little nuances of will 23XI and Bob Jenkins be rewarded some damages, will this lever get pulled, will this little thing get changed, will somebody lose a job, will this person get replaced? All those things may happen, could happen but ultimately, I think what we are deciding is do the charters become franchises, do they become permanent and realized in new value north of $150 million?”

JR Motorsports is one of Xfinity’s leading teams. The nine-figure cost would force the Earnhardts to seek highly lucrative partnerships to take JR Motorsports to full-time competition in the Cup Series.

Earnhardt has previously admitted that finding an attractive partnership hasn’t been successful. “Kelley (Earnhardt-Miller, sister) and I have talked about getting into it, and we’ve seen some opportunities to do that, but it didn’t work out,” Earnhardt said last year. “We’re still at the table, talking to different teams about maybe partnering or investing. We’re always open to hearing what someone thinks about our idea of a partnership, but none of them have been like, ‘That’s it, that’s a perfect match, man.’ That is what we’re looking for.”