And just like that, there will be no more “Yeah, just want to thank my guys, they’ve given me a car as fast as Xfinity 5G Mobile” during NASCAR driver interviews.
At the beginning of the 2025 NASCAR season, it was announced that Xfinity’s deal with the sport as a Premier Partner of the Cup Series would continue through the 2026 season.
The 2026 season is set to mark the seventh year of the sport’s current Premier Partner model. Xfinity, Coca-Cola, and Busch Light have been there from the start, while GEICO departed after 2024 and was not replaced.
However, it was also announced that Xfinity would end their deal as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-highest national series, which has been known as the Xfinity Series since 2015.
Xfinity out as NASCAR series title sponsor
Beginning in 2026, there will be no more Xfinity Series, as a new title sponsor has been announced: O’Reilly Auto Parts.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is officially set to go into effect on Thursday, January 1, 2026, and the season is scheduled to begin at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 14.
The series has had a title sponsor since its inception in 1982. From 1982 to 2007, Anheuser-Busch held the naming rights, and the series was known as the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series in 1982 and 1983, then the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series from 1984 to 2003, and then the NASCAR Busch Series from 2004 to 2007.
In 2008, Nationwide took over, and the series was known as the Nationwide Series from 2008 to 2014. From 2015 until now, the series has been known as the Xfinity Series.
Considering how resistant many NASCAR fans are to certain sponsor-related name changes, whether it’s a race track or a race name or even a series name, you can probably expect the series to continue to be referred to as the Xfinity Series.
To this day, there are fans who still call it the Busch Series, and while a deepening of O’Reilly Auto Parts’ long-standing relationship with NASCAR is both commendable and significant, there is absolutely no reason to expect that to change.
All Xfinity Series races, including this Friday night’s Wawa 250 at Daytona, are set to be shown live on the CW Network, so begin a free trial of FuboTV and don’t miss it!
Trackhouse Racing moved on from Daniel Suarez, replacing him with JR Motorsports sensation and Trackhouse development driver Connor Zilisch, following the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
And then Spire Motorsports moved on from Justin Haley, making room for Suarez in their three-car lineup for 2026.
But while those two teams made the necessary and expected changes to improve their respective driver lineups heading into next year, two other teams whiffed on the opportunity to make what would have been massive upgrades.
Two NASCAR teams that could have upgraded for 2026
First and foremost, there’s 23XI Racing. Everybody knew when they signed Riley Herbst that they did it for the money he brings from his family’s gas station chain through the Monster Energy sponsorship. He was never particularly impressive in the Xfinity Series, despite spending year after year in top-tier equipment, and his 2025 rookie Cup season went exactly as expected.
His best finish of 14th place was the worst best result among the 36 full-time drivers, placing him even below Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware. He also finished 35th in the point standings, ahead of only Ware, while teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick not only made it to the playoffs but advanced to the second round.
The fact that Corey Heim, 23XI Racing’s development driver who entered 2025 with two full seasons of Truck Series experience already, wasn’t named the driver of the No. 35 Toyota was seen as a bad decision.
His ensuing 12-win Truck Series championship-winning season further backed that up, as did the fact that he ran four Cup races in a fourth 23XI Racing car, beat Herbst’s best finish of the year in two of them, and finished as the highest of the team’s four drivers in those same two races.
The fact that Heim was once again not named the driver of the No. 35 Toyota was seen as an even worse decision, and it’s even led to the suggestion that he should look to leave Toyota. He’s already believed to be blacklisted by Joe Gibbs Racing simply because of his ARCA feuds with Ty Gibbs, so the longer 23XI Racing put off a promotion, the more likely he is to get away.
Then there is Kaulig Racing. One of the great mysteries NASCAR fans can’t seem to figure out is how Ty Dillon continues to hop from team to team at the sport’s highest level, year after year after year.
No disrespect intended here toward Austin Dillon, who is a Daytona 500 winner, a Coca-Cola 600 winner, and always seems to find himself in or near the playoffs, but Ty is somehow doing it despite not driving for his grandfather’s team.
He is always well off the performance of his teammates, and his Las Vegas Motor Speedway crash, in which he took out an innocent bystander (and championship contender) in William Byron, was one of the single-most embarrassing moments of the entire season.
For him to act relieved over team radio that he was put out of his misery because his race was over says everything you need to know and more.
I get the fact that Matt Kaulig’s team is primarily focused on their move to the Truck Series; their new five-truck program with Ram Trucks even led to the shutdown of their Xfinity (O’Reilly Auto Parts) Series team.
But they dropped Daniel Hemric after only one full season in 2024, and he performed better than the far more experienced Dillon did in 2025. Surely they could have at least tried to make a change for 2026.
At this point, you sort of have to wonder how invested they really are in their Chevrolet Cup program amid the new Ram Truck deal and rumors that they could be the team to bring Dodge back to Cup in 2028.
Michael Annett, a Des Moines native who competed in more than 300 NASCAR national series races and earned a landmark victory at Daytona, has died.
JR Motorsports announced Friday that Annett died at the age of 39.
The team shared the news in a statement on X, saying, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett. Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”
Annett raced five seasons with JR Motorsports and captured his only NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2019 at Daytona International Speedway. He stepped away from full-time racing after the 2021 season.
Before his racing career, Annett was a standout athlete in Iowa, spending two seasons with the Waterloo Black Hawks hockey team and skating on their 2004 Clark Cup Championship squad.
No further details about his death have been released.
Influence 125 highlights the most influential sports business figures of the past quarter-century. See the list.
After 14 years at the NFL and time at Wasserman, Steve Phelps joined NASCAR in 2006 and has elevated the racing body’s business in nearly every sector. He was a major driver of NASCAR’s sponsorship and marketing efforts and rose through the ranks to become NASCAR president in 2018. Phelps stabilized the sport following the resignation of Brian France. He was the driving force behind NASCAR becoming one of the first sports back to action after the pandemic in 2020, a year that the organization also banned the Confederate flag that had long been a divisive issue for the sport. He also led media rights negotiations that netted NASCAR a 40% increase in revenue.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A driver who earned his only NASCAR win at the famed Daytona International Speedway died at age 39, his former team confirmed this past week.
JR Motorsports said on Friday, Dec. 5, that Michael Annett — who competed in NASCAR’s top three series from 2008-2021 — died. The team did not say how the former driver passed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend,” the race team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”
Annett competed in a combined 436 races across NASCAR’s Cup, Xfinity and Truck series. He found his best success in the second-tier Xfinity Series, particularly during his five seasons with JR Motorsports. From 2017-2021, Annett earned 61 top-10 finishes in 158 races with the team, including his only career win in the season-opening race at Daytona in February 2019.
His final season in 2021 was impacted by a leg fracture, which forced him to miss multiple races.
Annett raced in 106 Cup Series events but never registered a top 10.
In a statement, NASCAR said it was “deeply saddened” to learn of his passing.
“Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage,” NASCAR’s statement read. “Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”
While no cause of death has been publicly confirmed, fellow NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said Annett was “no longer suffering.”
“Michael was an up and comer at the same time I was and he was looking really good,” Keselowski posted on Dec. 5. “In the end, Life took us different paths and all of us who knew him and the talent he had are sad to see him go, but glad he is no longer suffering.”
Annett was born in Des Moines, Iowa and grew up playing hockey before he turned his focus to racing.
Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett (holding trophy) earned his only career win at Daytona in 2019.(Terry Renna | AP)
Also Read: Son of legendary Panthers player joins elite college football program
The future Audi F1 Team and Paulaner Brewery have announced a long-term partnership, naming the Munich-based brewery an official supplier of the team. The agreement marks the start of a new chapter for Paulaner on the global motorsport stage.
As the team joins the grid in 2026, this partnership will provide tangible opportunities to bring the celebratory, convivial culture of Bavaria to the future Audi F1 Team’s global fanbase, enhancing how they responsibly watch and enjoy Formula 1. At its heart is the Paulaner 0.0% wheat beer – a non-alcoholic beverage that allows everyone to embrace the celebratory, social aspect of motorsport while upholding the core values of high performance, safety, and responsibility.
The future Audi F1 Team will promote Paulaner 0.0%, the brand’s non-alcoholic alternative for responsible celebration, to champion the vibrant energy of the next generation of motorsport fans worldwide – creating authentic, premium, and social moments. This partnership honors a true German cult classic, reflecting a modern, inclusive, and dynamic fan culture.
Stefano Battiston, Chief Commercial Officer of the future Audi F1 Team: “Paulaner and the future Audi F1 Team share a winning mindset rooted in performance, passion and pride in our heritage. Both brands stand for craftsmanship, authenticity and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Together, we will create experiences that bring fans closer to the team and celebrate every success on and off the track with a Paulaner 0.0% in hand on a global scale.”
Jörg Biebernick, CEO of the Paulaner Brewery Group: “We are very proud to partner with the future Audi F1 Team and excited to open a new chapter on an international stage. This cooperation underscores our long-term commitment to combining pleasure, quality, and responsibility in professional sports. We look forward to bringing our plans to life and introducing Paulaner to a new generation of motorsport fans.”
The Red Line Synthetic Oil Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) announced today its seven-race 2026 schedule, coming off another successful campaign through the 2025 calendar year. The series will return to four familiar racetracks from last season along with a return to Darlington Dragway in South Carolina, which serves as the season opener for the first time.
“Coming out of the World Finals, we knew some changes were imminent,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director. “Change is inevitable in life – whether it is in personal, business, or your hobbies – in time, change occurs. We have decided to make a few shifts in our schedule for 2026 to adapt to the ever-changing motorsports scope in hopes to see more teams be able to compete for a full season championship.
“In 2026, our goal is to put racers in a better position to chase a full season championship with the PDRA,” Crossnoe continued. “We understand the costs of the sport are not cheap and after weeks of back-and-forth discussions internally, we settled on only doing seven races this season to allow for better spacing in between events and for the hopes of an extremely competitive season.”
The 2026 Red Line Oil PDRA season will kick off at Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, South Carolina, on March 25-28 – a return to a facility that has seen numerous PDRA races throughout the years will now serve as the kickoff event on tour next season. Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC will serve as the second stop on schedule on April 16-18 – a popular and familiar stop for the PDRA faithful will see their first of two stops in mid-April. Virginia Motorsports Park will play host to the third race on tour on Memorial Day weekend, May 21-23. Maryland International Raceway will serve as the fourth race on tour as in years past on June 25-27.
After taking the month of July off for a summer break of sorts, the series will return to action at Bristol Dragway on August 6-8, returning to Thunder Valley with more exciting news to come later about this event. Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC will see its second event of the season on August 27-29, which will set the stage for the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals.
The PDRA will yet again start the World Finals with the Summit Racing ProStars all-star race on Thursday afternoon to highlight the top eight points earners in the free entry shootout that pays over $65,000 out to the classes in contention and starts the World Finals weekend off with a bang. September 17-20 will mark the final race on the 2026 calendar, and this race will be held at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia, which has become a customary finishing point for the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series.
“I am excited to get going again in 2026! The racer’s support is by far the inspiration for this series to continue growing,” said Tommy Franklin, series owner. “We continue to have the best-in-class racers, and the on-track performance shows that to be true race after race. I cannot wait for the BEST racing in the world to continue to prove itself over and over!”
PDRA officials will be on hand during the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show, December 11-13, in Indianapolis, Indiana, along with the crowning of the series champions during the Red Line Oil PDRA Night of Champions on Friday, December 12 at the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott.
2026 PDRA Schedule
March 25-28 – Darlington Dragway – Hartsville, SC
April 16-18 – Darana Motorsports Park (NC) – Benson, NC
May 21-23 – Virginia Motorsports Park – Dinwiddie, VA
June 25-27 – Maryland International Raceway – Mechanicsville, MD
August 6-8 – Bristol Dragway – Bristol, TN
August 27-29 – Darana Motorsports Park (NC) – Benson, NC
September 17-20 – Virginia Motorsports Park – Dinwiddie, VA
