What’s Happening?
The President of Ford’s new NASCAR team, Sigma Performance Services, claimed in a recent interview that the team could bridge a major gap for NASCAR Cup Series drivers wanting to compete in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series throughout the 2026 season.
What’s Happening?
Sigma Performance Services, known for its efforts racing in the ARCA Menards Series, has announced that it has purchased…
Despite winning a series championship with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2023, Ford’s grip on the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has slipped throughout the past few seasons.
This began with the departure of its premier team, Team Penske, after the 2021 season, and continued into the past two seasons with the closure of SHR after the 2024 season, and now the defections of the Haas Factory Team and RSS Racing to Chevrolet.
The mass exodus of Ford from the OAP Series, which has left the series with just two Ford teams, has resulted in significant problems for the manufacturer.
Of course, most prevalent of all is the team’s inability to develop talent through the lower two divisions of NASCAR. But this lack of spots in the OAP Series has created another issue for Ford’s NASCAR Cup Series drivers, as there are no seats for these top drivers to race in NASCAR’s secondary series occasionally.
Stepping Down
Though the cars are no longer similar to those of the Cup Series, NASCAR Cup Series drivers still appreciate getting time to race in this lower division of NASCAR for more time behind the wheel, or even just for fun.
Of course, there are rules limiting their participation in the lower divisions of NASCAR. But, in 2026, the number of Cup Series drivers in the OAP and Craftsman Truck Series will likely increase as new rules will allow these drivers to race in five more lower National Series races than in 2025 (ten OAP races and eight Truck races).
In 2025, a combined 15 NASCAR Cup Series drivers made at least one NASCAR Xfinity Series start, combining for 32 entries and five total wins.
Chevrolet – 11 Drivers
Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports
Austin Dillon – Richard Childress Racing
Carson Hocevar – Kaulig Racing
Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports
Daniel Suarez – JR Motorsports
Justin Haley – Kaulig Racing
Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports
Michael McDowell – Kaulig Racing
Ross Chastain – JR Motorsports
Shane Van Gisbergen – JR Motorsports
William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
Toyota – Four Drivers
Chase Briscoe – Joe Gibbs Racing
Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing and Sam Hunt Racing
Riley Herbst – Joe Gibbs Racing
Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing
Now, you may notice that there are no drivers from Ford teams on this list. This is perhaps due to the lack of open spots for these drivers in NASCAR’s second-highest series, as some, like Chris Buescher, went as far as racing in the Truck Series to get that extra seat time during the 2025 season.
In fact, participation from Ford’s NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the Xfinity Series has been limited for some time now.
After a 2023 season in which one full-time Ford Cup Series driver made at least one NASCAR Xfinity Series start, the number of drivers shot up to three in 2024, thanks in part to AM Racing, which, after parting ways with Hailie Deegan, needed to fill out its seat for the remainder of the year.
At the end of the 2025 season, with the then-impending departures of HFT and RSS Racing, NASCAR fans expected AM to be the premier Ford team in the newly named O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. After all, the team was coming off a year where they made the playoffs for the first time on points with now former driver Harrison Burton.
However, this will not be the case, at least under the AM Racing banner that is, as the team is being reformed into Team SPS Racing.
Regardless of their sale to Sigma Performance Services, which was a Chevrolet team in the ARCA Menards Series, SPS will retain AM’s relationship with Ford. Furthermore, team officials are now suggesting their 2026 effort could fill the gap for Cup Series drivers pursuing a part-time schedule in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
A New Hope
During a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Team President and Managing Partner of Team SPS Racing, Wade Moore, said he would like the team to be a landing spot for Cup Series drivers wanting to make OAP Series starts.
Moore says that doing so is part of their plan to add more value to Ford’s fleet of teams in NASCAR. While he did not clarify who or where this would be, Moore did suggest that it would likely be at road courses.
“Essentially what we’ve kind of pitched at them [Ford] and talked about is something that’s been a goal of ours for a long time: to be a home for the guys from the Cup series, want to see some extra laps, mainly at the road courses.” — Wade Moore, Team President and Managing Partner of Team SPS Racing
Though SPS has yet to announce its roster for 2026, Team Owner Joe Farre, in a subsequent interview with SiriusXM, said that they could occasionally enter two cars throughout the coming season.
This brings to mind two routes they could go: first, SPS could field multiple drivers in their car during the upcoming season, or the team could have a full-time driver and a part-time second car.
Nonetheless, the addition of an open seat in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will be a valuable asset for Ford’s 11 full-time Cup Series drivers, and perhaps even a few of their Craftsman Truck Series drivers.
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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