Ford has been struggling in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and has lost multiple entries in the series. However, joining hands with Sigma Performance Services for the 2026 season might change the picture for the manufacturer. Following that, the SPS president recently appeared in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and issued a bold statement.
Major Ford teams like Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing have left the series. The Haas Factory team and RSS Racing will also switch to Chevy in the 2026 season, leaving Ford with only one team in the series. Following that, no Ford Cup Series drivers competed in the Xfinity Series this season. Meanwhile, 15 Chevy drivers made at least one start in the series and secured five victories.
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Sigma Performance Services bought AM Racing and will stick with Ford as their manufacturer. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts team aims to field multiple drivers in one car, or could add one part-time car with one being a full-time entry. The Ford team wants to give the Cup Series drivers a part-time seat in the series.
Reflecting on that, SPS president Wade Moore told the media house:
“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.”
Ford has 11 NASCAR Cup Series drivers with no opportunities to compete in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Sigma Performance Services will fill the gap, providing the OEM a chance for driver development and staying competitive in the series.
NASCAR revealed the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series full-time schedule for the 2026 season
In November 2025, NASCAR unveiled the full-time schedule for the 46th season of the second-tier series. The series will witness a change in name from the Xfinity Series to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for the 2026 season.
The CW Network will cover the 2026 season from practice and qualifying sessions to the main events. The upcoming season will begin with the Daytona International Speedway race scheduled for February 14, 2026. Here’s the list of the main events of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series:
- Sat, Feb 14: Daytona International Speedway: 5:00 PM
- Sat, Feb 21: EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta): 5:00 PM
- Sat, Feb 28: Circuit of the Americas (Austin): 3:00 PM
- Sat, Mar 7: Phoenix Raceway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Mar 14: Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 5:30 PM
- Sat, Mar 21: Darlington Raceway: 5:30 PM
- Sat, Mar 28: Martinsville Speedway: 3:30 PM
- Sat, Apr 4: Rockingham Speedway: 2:30 PM
- Sat, Apr 11: Bristol Motor Speedway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Apr 18: Kansas Speedway: 7:00 PM
- Sat, Apr 25: Talladega Superspeedway: 4:00 PM
- Sat, May 2: Texas Motor Speedway: 3:30 PM
- Sat, May 9: Watkins Glen International: 4:00 PM
- Sat, May 16: Dover Motor Speedway: 4:00 PM
- Sat, May 23: Charlotte Motor Speedway: 5:00 PM
- Sat, May 30: Nashville Superspeedway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Jun 13: Pocono Raceway: 4:00 PM
- Sat, Jun 20: San Diego (Naval Base Coronado): 5:00 PM
- Sat, Jun 27: Sonoma Raceway: 5:30 PM
- Sat, Jul 4: Chicagoland Speedway: 5:30 PM
- Sat, Jul 11: EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta): 7:00 PM
- Sat, Jul 25: Indianapolis Motor Speedway: 4:00 PM
- Sat, Aug 8: Iowa Speedway: 5:00 PM
- Fri, Aug 28: Daytona International Speedway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Sep 5: Darlington Raceway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Sep 12: World Wide Technology Raceway (St. Louis): 7:30 PM
- Fri, Sep 18: Bristol Motor Speedway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Oct 3: Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Oct 10: Charlotte ROVAL: 4:00 PM
- Sat, Oct 17: Phoenix Raceway: 7:30 PM
- Sat, Oct 24: Talladega Superspeedway: 3:30 PM
- Sat, Oct 31: Martinsville Speedway: 4:00 PM
- Sat, Nov 7: (NASCAR Championship) Homestead-Miami Speedway (5:00 PM)
Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love outperformed JR Motorsports drivers in the finale race and clinched his first-ever Xfinity Series title in the 2025 season. He will enter the upcoming season to defend his title.
Edited by Karan Yadav
