O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Guide — NASCAR's Second-Tier Series | GNT

What Is the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series?

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series is NASCAR's second-tier national touring series, sitting one level below the Cup Series in the NASCAR ladder. Formerly known as the Xfinity Series, the series was rebranded for 2026 after O'Reilly Auto Parts secured the entitlement sponsorship in a deal announced on August 18, 2025.

The series has operated under several names over the decades — the Busch Series, Nationwide Series, and Xfinity Series — but its role has remained consistent: a proving ground for young drivers ascending toward the Cup Series and a competitive home for career series regulars who make their living at this level.

2026 Format

The 2026 season features 33 races split into two segments:

Regular Season: 24 races (February through August) The Chase: 9 playoff races featuring 12 drivers competing for the championship

The Chase Format

The 2026 season introduces a revamped playoff system called The Chase. Key details:

12 drivers qualify for the Chase based on regular-season points
55 points awarded per race win — wins are heavily rewarded but a single victory no longer guarantees a playoff spot
The top seed enters the Chase at 2,100 points with a 25-point advantage over second place
Drivers are separated by 5-point increments down to 12th (2,020 points)
The Chase culminates at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 7 for the championship finale

Field Size

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series typically fields 38 cars per race — larger than the Cup Series field and offering more opportunities for smaller teams to compete.

2026 Teams and Drivers

JR Motorsports

The powerhouse of the series, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, L.W. Miller, and Rick Hendrick. Based in Mooresville, NC.

#7 Justin Allgaier — 2024 O'Reilly Series champion with 30 career wins (7th all-time). The dominant driver of 2026 with three wins through 12 races and a 121-point championship lead. Also filling in for injured Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series.
#8 Sammy Smith — Full-time competitor and consistent points contender.
#88 Rajah Caruth — Full-time entry, with select shared starts by Cup drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson.
#1 Carson Kvapil / Connor Zilisch — Carson Kvapil (two-time CARS Tour champion) is the full-time entry. Zilisch, who won 11 Xfinity races in 2025, shares the ride while running full-time in Cup with Trackhouse Racing.

Richard Childress Racing

Legacy NASCAR organization based in Welcome, NC.

#2 Jesse Love — 2025 O'Reilly Series champion defending his title. Currently 2nd in 2026 standings. Sponsored by Whelen Engineering.
#21 Austin Hill — Won the 2026 season opener at Daytona. Full-time competitor.

Haas Factory Team

#00 Sheldon Creed — Former Truck Series champion. Won at Atlanta in 2026. Switched to Chevrolet for 2026.
#41 Sam Mayer — Full-time competitor.

Joe Gibbs Racing

Toyota's primary O'Reilly Series organization, based in Huntersville, NC. Four full-time entries for 2026.

#18 William Sawalich — Full-time competitor.
#19 Brent Crews — 18-year-old prospect (turned 18 March 30). Won the year's final $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus with a fourth at Texas (May 2) — his first career D4C payout.
#20 Brandon Jones — Veteran competitor, consistent top-10 finisher.
#54 Taylor Gray — Full-time entry.

Hendrick Motorsports

#17 Corey Day — Hendrick's first full O'Reilly Series program since 2006. A significant investment in the series.

Sam Hunt Racing

#26 Dean Thompson — Full-time competitor.
#24 Harrison Burton — Returned to O'Reilly Series for 2026 after Cup tenure.

Other Notable Entries

Shane van Gisbergen — New Zealand native and 2023 Supercars champion. Won at COTA in 2026. Runs select O'Reilly Series events while competing full-time in the Cup Series.
Kyle Larson — Cup Series star who runs select O'Reilly Series events in JR Motorsports equipment. Won at Las Vegas in 2026.

2026 Race Winners (Through 12 Races)

Race	Track	Winner
1	Daytona	Austin Hill
2	Atlanta	Sheldon Creed
3	COTA	Shane van Gisbergen
4	Phoenix	Justin Allgaier
5	Las Vegas	Kyle Larson
6	Darlington	Justin Allgaier
7	Martinsville	Justin Allgaier
8	Rockingham	William Sawalich
9	Bristol	Connor Zilisch
10	Kansas	Taylor Gray
11	Talladega	Corey Day
12	Texas	Kyle Larson

Justin Allgaier leads the championship with 598 points and three wins through 12 races — a 121-point margin over Sheldon Creed and the dominant story of the 2026 season so far.

Notable 2026 Schedule Highlights

Rockingham Speedway — "The Rock" returns to the NASCAR national schedule. One of the most beloved tracks in stock car racing history, hosting Race 8 on April 4.

Chicagoland Speedway — Back on the schedule for the first time since 2019, hosting a July 4th weekend race.

Coronado Street Course — NASCAR's first-ever street course event in San Diego, debuting in June.

Homestead-Miami Speedway — The 2026 championship finale on November 7.

How to Watch

Every O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race in 2026 airs exclusively on The CW Network — a free, over-the-air broadcast television network. No cable package or streaming subscription required. Practice and qualifying stream free on The CW App. The series is averaging 1.1 million viewers per race, up 17% year-over-year and pacing to be the most-watched since 2018.

Recent Champions

Year	Champion	Team
2025	Jesse Love	Richard Childress Racing
2024	Justin Allgaier	JR Motorsports
2023	Cole Custer	Stewart-Haas Racing
2022	Ty Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing

Key Storylines for 2026

Justin Allgaier's dominance — Three wins in 12 races, a 121-point lead, and a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus at Bristol. A runner-up at Texas on May 2 came after a 17-lap green-flag chase of teammate Kyle Larson he couldn't pass without contact. Allgaier is having the best season of his career at age 39.

Connor Zilisch's dual role — The 20-year-old races full-time in the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing and makes select O'Reilly Series starts with JR Motorsports. He won at Bristol on April 11 and won Stage 2 at Texas on May 2 before fading to 21st in the final segment. Zilisch is the most talked-about young driver in NASCAR and a CARS Tour graduate.

Kaulig Racing pauses — Kaulig Racing, which had competed in the series since 2016 with 27 wins, is pausing its O'Reilly Series program for 2026 to transition to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with RAM trucks.

Hendrick enters the series and wins — Hendrick Motorsports fielding a full-time O'Reilly Series entry for the first time since 2006 paid off at Talladega on April 25, where rookie Corey Day passed Sheldon Creed on the final lap for his first career O'Reilly Series win and Hendrick's first-ever O'Reilly win at the track.

Why It Matters

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series is where NASCAR careers are made or broken. For Grand National Today, O'Reilly Series is the top rung of our core coverage — the national series where the drivers and teams we follow in the CARS Tour and Virginia Triple Crown aspire to compete. Every O'Reilly Series race weekend produces storylines that ripple through the entire stock car racing ecosystem.

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series