NASCAR 2026 Silly Season: Aric Almirola retirement, Nick Sanchez future, and Hailie Deegan's next move

The 2026 NASCAR Season is taking shape as teams finalize their drivers. Several notable names remain without clear plans for the rebranded O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity). Among them are Aric Almirola, Nick Sanchez, and Hailie Deegan, as the driver market continues to move.

Silly Season chatter has picked up as uncertainty has created room for speculation, particularly around veterans. One of the biggest questions centers on one such driver, Aric Almirola. He drove the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the owner’s championship in 2025, sharing the car with six other drivers. In his 17 starts, he won three races and delivered consistent results this year.

However, JGR has not confirmed a full plan for the No. 19 in 2026. They have already announced Brent Crews for 29 races in the No. 19, with Brandon Jones returning in the No. 20 next season. The No. 18 Toyota, driven primarily by Toyota development driver William Sawalich in 2025, is also expected to continue. That leaves questions around how the remaining races in the No. 19 will be filled, and Almirola's NASCAR future.

Aric Almirola (19) during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Source: Getty

NASCAR fan Daniel Kriete addressed the situation in a recent YouTube video, noting the uncertainty around Almirola’s future.

“There are some questions around Aric Almirola currently at the moment, what he’ll be doing for 2026. One of the rumors that has been circulating is that Aric Almirola could be officially retired from the sport at the end of this year. He also could make a one-off start for Joe Gibbs Racing. Brent Crews is not going to be able to run the first two races of the year because he doesn’t turn 18 years old,” Kriete noted. (4:04 onwards)

Brent Crews will not be eligible to compete in the first four races until he turns 18. That opens the door for a part-time option for Almirola, who has run limited schedules for Joe Gibbs Racing before.

Another driver at the center of the rumor mill is Nick Sanchez. The 2024 Truck Series standout moved to Big Machine Racing for his Xfinity debut in 2025 and delivered immediate results. His June win at Atlanta pushed him into the playoffs in his rookie season and marked a strong step forward at the level.

Nick Sanchez (48) at the Charlotte Roval. Source: Imagn

Despite that progress, Sanchez confirmed on X that he will not return to the Big Machine Racing No. 48 in 2026. He thanked the team and said that he was “excited about what’s ahead,” but did not announce a next destination. Kriete weighed in on Sanchez’s outlook and added:

“There’s a lot of question marks currently at the moment with there not being a ton of rides left available at this point on where Nick Sanchez could end up in 2026. One of my theories has been is maybe he goes Spire Motorsports.... I think him going in-house Spire Motorsports would make a ton of sense at this point. I also could see him ending up with a different organization for next year.” (1:47 onwards)

Spire Motorsports has announced plans to field two trucks in 2026, with speculation around an all-star-style program. There have also been rumors that the No. 7 and No. 77 trucks could be split into part-time entries.

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Hailie Deegan weighs her next step amid open-wheel uncertainty and a potential "return to NASCAR"

Hailie Deegan (15) before the start of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Sonoma 250. Source: Imagn

Hailie Deegan’s future remains one of the more closely watched storylines heading into 2026. The 2025 season marked her first full campaign outside NASCAR. After rising through ARCA and competing in both the Truck and Xfinity Series, Deegan pivoted to open-wheel racing and joined HMD Motorsports in INDY NXT.

Driving the No. 38 entry, Deegan finished 14th in the standings with 202 points. While the results did not grab headlines, the season gave her valuable experience in a new discipline. Her INDY NXT deal covered a solitary season, and HMD Motorsports has already begun building its 2026 lineup.

Emmo Fittipaldi was named as a rookie addition this week, joining Australian prospect Jack Beeton, who was announced earlier after testing at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test. Those signings leave Deegan’s future unresolved. Daniel Kriete addressed the situation, pointing to multiple possibilities.

“Hailie Deegan, there’s been some questions about her maybe making a return to racing in 2026. She did post a go-kart video recently and did say she is preparing for the 2026 year. There were rumors earlier this year about her going to McAnally–Hilgemann, but that seems like those rumors have kind of died down... I’m not sure if she’ll do something with Ford (Performance) or she’ll stay in Indy Lights or Indy NXT. But she also could return to NASCAR as early as the 2026 year,” he added. (6:40 onwards)

A return to NASCAR has never been fully ruled out. Ty Majeski’s move to the No. 88 at ThorSport leaves the No. 98 Truck unassigned, and Kaulig Racing is still finalizing three seats for its RAM-backed Truck Series debut. With the 2026 INDY NXT season set to begin March 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Deegan has time to decide.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam