Early 2026 NASCAR Silly Season Predictions: Landing Spots for 9 Drivers

NASCAR silly season in 2025 was largely non-existent, with the only significant move being Daniel Suarez joining Spire Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing replacing him with Connor Zilisch. Things are going to be much different this year, with some big names in the Cup Series on expiring deals.

Let’s dive into our early NASCAR silly season predictions, with a few projections for where some of the top free-agent drivers and up-and-comers will land next season.

Tyler Reddick: No. 45 Car for 23XI Racing

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Could Hendrick Motorsports attempt to make things interesting with Tyler Reddick as a potential option for the No. 48 car? Maybe, but that would require Hendrick outbidding 23XI Racing, and Michael Jordan isn’t allowing that to happen. Reddick has already delivered a 2024 regular-season title for 23XI, and he just set the team’s single-season wins record before the calendar even flipped to April. He’s in blank check territory, and given Jordan’s reputation for wanting to win at all costs, there’s no way anyone else drives the No. 45.

Related: NASCAR Power Rankings after Darlington

Corey Heim: No. 35 Car for 23XI Racing

Early NASCAR Silly Season Predictions — Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Corey Heim proved in 2025 that he already belongs in the Cup Series full-time. However, the young driver has stuck with the plan set out for him by 23XI Racing. That involved historic dominance of the Truck Series last season, and he’s now splitting time between Truck, Cup, and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026. Patience will finally be rewarded this offseason. Heim will take Riley Herbst’s place in the No. 35 car, giving 23XI Racing a three-man team of Reddick, Heim, and Bubba Wallace that gives them a shot at creating a new “Big Three” of teams in NASCAR.

Related: NASCAR Insider Explains Why Corey Heim Doesn’t Have Full-Time Cup Ride Yet

RIley Herbst: Legacy Motor Club

After a brutal first season in the Cup Series with 23XI Racing, Riley Herbst has shown signs of progress in 2026. He recorded an eighth-place finish in the Daytona 500 and, in that same race, proved he can be a great teammate by helping Tyler Reddick get the win. He also finished 23rd at COTA and 18th at Phoenix, and he had a real shot at a top-20 finish at Darlington before he got spun by Connor Zilisch in the final stage, with the damage to the car dropping him back in the field. Herbst is at least showing enough to get another full-time ride next season, and given the financial resources he brings to the table, he’s perfect for Legacy Motor Club next season as it brings in a third car.

Related: Early Drivers Emerge as Options for Third Card at Legacy Motor Club in 2027

Alex Bowman: Steps Away from Racing

Medical issues have been an unfortunate theme of Alex Bowman‘s NASCAR career. A concussion kept him out of five races in 2022, and the following year, a broken back sidelined him for three races. Unfortunately, he’s now set to miss at least five races in 2026 due to vertigo issues. It’s the last thing he needed to happen in a contract year with Hendrick Motorsports, but it’s just been one thing after another for him in the last five years. We think that Bowman winds up not having a Cup Series ride and takes the 2027 season off. Maybe he finds a role working as a NASCAR analyst for Amazon Prime Video’s coverage and then sees how he feels after that.

Related: Identifying Potential Alex Bowman Replacements for Hendrick Motorsports in 2027

Daniel Suarez: No. 7 Car for Spire Motorsports

After how ugly things ended at Trackhouse Racing, the 2026 campaign with Spire Motorsports felt like a now-or-never situation for Daniel Suarez‘s Cup Series career. Not only is he performing well, but the driver of the No. 7 car is outracing every one of his former colleagues, including Ross Chastain. Maybe that says more about Spire versus Trackhouse, but what’s become pretty clear this spring is that Suarez is still more than capable behind the wheel of a solid car and a supportive team in the Cup Series. He brings a fair amount of consistency to the table, he’s well-liked, and he has backing from great sponsors. That’s checking enough boxes that we can’t see Spire moving him out of the No. 7, even if it means Suarez potentially having to take another one-year deal after this season.

Read More: NASCAR Stage Winners 2026, Stage Results Tracker

Kyle Busch: No. 71 Car for Spire Motorsports

As his winless streak in the Cup Series reaches triple digits, one thing is evident: Kyle Busch probably won’t be back with Richard Childress Racing in 2027. The future Hall of Famer seems fed up with the car he’s been provided by RCR, and the feeling from the team—at least based on what’s overheard on the radio—reflects a similar sentiment toward the driver. While we don’t foresee Busch taking Suarez’s spot in the No. 7 car, Spire could decide to swap out Michael McDowell for Busch. McDowell, who will be 42 years old in December, would then have to find a smaller team to secure a full-time ride in the Cup Series next season.

Jesse Love: No. 8 Car for Richard Childress Racing

Jesse Love, one of the top prospects in NASCAR, is already a development driver for Richard Childress Racing and is getting a few opportunities to prove himself in the Cup Series this season. Given recent reporting that Legacy Motor Club doesn’t want to be a short-term spot for another team’s up-and-comer to just develop for a year before leaving, we think that RCR just lets Love come aboard next season. He will replace Busch in the No. 8 car, giving the team a 22-year-old driver who is probably more amenable to guidance during the race and with whom any early success would be viewed as a positive step toward an even brighter future.

Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski: RFK Racing

There’s an old saying in sports that you can’t replace the owner. So, even if he wasn’t coming off consecutive great performances, it’s hard to envision any scenario where co-owner Brad Keselowski gives up his own seat in the No. 6 car for RFK Racing. As for Chris Buescher, while he doesn’t have an ownership stake in the team, the No. 17 team has proven perfect for him, and this partnership is certainly working for both parties. We believe the three-car team of Buescher, Keselowski, and Ryan Preece stays together at RFK next year.

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