We’ve officially reached the final four weeks of the NASCAR season, and while Silly Season is mostly finished for the Cup Series, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is just getting started and taking control of the news cycle.
There’s still a lot to figure out, since, as of October 14, only FIVE organizations have their full-time driver lineup signed, sealed, and delivered for 2027. So, in talking about the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ silly season, let’s start there:
Both Austin Hill (RCR No. 33) and Jesse Love (WBR No. 21) are moving to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2027, so that’s left room for a new-look O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program for Richard Childress Racing. 18-year-old development driver Carson Brown will drive the championship-winning No. 2, while Chandler Smith will get behind the wheel of the No. 21.
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Cleetus McFarland, this year, signed a multi-year contract to run some NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events for Richard Childress Racing, so he’s likely to make some appearances in a third, part-time entry, likely the No. 33.
Joe Gibbs Racing is bringing the exact same NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver lineup to the racetrack as Daytona as it did for 30 of the 33 events this season – with William Sawalich (No. 18), Brent Crews (No. 19), Brandon Jones (No. 20), and Taylor Gray (No. 54) all driving full-time.
Sam Hunt Racing has rounded out Toyota’s complete NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series lineup by announcing Sheldon Creed (No. 26) and Blaine Perkins (No. 24) will drive for the organization in 2027, both beginning multi-year agreements with the up-and-coming organization.
For Hendrick Motorsports, it’s simple: Corey Day will return to the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. HMS typically likes to put its NASCAR Cup Series drivers in an O’Reilly Series seat for a couple of races, so whether that’s a second Hendrick entry, or an entry with another team, like JR Motorsports, is yet to be seen.
Peterson Racing has committed to bringing two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series entries to the track every weekend (as part of an expansion that includes a move onto the RCR campus in Welcome, North Carolina). Lee Pulliam, a short-track legend, has been tapped to drive the team’s flagship No. 87, while Harrison Burton joins the team to drive the No. 78, a second entry.
Barring a major shakeup, those five organizations are the only ones finished with silly season. But many drivers and teams have yet to confirm where they’ll land for the 2027 NASCAR season.
JR Motorsports has confirmed championship bids for Sam Mayer (No. 1) and Carson Kvapil (No. 8), while also insinuating that Justin Allgaier will return for next season. The No. 88 remains unconfirmed, though it stands to reason that Rajah Caruth would be the frontrunner to land that ride (in some capacity) next year.
When it comes to the No. 9, the team’s fifth entry, how often it hits the racetrack and who drives it will almost certainly come down to funding.
Now, with both Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed hitting the road, Haas Factory Team finds itself in a unique situation, needing to fill two of its three full-time seats in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for 2027. At Iowa in August, Dean Thompson was joined to confirm the organization at the same time they confirmed HFT would be a three-car team. The No. 00 and No. 41 teams remain vacant, as of now. Given his recent free agency and pattern of success in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, John Hunter Nemechek is likely at least a thought for one of those open seats. Beyond that, the team’s lineup is up in the air.
RSS Racing, an alliance partner of HFT, has signed Jeb Burton to drive the No. 22, but hasn’t yet confirmed the status of brothers Ryan and Kyle Sieg. Obviously, given the team is owned by the Sieg family, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where they both aren’t back with the team. The team does currently field a third entry at select races, so that could also come into play if need be.
Jeremy Clements Racing hasn’t fielded an entry for anybody but Jeremy Clements in the team’s entire history – except for two races when Clements was suspended by NASCAR – so it’s hard to imagine that will change.
Over the last month or so, Rick Ware Racing has been heavily rumored to return to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series next season in conjunction, in some form, with Haas Factory Team. The embers of that rumor were fanned by popular podcast Door Bumper Clear, then again by a promotional graphic for Corey LaJoie’s Kickball Classic, which showed Carson Ware as the driver of the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing entry in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Carson Ware, when asked by JosephSrigley.com about the leak, had no comment.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series features two major factions of Chevrolet-backed alliance networks. There’s the Haas Factory Team branch (including RSS Racing and Jeremy Clements Racing), and then the Richard Childress Racing branch (with Jordan Anderson Racing, Big Machine Racing, Viking Motorsports, and Peterson Racing).
Jordan Anderson Racing has already locked down Daniel Dye for the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign, driving the No. 32, but following announcements of new rides for Jeb Burton and Blaine Perkins, the team has some seat-filling to do. Brennan Poole has been seen as one of the front-runners for a seat at JAR, per industry chatter, but there’s also the question of what would happen with a third entry – would it be piloted by one driver, or remain a multi-driver rotation, like it was this year with Andrew Patterson, Rajah Caruth, and Jordan Anderson, among others.
Big Machine Racing has the well-funded Patrick Staropoli behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet this year, but is the team looking to make a change for 2027? It’s hard to say. There have been rumors in the last couple of months that Staropoli was going elsewhere for next season, but nothing has come of that. Plus, the team just brought on Will Rodgers to drive a second entry in three races at the end of this year – using Joey Gase Motorsports points. But is that pointing to an expansion? Will Rodgers driving the No. 48? Maybe both? Or neither? Where the team is headed after this year is still unknown.
Things have been quiet on the Viking Motorsports front when it comes to the team’s driver lineup for next year. With such an incredible season under their belts, it’s hard to imagine that the Don Sackett-owned team would *want* to change anything, but neither Retzlaff nor Alfredo have been announced as returning to the organization yet.
In a series that has been dominated by the Chevrolet Camaro for the better part of a decade, Alpha Prime Racing has decided to take a different route, fielding at least two Ford Mustang entries in 2027. But who will drive? Brennan Poole has confirmed he isn’t coming back next season, but will Lavar Scott, given his past relationship with Chevrolet? Ryan Ellis is now a free agent, announcing his departure from Young’s Motorsports. Could a reunion be in the cards there? The team will also run an ARCA Menards Series program in 2027, so maybe there’s an opportunity for a multi-driver entry with a development driver? The opportunities are endless.
Beyond that, teams like SS-GreenLight Racing, Young’s Motorsports, DGM Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, and Joey Gase Motorsports typically wait until closer to Speedweeks to finalize and announce their plans for the upcoming season.
SS-GreenLight Racing has a strategic partnership with BRK Racing to field the No. 0 Chevrolet, so, provided that continues, Garrett Smithley will likely be part of that organization in some capacity. DGM Racing signed a multi-year deal with Josh Williams, and said in May, when the team had to make a driver change, that his “2027 contract remains intact”. Young’s Motorsports has two seats wide open (with the departure of Ryan Ellis) and some drivers like Matt DiBenedetto and Nathan Byrd who have been with the team on multiple occasions this season. Joey Gase Motorsports has had Joey Gase driving an entry in most of the races in 2026 but typically operates week-to-week in finding drivers.
SPS Racing didn’t compete full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this year – after a planned acquisition of the now-defunct AM Racing fell through – only running three races at Bristol, Phoenix, and Talladega with Landon S. Huffman and Connor Mosack. The team’s ambitions for 2027 are unknown, but some in the garage have said SPS is hoping to put together a bigger schedule (if not a full-time schedule) in 2027.
With 129 days until the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, there are still lots of things that can happen when it comes to driver contracts and new teams. But, as of right now, this is where silly season stands.
