Joe Gibbs Racing enters the 2026 NASCAR season with a strong and steady driver line-up. The team confirmed that its four main Cup Series drivers will return unchanged. Denny Hamlin, who has a contract through 2027, will drive the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE again following a heartbreaking end to his 2025 run. Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs will also return to their respective No. 19, No. 20 and No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE this season, which starts with the Daytona 500 on February 15.
On the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (Xfinity) Series side, JGR will keep strong depth in young talent. William Sawalich and Taylor Gray will return in 2026. Both drivers ran full 2025 seasons with mixed results. Gray won his first career race and finished seventh in points.
Meanwhile, Sawalich finished 18th in the 2025 Xfinity standings with three top-five finishes and six more top-tens. The 20-year-old almost won twice and had two second-place finishes behind Connor Zilisch at Portland and at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The team will add Brent Crews to the O’Reilly Series full schedule once he turns 18 on March 30, 2026. Joe Gibbs Racing announced his addition in November last year but it is to be seen who will compete during the first four races.
Crews won several races in ARCA during 2025, and is now stepping into the No. 19 Toyota, which was shared by multiple drivers last year. Justin Bonsignore, Aric Almirola, Riley Herbst, Christopher Bell, Jack Perkins, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs were among the drivers who shared that lineup in 2025.
Joe Gibbs Racing NASAR Cup Series Paint Schemes For 2026
No Cup driver changes were announced for Joe Gibbs Racing’s Cup Series lineup despite talk about Denny Hamlin stepping away following his near-miss at the 2025 championship. Hamlin will carry Progressive Insurance as a primary partner in a multi-race deal, backing the No. 11 in roughly 18 events in 2026.
Meanwhile, Christopher Bell picked up COOFANDY as a one-race primary sponsor. The new apparel partner will serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 20 Toyota at Martinsville. But Bell’s DeWalt primary paint scheme is the only one that’s released as of now. His car will feature a new logo for Joe Gibbs Racing’s 35th anniversary in 2026
Ty Gibbs will keep Saia in a multi-race, multi-year deal for his No. 54 Toyota. Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe will sport a new paint scheme for primary sponsor, Columbia Bank for three races, at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Sonoma Raceway and Phoenix Raceway.
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