A curious thing is happening in NASCAR’s B-series, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity), as we head into 2026.

This series, which has been dominated by Chevy and Toyota teams in recent years (especially by Chevy and JR Motorsports), will have essentially no presence from Ford teams in 2026.

The news has long been out that Haas Factory Team will switch from Ford to Chevy starting in 2026 in O’Reilly Series, and today it was announced that RSS Racing will be moving from Ford to Chevy as well, and continue partnering with Haas Factory Team.

What it means is that, from a distance, it looks like Ford is giving up on the series for now. No major teams are currently affiliated with Ford, and anything that remains (Potentially AM Racing, and some of the backmarker teams who help fill out the field) is not going to earn them many strong finishes.

As someone who has watched teams like Roush Racing and Penske Racing dominate this series in the past, that’s tough to see.

In addition to revealing the long-awaited Cup series schedule, NASCAR also recently unveiled its schedules for the 2026 calendar year in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly known as Xfinity Series), and Craftsman Truck Series. Here are my takes on the best and worst changes made in those schedules. 

Xfinity schedule changes

GOOD:

IN THE NAVY NOW: All three series will be racing at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego in June, which should be an amazing location for the race. Assuming the track design allows for competitive racing, this is an event that should be a home run all weekend, and it’s nice to see NASCAR introducing these new locations instead of the copy/paste schedules we had for so many years. Whether it’s a one-year deal or multiple years, I am circling this on the schedule for all three series.

MORE DARLINGTON, PLEASE: Like most racing fans with half a lick of sense, I love to watch NASCAR racing at Darlington. The Lady in Black delivers every time in my book, so adding a second O’Reilly race at Darlington in 2026 is a no-brainer to me. It's an old-school track that is one of few I would argue deserves two dates.