Though the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season concluded three weeks ago, there is still plenty to reminisce about. From action-packed track venues and a dominating year by Connor Zilisch to Jesse Love’s eventual championship triumph, fans were given a treat of a season from start to finish.
As we continue to reflect on an electric 2025, it is never too early to look ahead, and while the Silly Season ranks could shift at a moment’s notice, how the freshly minted O’Reilly Auto Parts Series field currently looks heading into 2026 is worth discussing. As such, let’s rank the top 10 full-time drivers heading into the 2026 O’Reilly campaign.
RELATED: 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts schedule | 2025 Xfinity Series standings
2026 ride: No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Comment: The 2025 champion has to be ranked No. 1, right? Love not only prevailed over his Championship 4 competitors — Zilisch, Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil — but did so in clutch fashion. An inside maneuver to overtake race leader Zilisch on Lap 176 stands out, with the move eventually resulting in the win at Phoenix Raceway to claim the title. With his best friend in Zilisch moving to the full-time Cup Series fold, Love will enter 2026 as the driver to beat, with the chance to go back-to-back in the circuit for the first time since Tyler Reddick in 2018-19.
2026 ride: No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: Though Zilisch is departing for Cup, JR Motorsports still has a stalwart on its hands in the veteran Allgaier, who, despite failing to clinch title No. 2, still had a statistically sound 2025. Allgaier tallied multiple wins for a sixth consecutive season and additionally led a series-best 1,056 laps. Allgaier’s career has been marked by consistency, and while the Illinois native enters his age-40 season, such stellar results should continue. Will it be enough to capture that second championship crown?
2026 ride: No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Comment: What if? This could very well be the phrase that defined Hill’s 2025 campaign. Three wins through the opening 11 races netted the No. 21 team valuable playoff points, only for them to get erased after a suspension for on-track actions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A waiver was granted, and Hill still went to the postseason. While Hill finished sixth in the final table — respectable enough — it’s a backstep from a Championship 4 berth in 2024. A rebound is in order for Hill and the No. 21 stable.
2026 ride: No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
Comment: Mayer’s 2025 was perplexing. He only found Victory Lane once (at Iowa Speedway), but his 13 top fives matched a career best (2023). And what if I told you that, among all 2025 full-time Xfinity drivers, Mayer ranked third in average finish at 11.5, behind Zilisch’s 8.0 and Love’s 11.1? These signs seemingly would’ve pointed toward a deep playoff run, but it didn’t transpire, with Mayer finishing 10th in the driver standings, a career low compared to his other full-time campaigns. Mayer was additionally suspended for the season finale after the No. 41 driver spun Jeb Burton. Perhaps Haas Factory Team’s manufacturer switch from Ford to Chevrolet beginning in 2026 could be the necessary step for Mayer to find a better footing.
2026 ride: No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Comment: A return to Joe Gibbs Racing after a two-year stint with JR Motorsports proved to be fruitful for the 28-year-old pilot. Not only did the Atlanta native tally multiple Xfinity Series victories for the first time since 2020, but a fifth-place finish in the final driver standings was a career best. So, what’s key for Jones as he enters his 11th full-time season in the circuit? Keep consistency (just one DNF in 2025), build on playoff momentum and take aim at a top-four standing finish for the first time.
2026 ride: Multiple
Comment: A unique case compared to others on this list, JR Motorsports’ Kvapil was confirmed for full-time O’Reilly racing in 2026, though the complete makeup of his schedule has yet to be announced. Whatever the case, this is excellent news for the 22-year-old, who took the Xfinity Series world by storm in 2025 with a surprise Championship 4 appearance. He will have the opportunity to continue expanding his short-track expertise and hone his craft at other venues.
2026 ride: No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: A gradual build has been Smith’s theme through three full-time Xfinity campaigns, capturing one win each year. He’s increased his top-five and top-10 finishes year over year, culminating in 2025 with career-bests in both categories — eight and 18 — respectively. An average finish of 14.0 was also a career high, but an eighth-place result in the standings was not, just missing his sixth-place mark in 2023. 2026 will be about combining race-leading dominance from 2023 (where he led 334 laps) with improving results from 2025.
2026 ride: No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet
Comment: An electric victory at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) in June proved to be Sanchez’s defining 2025 moment, netting the 24-year-old his first Xfinity triumph. Plenty capable of winning again in 2026, Sanchez enters his sophomore campaign with Big Machine Racing, where driver and team alike have race- and championship-contending aspirations. Though the operation might not be as big as many of its competitors, there’s plenty of ability within the organization.
2026 ride: No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
Comment: The question is simple: When? After 16 top-five finishes in 2024 — including six runner-ups — Creed entered 2025 with optimism that the Victory Lane hump would finally be crossed. Instead, the 28-year-old went the other direction, with just eight top fives and a 16.1 average finish, well below his 2024 marks. With 136 Xfinity starts to his name, you have to wonder when that elusive first victory will transpire. Haas Factory Team’s shift from Ford to Chevrolet next season does bring a little familiarity to Creed, who began his career in the series with the manufacturer.
2026 ride: No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota
Comment: Burton’s first full-time Xfinity season since 2021 was an inspiring one, taking the No. 25 AM Racing Ford to the playoffs for the first time in the organization’s history. For 2026, Burton will have a new look, transitioning to Sam Hunt Racing to pilot the No. 24 Toyota. Similarly to Creed, this could spark Burton. After all, the North Carolina native’s best Xfinity season came in a Toyota, tallying four wins in 2020.