1. After the Daniel Suarez news, what will be the next NASCAR Silly Season domino to fall?
Luken Glover: Never say never, but the 2025-26 Silly Season is shaping up to be one of the most muffled in recent memory, as most drivers are either locked in or in negotiations to stay with their respective teams for next year. The inevitable is what Trackhouse Racing does with the No. 99 seat following its mutual split with Daniel Suarez after this season. Connor Zilisch is the shoo-in favorite to fill that void, especially given that he is a championship contender in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, as well as collecting an 11th-place finish at EchoPark Speedway at the NASCAR Cup Series level. Beyond that, most of the noise will be made in the lower series, with little shakeup reaching the sport’s premier level.
Christopher Hansen: Zilisch’s next ride. He has looked every bit a championship contender in the Xfinity Series in his rookie season with JR Motorsports, scoring multiple wins. After missing one race due to injury, his worst finish since his return was fifth at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Zilisch also survived the chaos at EchoPark Speedway, scoring his best Cup finish. With his rapid ascent in the Xfinity Series, Zilisch’s future is a major talking point, and many have wondered if the 19-year-old will move up to the Cup Series with Trackhouse’s No. 99 opening up with Suarez’s departure.
Mike Neff: There aren’t many definite free agents after this season. Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell are supposed free agents but Joe Gibbs Racing isn’t letting them go anywhere. Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick both have an option to bail out if 23XI Racing loses its charter for 2026, but that won’t really be determined until the outcome of the lawsuit. Shane van Gisbergen has a one-year deal with Trackhouse, but there is no chance it will let him go. Austin Cindric is a free agent this year, but he has shown race-winning ability. That leaves AJ Allmendinger. He is a free agent for Kaulig Racing at the end of the year. There is at least a chance that he will be looking for another ride and could even slide back to Xfinity.
Landon Quesinberry: Zilisch. He is the likely replacement for Suarez in the No. 99, and we won’t have to wait much longer for that announcement. Silly Season will be relatively tame with the small amount of people left in contract years. Now, things could get wild depending on the 23XI and Front Row Motorsports situation, but for the time being, I don’t expect much to happen.
2. Shane van Gisbergen will be going for his third straight road course win at Sonoma Raceway. Who will be his stiffest competition?
Hansen: Michael McDowell showed he had a car capable of contending for the win at the Chicago street course, leading 31 laps before a throttle issue cost him a chance to challenge van Gisbergen for the victory. McDowell is one of the better road course racers in the Cup Series and boasts an impressive fourth-place average finish at Sonoma in the three Next Gen races run in Wine Country. Allmendinger will also be a strong favorite this weekend coming off a solid sixth-place run at Chicago. Ty Gibbs has put together impressive runs at the last two road courses, having cars capable of winning both. Aside from McDowell and Allmendinger, watch out for Gibbs, who’s still seeking his first Cup win, to potentially play spoiler to van Gisbergen’s dominance.
Neff: Kyle Busch. He has a win, six top fives and seven top 10s in the last 10 races there. He made a furious comeback at Chicago to finish fifth. Busch is due to break this winless streak, and Sonoma looks like the place it is going to happen.
Quesinberry: Chris Buescher. I find it incredible that he has the best stats at road courses in the Next Gen era, yet he gets overshadowed by van Gisbergen and Chase Elliott. Sonoma is actually one of Buescher’s best tracks. He has an average finish of third in the Next Gen car there and has never finished outside the top five. The only other person to look out for is McDowell, as he has an average finish of fourth in this era of racing in Wine Country.
Glover: Statistically, Kyle Larson would seem like a prime opponent given that he has won twice at Sonoma in the past four races. Momentum hasn’t necessarily been on his side recently, and while that could easily change this weekend given his talent, it does potentially open the door for others. Keep an eye on Buescher on the twists and turns this weekend. While he has not won at Sonoma, his worst finish in the Next Gen car at the track is fourth. And who defeated van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen International last year? None other than Buescher.
3. Which of the four remaining In-Season Challenge matchups will be the most intriguing to watch at Sonoma?
Neff: Ryan Preece vs. Reddick. Preece is the higher seed in the matchup, while Reddick seems to be a better road racer. Preece’s average finish at Sonoma is 3.5 places higher than Reddick, but Reddick has scored a top 10 and they are both in the 20s. It would seem they have the best potential for an on-track battle to advance.
Quesinberry: Ty Dillon and Alex Bowman’s matchup is the one everyone should have their eyes on. Bowman’s luck is like a pendulum: You never know if it’s going to be a good week or a bad one. On the other hand, Dillon has had a Linsanity-like run in the bracket and has been the highlight of the challenge so far. Also, Bowman and Wallace’s matchup last week getting physical adds even more hype into the mix. It has all the right factors to make it must-watch television.
Glover: The matchup between Gibbs and Zane Smith is intriguing in its own way. Neither are aces at Sonoma, but both have shown flashes of brilliance on road courses in their career, be it at Cup or the lower series. What stands out about this matchup is the fact that Gibbs, despite being a consistent threat on road courses, has not exceled at Sonoma in two starts, crashing last year and finishing 18th in his track debut in 2023. Smith finished 16th there a year ago, so should Gibbs falter a step this weekend, this particular matchup may not be as obvious as it seems.
Hansen: Look no further than the Legacy Motor Club teammates going head-to-head in John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones, both having breakout seasons in 2025 after struggling tremendously last year. Despite a 19th-place average finishing position, Jones’ No. 43 has shown glimpses of speed in the last few races, with his 25th-place run at Chicago being his first finish outside the top 20 since Kansas Speedway in May. Jones is also within striking distance of a playoff spot, currently 50 points below the cut line. Nemechek has had a bounce-back season himself, scoring six top-10 results compared to four top 10s in all of 2024. Based off of average finish on road courses, Jones has the advantage of the two, but with the unpredictable nature of road course racing, this duel among teammates could go either way.
4. Austin Green now has five top 10s in just 13 Xfinity starts. Does he deserve a full-time NASCAR opportunity?
Quesinberry: I’m all for drivers getting a full-time opportunity just to see how good they are, but I wouldn’t say I’d throw Austin Green in just yet based on his road course prowess. What he should do is take a part-time opportunity in a better ride and prove he can win at a road course with the right equipment. This would help his case even more on getting a full-time ride in Xfinity, as he’d give a team a good shot at making the playoffs with a win. A run with JRM, Joe Gibbs Racing or Sam Hunt Racing would be a really good test to see if he should go full time in the future.
Glover: It is surprising that a higher-profile team hasn’t called on the services of Green when the tour hits a road course, as the success and prowess are clearly there. Improvement is certainly needed on the ovals, but that comes with more repetition as well as stronger equipment. A full season would work best for Green at the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series level; perhaps a team with Chevrolet ties such as Niece Motorsports or Spire Motorsports would be a good landing spot.
Hansen: While Green has made the most of his limited starts in the Xfinity Series, I wouldn’t say that makes him ready yet for a full-time ride. In Green’s four starts at non-road courses, his best finish is a 29th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. On the flip side, in nine road course appearances, Green has scored five top-10 finishes. While he’s proven to be a successful road course racer, albeit in limited starts, Green needs to compile those same kind of numbers on more traditional tracks like the intermediates to earn a full-time seat in NASCAR.
Neff: It would certainly seem like Green has earned a shot at a national series, full-time ride. It would be great to see him go through the ladder by starting in Trucks. Having driven Chevrolets in his Xfinity starts, the thought is he would stay with the bow tie brigade. A great landing spot would be Spire. It has proven it can win in Trucks, and it would be a perfect foundation to grow through the sport.
Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.
What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
