The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is upon us.
NASCAR’s third-tier series takes to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13, with 44 trucks looking to make the 36-truck field to begin the season.
A closer look at the entry list shows that there’s a real smorgasbord of drivers looking to run the season opener. While some drivers are competing on a one-off, others are joining the series on a part-time full-time basis.
As a new season kicks off, let’s take a look at some of the notable people running the Fresh From Florida 250.
No. 1 — Taylor Gray
The grandson of TRICON Garage co-owner and NHRA driver Johnny Gray, Taylor Gray makes his return to the Truck Series in preparation for his second full-time season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He will drive the No. 1, reuniting with his brother Tanner as a teammate to open the season.
No. 4 — Cleetus McFarland
After taking the racing world by storm in the ARCA Menards Series last season, Garrett Mitchell (known affectionately by fans as Cleetus McFarland) will make his Truck Series debut on Friday after receiving approval to run the race following a private test at Rockingham Speedway.
This will likely propel Mitchell into a part-time schedule with Niece Motorsports. He will drive the No. 4 at Daytona and will have a legendary group of teammates who we’ll discuss later on. If anything, the Truck Series should see a boost in ratings thanks to Mitchell’s influence.
No. 5 — Nick Leitz
This one wasn’t on this author’s bingo card.
Nick Leitz will drive the No. 5 for TRICON Garage at Daytona. Leitz has made 20 starts in the Truck Series, but all of them came with teams that have less funding and resources than that of TRICON. It’s arguably Leitz’s biggest opportunity, and at a track like Daytona (which TRICON won last season), it’s hard to count Leitz out as a favorite there.
No. 7 — Michael McDowell
For the second straight season, Michael McDowell will dip down from the Cup Series to run the Truck Series opener. He’ll move from the now-defunct No. 07 to the No. 7 for this round, though he’ll still be with Spire Motorsports.
McDowell will look to improve upon his dismal 26th-place finish from last year’s race.
The Ram Drivers
Welcome back, Ram.
The manufacturer reentered the sport for the first time since the end of 2012, and is doing so with Kaulig Racing, which will field five full-time trucks this season.
Driving the No. 10 will be Daniel Dye, who drove the same number in O’Reilly last season and is dropping back to the Truck Series full time after a year-long absence. The No. 12 will be driven by Brenden Queen, affectionately known by fans as Butterbean. The 2025 ARCA champion won the ARCA Daytona race last year and is a staple in the zMAX CARS Tour and short track scene.
In the No. 14 is one of Queen’s biggest short track rivals in Mini Tyrrell. Tyrrell earned the seat by winning the Ram: Race for the Seat television competition. Tyrrell said he’s on a one-year deal with Kaulig, and is looking for a big year with the Ram crew.
The No. 16 will be driven by Justin Haley, who drops all the way down from the Cup Series to contest his first full-time Truck Series season since 2018. Haley also ran the Truck Series season opener last season and finished fifth.
The final Ram truck, the No. 25, will be shared by a multitude of drivers under what Kaulig calls the Free Agent Program. Tony Stewart will open the season in the truck, running his first NASCAR race since 2016 and first Truck Series race since 2005. Carson Ferguson, who finished runner up on the television show, will run the truck at Martinsville Speedway. Outside of that, your guess on who will drive the truck is as good as mine.
No. 13 — Cole Butcher
Short track superstar Cole Butcher will run full time in the Truck Series in 2026 with ThorSport Racing, driving the No. 13. The move bumps Jake Garcia to the No. 98 and Ty Majeski to the No. 88 following Matt Crafton’s retirement. Butcher made two starts last season with Halmar Friesen Racing, finishing 23rd in both of them.
No. 27 — Toni Breidinger
Leitz’s move to the No. 5 for Daytona comes after the truck’s former full-time driver Toni Breidinger announced she would run a part-time schedule for Rackley W.A.R., driving a second truck, the No. 27. Breidinger will run at least eight races, giving second-year driver Dawson Sutton a teammate to lean on for at least one-third of the season.
It’s the first time Rackley will field a second truck for more than two races.
No. 42 — Travis Pastrana
Surprise! The Nitro Circus returns to Daytona.
Travis Pastrana, having made his last start in the Truck Series in 2023, is back to run the season opener in 2026, driving for Niece Motorsports as a teammate to Mitchell. He will have sponsorship from Brunt.
Of Pastrana’s six Truck Series starts, his last four have come with Niece. His best finish is 13th in his most recent start in 2023, which came at Daytona.
No. 45 — Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Another Cup Series driver in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will dip down to run a truck at Daytona. He is also running for Niece as a teammate to Pastrana and Mitchell, capping off a bizarre trifecta of teammates running for Niece in assistance of its full time driver Andres Perez.
Surprisingly, Daytona will mark the Truck Series debut for the guy who won the O’Reilly championship way back in 2011 and 2012. Stenhouse is no stranger to Daytona though — in the Cup Series, he’s won both the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400.
Of note, all four Niece trucks will run number fonts similar to what Greg Biffle ran with Roush Racing in memory of Biffle, who died in a plane crash over the offseason. For Mitchell and Stenhouse, the tribute is extra special, as Biffle was a close friend of both and a teammate of Stenhouse.
No. 62 — John Hunter Nemechek
The Cup drivers keep piling up on the Truck Series entry list. Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek is helping kick off Halmar Friesen Racing’s first season with two full-time teams by driving the No. 62 at Daytona as a teammate to the returning Stewart Friesen.
It’ll be Nemechek’s first Truck Series appearance in nearly three years.
No. 75 — Corey LaJoie
It’s been an interesting few weeks for Corey LaJoie.
First, he’s announced as the driver of the No. 6 for the Cook Out Clash as a replacement for Brad Keselowski, who was (and still is) recovering from a broken leg. Then he was announced to drive a fourth RFK Racing entry, the No. 99, in the Daytona 500.
Then, he was announced as the driver of the No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevy at Daytona. The No. 75 has been a ride primarily reserved for Parker Kligerman, and given how he won Daytona last year until he didn’t, LaJoie being the choice for the ride was a surprising one.
But fresh off of eight straight Truck Series starts at the end of 2025, and with his superspeedway racing prowess, LaJoie is still a solid choice. Look for him to be in contention at the end of 100 laps Friday night.
No. 77 — Carson Hocevar
The fourth and final full-time Cup Series driver in the field is one of the younger drivers.
Carson Hocevar, fresh off of a signing a seemingly very-long-term extension with Spire Motorsports, will drive the No. 77 for 13 races in 2026, including Daytona. Hocevar won a race last season at Kansas Speedway in four Truck Series starts with Spire.
No. 91 — Christian Eckes
Another Kaulig Racing O’Reilly driver returns to the Truck Series after a one-year absence, this time with a different team (though one familiar to him).
Christian Eckes returns to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing after spending a year in O’Reilly, though this time he will defect to the No. 91, as Daniel Hemric runs the team’s flagship No. 19. Eckes ran two full-time seasons with MHR in 2023 and 2024, and ran two races with the team in a fifth truck in 2025.
Other Notable Changes
Aside from these guys, the Truck Series landscape looks a little different. Kaden Honeycutt replaces 2025 champion Corey Heim (who is without a full-time ride for 2026) in the TRICON No. 11. Kris Wright takes over MHR’s No. 81 full-time following Connor Mosack’s departure.
Daytona specifically will see some new faces pop up, such as Jason Kitzmiller looking to make his Truck Series debut in a second CR7 Motorsports, as well as the return of part-time drivers such as Norm Benning, Bryan Dauzat, Greg Van Alst, Clay Greenfield, Timmy Hill and Justin Carroll.
With new tracks on the schedule such as the Streets of St. Petersburg, the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego and the return of Dover Motor Speedway, 2026 should be a fun season for the Truck Series.
It all kicks off with the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 13. Coverage kicks off at 7:30 p.m., with FOX Sports 1 carrying the television broadcast.
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