PREVIEW: Kyle Busch tributes, Regan Smith’s return, and SPS Racing’s debut among the storylines for Bristol
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
IMAGE: SPS Racing, @teamspsracing
Thursday, September 17, 2026 (Green Flag 8:00 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 19 of 25
Chase Race 1 of 7
UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Clayton Green
ENTRY LIST
As the Truck Series makes its return, opening the Chase following their latest event in Loudon last month, there are 37 drivers entered for 36 spots. One team will fail to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
Nick Leitz returns for his fourth Truck Series start of the season and first since Richmond, where he qualified 5th and finished a solid 12th with this same TRICON Garage effort. He takes the place of Gavan Boschele, whose second series start at New Hampshire ended with a late crash that left him in 33rd. Precision Measurements, Inc. returns as sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #5-TRICON Garage
Welcome back Bayley Currey, who we haven’t seen in any of NASCAR’s top three series since last November’s championship race for the Truck Series at Phoenix, where a crash left him 27th in Niece Motorsports’ #45 Chevrolet. Currey has now landed deal with TRICON to drive their #5 both tonight and at Charlotte. Taking the place of John Hunter Nemechek, who finished 19th in Loudon, Currey carries sponsorship from Monster Truck Wars and is decorated in the colors of the Shark Attack truck.
MISSING: #20-Young’s Motorsports
Not among this week’s entrants is Randy Young’s part-time #20 entry with which Mason Massey failed to qualify at Loudon.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Team Reaume
Jackson Macenko looks to bounce back from his last-place finish in his series debut at IRP as he moves from Team Reaume’s #2 Ford to the #22, this time in place of 35th-place Loudon finisher Patrick Emerling. Luke Baldwin remains in the #2 this week.
DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Kaulig RAM Racing
As announced earlier this summer, “Sleek and Swift” Regan Smith makes a surprise return from the broadcast booth to the starting grid as the latest driver of Kaulig RAM Racing’s “all-star” #25. Smith has 36 career starts in the Truck Series, but none since the November 17, 2017 season finale at Homestead, where he came home 11th for Ricky Benton. His last start across all three series came in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on August 24, 2019, when he ran 13th at Road America for JR Motorsports. The 2011 Southern 500 winner takes the place of Colin Braun, who finished 24th in his latest outing at Loudon.
DRIVER SWAP: #26-Rackley-W.A.R.
MISSING: #27-Rackley-W.A.R.
With a much smaller entry list compared to Loudon, Dawson Sutton returns to his familiar #26 at the Rackley-W.A.R. effort and will again carry the colors of the Tennessee Vols for the hometown fans. The part-time #27 entry with which he attempted Loudon is not entered this week, nor is Toni Breidinger, who Sutton replaced in the race after he failed to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #62-Halmar Friesen Racing
After a frustrating few weeks where he was bumped from the Chase field for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, then wasn’t penalized for his latest in a series of on-track skirmishes with Corey Day, William Sawalich returns for his sixth series start and first since a 30th-place run at Nashville. While his previous five races have been with TRICON, he this time drives the #62 entry with which Cup regular Christopher Bell won here in the spring. Sawalich carries Soundgear as sponsor as he takes over for Bell, who ran 7th in the team’s latest start at Loudon.
MISSING: #69-Motorsports Business Management
Another team not among this week’s entrants is that of Carl Long, whose RAM has yet to qualify for a race since it first arrived at the track at IRP. Derek White was driving at Loudon when he, too, missed the cut. Long will be at the track, however, as he fields his Cup entry with Josh Bilicki (see below).
MISSING: #71-Spire Motorsports
Also not entered is Spire Motorsports’ part-time #71 entry with which Connor Zilisch led 55 laps at Loudon before he finished 5th.
MISSING: #72-Halmar Friesen Racing
Likewise not among the entrants is the part-time third entry for HFR with which Mike Christopher, Jr. finished 12th in the entry’s series debut at Loudon.
RETURNING: #75-Henderson Motorsports
The Henderson team makes only its fourth attempt of the season and first since their DNQ in North Wilkesboro, where Landon Huffman missed the cut. Driving this week is Parker Kligerman, who made the field for the team’s most recent start back at San Diego, yielding an 18th-place finish for the team’s best of 2026. This will be Kligerman’s 13th series start at Bristol following 14th-place runs in both 2025 races.
DRIVER CHANGE: #76-Freedom Racing Enterprises
Tonight marks the NASCAR national series debut of Caden Kvapil, younger brother of new O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winner Carson Kvapil, who has likewise worked his way up the ladder through the CARS Pro Late Model Tour. Caden will make his first Truck Series start for team owner Spencer Boyd, who was wrecked at Loudon, resulting in a last-place finish. The truck carries sponsorship from Nor-Cal Equipment Rentals.
RETURNING: #90-Terry Carroll Motorsports
Justin S. Carroll seeks his third start of the season, having failed to qualify for his last three attempts since his most recent start at Darlington in the spring, where he ran a season-best 26th. Carroll’s latest attempt was also on a short track back at Richmond.
MISSING: #93-Costner Motorsports
Still another team not traveling to Bristol is that of Caleb Costner, who were sent home from Loudon after D.L. Wilson failed to qualify for his series debut.
CUP INVADERS: None
Friday, September 18, 2026 (Green Flag 7:30 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 27 of 33
Chase Race 3 of 9
Food City 300 at Bristol
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Ryan Ellis
ENTRY LIST
There are 39 drivers entered for 38 starting spots, so one team will fail to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #0-SS-Green Light Racing
Garrett Smithley returns to the “Number Nuthin’” this week with sponsorship from North Georgia Spring, taking the place of Myatt Snider, who finished 25th last Saturday in Gateway. In 11 previous O’Reilly starts at Bristol, Smithley’s best finish also came in the #0 at JD Motorsports back in 2018, when he finished 16th in this race.
RETURNING: #9-JR Motorsports
Jake Finch carries sponsorship from O’Reilly Auto Parts for his fourth career start, his first since a 18th-place finish in Darlington. Finch has four previous Bristol starts in ARCA, including a 4th-place run in the summer of 2023 for his father’s team Phoenix Racing.
DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport
Andrew Patterson returns for his sixth attempt of the 2026 season, his first since a season-best 14th-place finish at San Diego with his same #32 team. He takes the place of team owner Jordan Anderson, who finished 23rd in Gateway.
RETURNING: #38-RSS Racing
J.J. Yeley returns to the O’Reilly Series for the first time since his last-place finish in Indianapolis, and RSS Racing fields their #38 for the first time since Darlington, where Brad Perez also finished in last place.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Young’s Motorsports
Speaking of Perez, Logan Bearden seeks his sixth series start of 2026 as he takes Perez’ place in Randy Young’s #42 following a 28th-place finish in Gateway. Bearden himself finished 28th in his latest series start back at Darlington.
NEW TEAM: #43-SPS Racing
Late model driver Landon Huffman seeks his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut in the first NASCAR national series attempt for Sigma Performance Services, or SPS, which makes the jump from ARCA. As the lone “go-or-go-home” driver on the list, Huffman looks to make his way into the field with sponsorship from Lindamood Demolition.
TEAM UPDATE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing
TEAM UPDATE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing
After Alpha Prime debuted their new Fords last week in Gateway, both Brennan Poole and Lavar Scott are again running them this week with sponsorship from Macc Door Systems and TruShine Car Wash, respectivelv.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Carson Ware seeks his sixth start of the season and fist since his 24th-place showing in the summer race at Daytona. Just like that night, he pilots Joey Gase’s #53, this time in place of 32nd-place Gateway finisher Austin J. Hill.
DRIVER CHANGE: #55-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Marathon Coach sponsors David Starr in his first start since Indianapolis, when he finished 35th for Mike Harmon, and drives for Gase for the first time since his 37th-placec showing in Nashville. This time, he takes the place of Gase himself, who finished 27th in Gateway, in the team’s #55 entry.
DRIVER CHANGE: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
While the preliminary entry list showed Dawson Cram remaining in the #74 following first-lap issues at Gateway, news came late Tuesday that Natalie Decker will drive in his place with T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel returning as sponsor. Decker seeks her fifth start of the season for a third different team, her first since a 22nd-place showing for Young’s Motorsports last month in Daytona.
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
Stefan Parsons seeks his first start of the season and first in an O’Reilly car since last November’s season finale, where he ran 29th in the Gase team’s #35. David’s Electric, which backed him in this race last year, sponsors him again, this time in Mario Gosselin’s #91. Parsons takes the place of Mason Maggio in the #91, one week after Maggio took 21st in Gateway.
CUP INVADERS: None
Saturday, September 19, 2026 (Green Flag 7:30 P.M. ET, USA)
CUP Race 29 of 36
Chase Race 3 of 10
Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Berry
ENTRY LIST
There are 37 drivers entered for 40 starting spots on Saturday, marking the 25th short field in 29 races this season.
TEAM UPDATE: #38-Front Row Motorsports
As of this writing, Zane Smith is still slated to run Saturday’s Cup race at Bristol, one week after a brake failure entering Turn 1 at Gateway led to a hard crash on the driver’s side. Smith was helped from his car, then checked and released from the infield care center.
PAINT SCHEME: #54-Joe Gibbs Racing
That standout paint scheme on the Cup side belongs to Ty Gibbs, who runs a throwback to Kyle Busch’s last start for JGR in the Phoenix finale of 2022. Gibbs looks to pull a season sweep at the track where he scored his first Cup Series win.
RETURNING: #66-Garage 66
Pulling double-duty between Friday and Saturday’s races is Josh Bilicki, who in the Cup race carries sponsorship from Flair Spirits – the brand of wrestling legend Rick Flair – on Carl Long’s #66. This will be Bilicki’s 110th series start and third of the year, his first since a 35th-palce run in Richmond.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 17, 1995): Elton Sawyer picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career when his #27 Hooters Ford crashed after 10 laps of the MBNA 500 at Dover. Sawyer collided with Lake Speed during an incident in Turn 2.
