Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen will drive for the same NASCAR team in the 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

Ahead of the 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (currently Xfinity Series), NASCAR analyst Joseph Srigley shared major news for Trackhouse Racing drivers Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen. Apart from being full-time Cup Series drivers, the duo also competed in the Xfinity Series this season for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s co-owned team.

Chastain and Gisbergen left a strong impression in their stint with JR Motorsports this season. They competed part-time for the team on selected racetracks. The #1 Chevy driver competed in five events, while the Kiwi driver only drove the #9 Chevy in three races this season. The Auckland-based driver clinched one win and one runner-up finish, followed by an unfortunate crash in the #9 Chevy at Watkins Glen.

On the other hand, Ross Chastain drove the JR Motorsports Chevy and secured three top-five finishes at Darlington Raceway, Nashville Superspeedway, and Iowa Speedway. He also clinched one top ten finish at Circuit of the Americas. Additionally, at Dover Motor Speedway, Chastain finished the event in P38.

Reflecting on the duo's performance, the team decided to extend their contracts for the 2026 season. Following that, the NASCAR analyst Srigley wrote:

"NEWS: @RossChastain and @ShaneVG97 will compete part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026, driving the No. 9 for @JRMotorsports."

Joseph Srigley

@joe_srigley

NEWS: @RossChastain and @ShaneVG97 will compete part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026, driving the No. 9 for @JRMotorsports. #NASCAR

Alongside Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen, Daniel Suarez also drove the #9 Chevy for JR Motorsports. Suarez won the Xfinity Series race held at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Mexican driver's home track. Additionally, the Xfinity Series team will also put Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth behind the #88 Chevy's steering.

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“It’s heartbreaking”: Ross Chastain got candid about his exit from the Cup Series championship battle

Earlier this month, Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain competed in the Bank of ROVAL 400 held at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. However, things went south for the #1 Chevy driver, and he failed to advance to the Round of Eight playoffs.

Chastain had a decent qualifying session for the 109-lap race and began the main event from tenth place. He completed one lap of the 2.28-mile road course track with a fastest time of 86.68 seconds with a top speed of 94.69 mph. Following a good pace, he wrapped the initial stage, moving five spots in P5. He maintained his pace and finished stage two in P4.

However, things got ugly during the final stage of the ROVAL race. Ross Chastain was found overspeeding in the pits and was sent to the back of the pack. Desperate to secure a spot in the next round of the playoffs, Chastain attempted a hail-melon-style move on the last lap of the race. But he failed and spun on the track, ending his chances of advancing.

Reflecting on the same, Chastain stated:

“I’d restart the whole day. For Trackhouse Racing, they expect so much more out of me. And to speed on pit road, I went off the end of pit road and didn’t turn. I had more room and just trying to get to the yellow line. and just completely started the downfall there, and then came out of the pit stall and double-clicked up into third (gear) and Just unforced errors."

Ross Chastain finished the 109-lap race in P21, one spot behind his playoff-qualified rival Joey Logano. The Team Penske driver clinched 20th place along with a spot in the Round of Eight playoffs.