A New Full-Time NASCAR O'Reilly Series Team Partners With Ford in '26

Hettinger Racing is making the massive commitment of going full-time racing in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026 as the team has landed a technical support deal with Ford Racing, which includes engines from Roush Yates Engines.

The fleet of Ford Mustang Dark Horse race cars being prepared inside the Hettinger Racing shop in Mooresville, NC. | Hettinger Racing

The cupboard was looking rather bare for Ford Racing in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026 following the exodus of Haas Factory Team and RSS Racing, as both teams moved to Chevrolet for the upcoming season. However, on Tuesday, Hettinger Racing revealed that it will make the move to full-time racing in the series with Ford in the upcoming season.

The team, owned by Chris Hettinger, which competed in one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race last year, will now field the No. 5 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the entirety of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign. Along with the move to full-time, Hettinger Racing has obtained technical support from Ford Racing and will feature Roush Yates Engines under the hood of its cars.

Hettinger Racing has also announced the acquisition of Joe Williams Jr., who spent the 2025 season as a crew chief with Alpha Prime Racing and driver Parker Retzlaff. Williams will oversee all competition aspects for the organization in 2026.

"We're entering the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series with a solid foundation, strong technical partners and a clear understanding of what it takes to be competitive," team owner Chris Hettinger said in a press release.

Prior to this move, Hettinger Racing served primarily as a regional short track racing team in Late Models and the zMAX CARS Tour Series. Hettinger feels the solid foundation given to the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series through its nationally televised broadcast coverage from The CW, and the technical partnership with Ford will allow the team to hit the ground running in the new year.

"This is about putting our race team in the right place at the right time," Hettinger explained. "The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series has incredible momentum. It features great racing, and the series gets significant exposure thanks to coverage from The CW. Combining that platform with the support of Ford Racing and Roush Yates Engines gives us the opportunity to grow our program into one that competes at a national level."

Hettinger Racing will join Sigma Performance, which announced its acquisition of AM Racing last month, under the Ford umbrella during the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season.

Roush Yates Engines is confident in Hettinger Racing's ability to come in and compete out of the box due to the blueprint the organization has shown in its previous racing endeavors at the regional short track level.

"I've been impressed by what Chris Hettinger has already built, and Roush Yates Engines is proud to be a part of Hettinger Racing's future growth," said Doug Yates, president and CEO, Roush Yates Engines. "Chris is a racer and a very good businessman who is taking a smart and methodical approach to 2026. All of us at Roush Yates Engines are committed to him and his vision for Hettinger Racing."

In addition to all of the aspects revealed, Hettinger Racing also confirmed that it had acquired the 2025 team owner points from the No. 70 Cope Family Racing team, which finished 31st in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series owner standings last year. While the owner points doesn't give them a 100% lock into the field for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, the acquisition of the Cope Family Team owner points will give Hettinger Racing margin for error as it attempts to qualify for the ever-important race.

While the driver of the No. 5 Ford Mustang Dark Horse and primary sponsorship partners were not revealed on Tuesday, the team expects to have those details finalized and announced before the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series open test at Rockingham Speedway, which takes place from January 27-28.