Trackhouse Confirms New Crew Chiefs, Car Numbers for 2026

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Trackhouse Racing has finalized all the pieces of its 2026 NASCAR Cup Series lineup -- which includes drivers, crew chiefs, and car number assignments for its three entries.

As was previously announced (August 23), 19-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch will be joining Trackhouse's NASCAR Cup Series program in 2026, replacing Daniel Suarez. Zilisch will be a teammate to both Ross Chastain and Shane Van Gisbergen to make up the program's three full-timers.

Chastain will drive the No. 1 Chevrolet, as he's done since joining the organization in 2022. However, he'll be met with a new voice on top of the pit box while doing so, in long-time Hendrick Motorsports race engineer, Brandon McSwain.

“I’m thrilled to have Brandon McSwain as my crew chief next year,” said Chastain. “I worked with Brandon very early in my career, and he has a lot of talent and experience as a race engineer. He’s someone I’ve kept my eye on for a while in case the chance to work together ever came to fruition, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Shane van Gisbergen returns for a second full-time campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026, but instead of driving the No. 88 that he scored five victories in as a rookie (a record), he'll drive the No. 97 that he made famous competing in the Repco Supercars Championship.

“It’s awesome to carry a car number that is so special to me,” said 2025 Cup Series Rookie of the Year Van Gisbergen. “When Justin offered me the opportunity to change to the No. 97, it was pretty special. It’s a number that means a lot to my family and me. My dad used it in his racing career, so when I started racing, I wanted to use it too, and then basically I’ve used the No. 97 in everything since. I’ve had many special moments with that number and it’s cool to get the opportunity to create even more in the Cup Series.” 

Stephen Doran will continue to work with van Gisbergen as a crew chief in 2026, as the duo looks to continue their dominance on the road courses and make major strides to have the Auckland, New Zealand-native be a contender on the road courses.

That No. 88, made famous by Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to name a few, won't be extinct after the 2025 campaign, though, as Connor Zilisch will take the number on as he begins his full-time career in the NASCAR Cup Series. The number matches that of which he used while on a ridiculously dominant campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which included 10 victories and the Rookie of the Year.

“It’s cool for me to carry on the legacy of the 88 number,” Zilisch said. “That number has quickly become important to me and the history of that number in the sport with Shane, Dale Jr., Dale Jarrett, and everyone who has run the 88. I certainly have big shoes to fill but hopefully I’ll be able to carry that on. I’m really excited to be working with Randall in 2026. We have already started working on how we’re going to approach next season. I feel like we are starting to build that relationship, which is very important. I’m looking forward to learning a lot from Randall and his experience in this sport.”

Randall Burnett will move from Richard Childress Racing, where he crew chiefed both Tyler Reddick and Kyle Busch, to work with Zilisch as he looks to put up some big numbers in his first year of competition in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“There was an opportunity for the 2026 season to kind of reset everything with our driver lineup changing, Phil Surgen expressing desire to come off the road, and Todd Meredith joining the team,” said Marks. “We looked at the organization as whole and see the 2026 season as the next iteration of Trackhouse. Ross, Shane and Connor are all excited about who they’re working with next year, the cars they’re driving, and our partners have been very supportive of the changes as well. This is another big step in creating the Trackhouse legacy.”