Xfinity gives O'Reilly Auto Parts big boost ahead of 2026 NASCAR season

Going into the 2026 NASCAR season, Xfinity has made a great gesture and opened its books to O’Reilly Auto Parts. Just as Nationwide did for Xfinity years ago, the internet provider is passing the torch to O’Reilly.

The 2026 NASCAR season is going to be a little different. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is going to have a new identity than the Xfinity Series. Still, there are many things that Xfinity did right, which will help O’Reilly take over as the entitlement sponsor of this incredibly important series.

With how much the Xfinity Series has grown in the last 11 years, it’s a big challenge for O’Reilly to keep it going. But a report from Sports Business Journal makes it sound like the transition is going to go well.

“Executives from Xfinity have met with counterparts from O’Reilly Auto Parts in recent weeks to open their playbook to the new title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-tier series,” Adam Stern of SBJ reports. “That’s according to Matt Lederer, Comcast’s VP/Branded Partnerships, who got the same treatment 11 years ago from Nationwide VP/Sports Marketing Jim McCoy when the Philadelphia-based telecommunications services brand was replacing the Columbus-based insurance company.”

NASCAR has to have a thriving second-tier series like this. Both the Truck and O’Reilly Series in 2026 and moving forward are the places where future stars will develop. There are different paths to the Cup Series within the sport itself.

NASCAR says bye to Xfinity, hello to O’Reilly

The great thing about this transition in the second-tier series is that Xfinity will be around. They are still a premier partner of the sport, and that means a lot. There will also still be a lot of Xfinity branding at races, as well as affiliated brands like Xumo. This is far from the end for NASCAR and the internet provider.

Next season, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is going to be exciting. We get to see three of the four drivers who were in the championship this year, return for full-time seasons. On top of that, Connor Zilisch is splitting the No. 1 car with Carson Kvapil. So, we get to see more of him in the series as well.

NASCAR is in good hands. The fact that a company like O’Reilly is coming in and it is, by all accounts, going to be a smooth transition, is a good thing for this sport. The less drama and mess there is, the better.