Both Taylor Gray and William Sawalich will return to Joe Gibbs Racing for their sophomore seasons in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026, the team confirmed to Jayski.
Gray, who won the penultimate race of the 2025 season at Martinsville Speedway, will pilot the No. 54 Toyota once again. Championship-winning crew chief Jason Ratcliff will also return for his 19th season as a crew chief in the series, JGR confirmed.
Sawalich will look to improve on an inconsistent rookie season in the No. 18 car, which saw the 19-year-old win the pole at Nashville Superspeedway and earn a trio of top-five finishes, including consecutive runner-up results at Portland International Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway to Connor Zilisch to conclude the regular season. Sawalich missed the final two races of 2025 due to concussion-like symptoms from a crash at Talladega Superspeedway in mid-October.
The pair of drivers will be joined by Brandon Jones in the second year of his second tenure with JGR, and Toyota prospect Brent Crews, who is slated to compete in 29 races in 2026. Crews will make his series debut in the third race of the season at Circuit of The Americas, as NASCAR’s updated eligibility requirements allow 17 year olds to compete on road courses and oval tracks of 1.25 miles or less. He will take over the reins of the No. 19 car full time once he turns 18 on March 30.
Finishing the season seventh in the drivers standings, Gray led the way for JGR. Aric Almirola capped off a three-win season by delivering the No. 19 team the owners championship at Phoenix Raceway. Sawalich finished 18th in points, 16 points behind Almirola despite making 14 additional starts.