A carburettor and five lugs
Cup moved to fuel injection in 2012 and to a single centre-lock wheel nut in 2022. This series still runs carburettors and five-lug steel wheels, which keeps costs down and puts more of the lap back in the driver's hands.
Formerly the Xfinity Series — one step below Cup
NASCAR O'Reilly
NASCAR's second national series, and the room where Cup drivers are made — a carburetted 358 V8 on five-lug steel wheels, 33 races a year, and a new name on the series for the first time in a decade.
1982First season
33Races in the 2026 season
102Wins for Kyle Busch, the series record
DriversThe ChaseDash 4 CashOvals & road coursesEngineering
What is the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series?
The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series is NASCAR's second national division, one step below the Cup Series and the main proving ground for drivers heading there. It was known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2015 to 2025 and was renamed for 2026 when O'Reilly Auto Parts took the title sponsorship. First run in 1982, it races 33 times a season on ovals and road courses in cars that look like Cup cars but are mechanically simpler — a carburetted 358-cubic-inch V8 on five-lug steel wheels, where Cup runs fuel injection and a single centre-lock nut.
- First season
- 1982
- Sanctioned by
- NASCAR
- Renamed for 2026
- From Xfinity to O'Reilly Auto Parts
- 2026 season
- 33 races · a 12-driver Chase
01 — How it began
How the series began.
NASCAR’s second national series started in 1982 as the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series, a step up for short-track racers rather than a formal feeder category. It became the Busch Grand National Series in 1984 and kept a version of the Busch name for nearly twenty years — long enough that older fans still call it “Busch”.
Nationwide took the title from 2008, then Xfinity from 2015. For 2026 the series was renamed again after Xfinity chose not to renew, with O’Reilly Auto Parts signing a multi-year deal announced in August 2025. Four sponsor names in eighteen years is why the series has no single settled nickname.
What has not changed is its job. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Chase Elliott all won this championship, and the top of the Cup grid is largely made up of drivers who came through it.
- Sanctioned by
- NASCAR
- First season
- 1982, as the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series
- Renamed
- 1984 Busch Grand National, 2003 Busch Series, 2008 Nationwide, 2015 Xfinity, 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts
- Engine
- 358 cu in V8, naturally aspirated and carburetted
- Power
- Roughly 650–700 hp unrestricted, about 450 restricted
- Minimum weight
- 3,400 lb with driver
- Tyres
- Goodyear
- Manufacturers
- Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota
02 — The essentials
What makes this series different?
It looks like Cup from the grandstand and is deliberately simpler underneath.
The step below Cup
Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Chase Elliott all won this title before or alongside Cup careers. It is where teams find out whether a driver can do it over a season.
Cup drivers, but capped
Full-time Cup drivers with five years' experience may run up to ten races here in 2026, up from five. They score no points and are barred from the regular-season finale, the Chase and Dash 4 Cash races.
Dash 4 Cash
A midseason bonus programme over four races. A qualifying race sets the first four contenders; the highest finisher takes $100,000 and a place in the next one, along with the next three highest-finishing series regulars.
03 — Race weekend format
A race weekend, decoded.
Qualifying
A single session sets the grid at most tracks, usually on the same day as the race.
Stages
Races run in stages, with bonus points at the end of the first two, exactly as in Cup.
Alongside Cup
Most rounds are the Saturday support race to a Cup weekend, so the series shares the Cup calendar's biggest venues.
The 2026 Chase is nine races and every one of them is an oval — the road courses all fall in the 24-race regular season.
04 — How points are scored
Points system.
| Pos | Race | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 55 | 10 |
| 2nd | 35 | 9 |
| 3rd | 34 | 8 |
| 4th | 33 | 7 |
| 5th | 32 | 6 |
| 6th | 31 | 5 |
| 7th | 30 | 4 |
| 8th | 29 | 3 |
| 9th | 28 | 2 |
| 10th | 27 | 1 |
A perfect race is 76 points
- 55 for the win, 10 for each of the two stage wins and one for the fastest lap — 76 in a single race.
- Below second, each position drops by one point.
- Stage points go to the top ten at the end of stages one and two.
- Cup drivers competing here score no points at all.
- Playoff points were abolished when the Chase returned for 2026.
The scale matches the one the Cup Series adopted for 2026, when a win went from 40 points to 55.
05 — The Chase
Next: World Wide Technology Raceway · 12 September The 2026 Chase, race by race.
| Race | Event | Track | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Fleetio 200 | Darlington Raceway, South Carolina | 5 September |
| 26 | Nu Way 225 | World Wide Technology Raceway, Illinois | 12 September |
| 27 | Food City 300 | Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee | 18 September |
| 28 | Focused Health 302 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada | 3 October |
| 29 | Blue Cross NC 300 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina | 10 October |
| 30 | Race name to be announced | Phoenix Raceway, Arizona | 17 October |
| 31 | TPG 250 | Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama | 24 October |
| 32 | IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 | Martinsville Speedway, Virginia | 31 October |
| 33 | Hard Rock Bet 300 | Homestead–Miami Speedway, Florida | 7 November |
Last updated: 7 September 2026. These are the nine Chase races, races 25 to 33 of a 33-race season that opened with the United Rentals 300 at Daytona on 14 February. Sheldon Creed won the Chase opener at Darlington; Justin Allgaier leads. The finale at Homestead–Miami is the day before the Cup Series decides its own title at the same track.
06 — From 1982 to today
Series timeline.
1982
Budweiser Late Model Sportsman
NASCAR launches a second national series, aimed at short-track racers rather than Cup hopefuls.
1984
Busch Grand National
The Busch name arrives and stays, in one form or another, for nineteen seasons.
2003
Busch Series
The championship drops "Grand National" and races on as the Busch Series.
2008
Nationwide Series
Nationwide takes the title sponsorship for seven seasons.
2015
Xfinity Series
Comcast's Xfinity brand takes over, and gives the series the name most fans still use.
2022
A cap on Cup drivers
NASCAR tightens how often full-time Cup drivers may race here, protecting the series' own regulars.
2025
The last Xfinity champion
Jesse Love wins the title for Richard Childress Racing — the final champion under the Xfinity name.
2026
O'Reilly Auto Parts
A new title sponsor, a new 55-point win, and the Chase replacing the elimination playoff.
07 — The names
Five sponsors, one championship.
Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series
A step up for short-track racers, not yet a Cup feeder.
NASCAR Busch Grand National Series
Nineteen seasons under the name older fans still default to.
NASCAR Busch Series
The same sponsor, a shorter title.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Seven seasons in which the series became a full Cup feeder.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Eleven seasons, and the name most people mean when they talk about this championship.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
A multi-year deal announced in August 2025 after Xfinity chose not to renew.
08 — Champions and record holders
Racers who defined their eras.
Reigning Champion
Jesse Love
2025 champion · Richard Childress Racing · the final champion under the Xfinity name · sixth in the 2026 Chase
Record holder
Record holder
Record holder
Record holder
Champion
2026 Chase
2026 Chase
2026 Chase
Kyle Busch
102 wins in this series, a record no one else is close to, set alongside two Cup championships.
102 wins
Mark Martin
49 wins, second on the all-time list, and one of the great careers never crowned in Cup.
49 wins
Kevin Harvick
47 wins, third all-time, and a champion in this series before his Cup title.
47 wins
Brad Keselowski
39 wins, fourth all-time, and a champion here before winning the Cup title.
39 wins
Chase Elliott
Won the 2014 championship in his first full season in the series, at eighteen, before going on to win the Cup title.
2014 champion
Justin Allgaier
Leads the 2026 Chase on 2,135 points, having clinched the No. 1 seed in the regular season.
2026 Chase leader
Sheldon Creed
Won the Chase opener at Darlington, the second win of his career, and sits seven points off the lead.
Won the Chase opener
Carson Kvapil
Third in the Chase, and took pole for the opener at Darlington.
Third in the Chase
09 — Defining events
Crises, controversies and turning points.
The Busch era begins
A sponsor arrives whose name would outlast its own contract in how fans describe the series.
The Buschwhacker problem
Cup regulars dominating the second-tier races becomes the series' defining argument, and eventually forces limits.
Separate championships
NASCAR stops letting drivers chase points in more than one national series in the same season, protecting this title for its own regulars.
Cup starts capped at five
The limit on full-time Cup drivers is cut hard, before being loosened again to ten for 2026.
Xfinity walks away
After eleven seasons Comcast declines to renew, and O'Reilly Auto Parts signs a multi-year replacement deal.
The Chase, and 55 for a win
The elimination playoff is scrapped for a 12-driver, nine-race Chase, and a victory is worth 55 points instead of 40.
10 — The Chase field
The twelve racing for the 2026 title.
Reigning Champion's Team
Richard Childress Racing
Jesse Love's 2025 title was the last awarded under the Xfinity name, and he is back in the Chase in sixth
#1
2135
Justin AllgaierChase leader, No. 1 seed out of the regular season
#2
2128
Sheldon Creed7 behind — won the Chase opener at Darlington
#3
2116
Carson Kvapil19 behind — pole at Darlington
#4
2099
Austin Hill36 behind
#5
2089
Corey Day46 behind
#6
2087
Jesse Love48 behind — reigning champion
#7
2080
Sammy Smith55 behind
#8
2077
Brandon Jones58 behind
#9
2069
Sam Mayer66 behind
#10
2057
Parker Retzlaff78 behind
#11
2056
Taylor Gray79 behind
#12
2031
Rajah Caruth104 behind
11 — Frequently asked
Series FAQ.
What happened to the NASCAR Xfinity Series?
It was renamed. Xfinity sponsored the series from 2015 to 2025 and chose not to renew, and NASCAR announced in August 2025 that O'Reilly Auto Parts would take the title from 2026 under a multi-year deal. It is the same championship, with the same cars, teams and drivers.
What is the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series?
NASCAR's second national division, one step below the Cup Series. It has run since 1982 and races 33 times a season on ovals and road courses.
How is the car different from a Cup car?
Mechanically simpler. The engine is a 358-cubic-inch V8 that is naturally aspirated and still carburetted, where Cup has used fuel injection since 2012, and the wheels are five-lug steel rather than Cup's single centre-lock nut. Minimum weight is 3,400 lb with the driver.
How much power does it make?
Roughly 650 to 700 hp unrestricted, and about 450 with a restricted package.
How does the 2026 Chase work here?
The top 12 drivers on points after 24 races qualify for a nine-race Chase, with starting points staggered by regular-season position. Win-and-you're-in, the elimination rounds, the points resets and playoff points were all scrapped.
How do the points work?
A win pays 55, second pays 35, and each place below drops by one. The top ten in each of the first two stages score bonus points, and there is one point for the fastest lap — so a perfect race is 76 points.
Can Cup drivers race in this series?
Yes, but capped. Full-time Cup drivers with at least five years' experience may enter up to ten races in 2026, up from five in 2025. They score no points and cannot race in the regular-season finale, the Chase or Dash 4 Cash races.
What is Dash 4 Cash?
A midseason bonus programme over four races. A qualifying race decides the first four contenders; the highest finisher wins $100,000 and automatically qualifies for the next one, joined by the next three highest-finishing series regulars.
Who has the most wins in this series?
Kyle Busch, with 102 — far ahead of Mark Martin on 49, Kevin Harvick on 47 and Brad Keselowski on 39.
Who is the reigning champion?
Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing, who won the 2025 title — the last one awarded under the Xfinity name.
Who is leading the 2026 championship?
Justin Allgaier, on 2,135 points after the Chase opener at Darlington, seven clear of Sheldon Creed. Eight Chase races remain, finishing at Homestead–Miami on 7 November.
Which manufacturers compete?
Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, the same three as in Cup.
Was this series ever called something else?
Often. Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series from 1982, Busch Grand National from 1984, Busch Series from 2003, Nationwide from 2008, Xfinity from 2015 and O'Reilly Auto Parts from 2026.
Is Kozmozracing affiliated with NASCAR?
No. Unless a product page explicitly states otherwise, Kozmozracing is an independent store and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASCAR, O'Reilly Auto Parts, any team or driver.
Sources
- NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series: history, cars, records and champions · Wikipedia
- 2026 season: entries, rule changes, schedule and standings · Wikipedia
- NASCAR Xfinity Series to have a new name in 2026 · Yahoo Sports
- Dash 4 Cash · Wikipedia
- Series champions, by season · Wikipedia
- Photo: Justin Allgaier's No. 7 at Sonoma, 2026, by TaurusEmerald · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Jesse Love at Sonoma, 2026, by TaurusEmerald · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Jesse Love's No. 2 RCR Chevrolet at Sonoma, 2026, by TaurusEmerald · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Independent fan guide: NASCAR changes formats, sponsors and schedules often. Verify current sporting information with NASCAR directly. Championship, team and driver names belong to their respective rights holders.
12 — The collection
Second-tier NASCAR collection.
No products are assigned to NASCAR O'Reilly yet. Add products to this series in the product editor.