Brian Caruthers Set To Defend Title in '26

After such a dominating season last year, Brian still had to fight it out at Phoenix in the final Championship Race and still pulled it off but 2026 will be much different as the CHASE returns. It will be more important than ever to perform all season long in order to have a shot at the title in the final 10 races. The new 55 points for a race win is huge and you have to win races all season long to be the best.

We crunched the numbers and even though Brian was so dominant last year, he failed to win a single Race in the final 10 races and under the new format that would not be enough to win the title. So keep in mind this new system awards consistency and the points leaders all year will have the advantage but if you don't show up in the CHASE, you probably won't hold on.

This will be Brian's 22nd Season and he will be chasing his 5th Championship.

Lizzy Caruthers Looks To Turn Runner Up Last Year Into Champion in '26

Lizzy made it to the Championship Race for the 1st time last year and came up short but she once again scored her highest season finish ever and there is only 1 more spot to move up from 2nd. Lizzy has been famous for consistency since joining NPRS in 2022. She has never finished worse than 4th overall and the new CHASE format may benefit her but she will still need to get wins like last season when she got 5 and most of those came in the playoffs. If last year's format was the CHASE, she would have been the Champion.

This is Lizzy's 5th Season as she is chasing her 1st Championship.

Last Year Was A Rebound For Jim Shoemaker, Is '26 The Year For ABJ?

Jim had a rough stretch after his rookie Championship season in 2020. He finished 5th, 7th, 9th and 9th the 4 years after that. But 2025 was a rebound for Jim. Actually his rebound started at the end of 2024 with multiple wins in the final 10 races. He would score 4 wins at the end of 2024 and 5 wins in 2025 and came up a little short going to the Championship Race but finished 3rd overall.

Now with a fresh start and a new format, can Jim continue his success from 2025 in his 7th season in NPRS? Jim is the defending race winner of the CLASH last year as we head back to Bowman Gray very soon.

Josh Moore Hasn't Finished Outside The Top 4 Since 2013. Ready To CHASE A Title

Josh Moore had a decent year last year and most people would love to finish 4th overall but honestly that is a down year for Josh who had finished Top 2 the previous 3 years. Josh hasn't finished outside the Top 4 since 2013, the last year the CHASE existed. The good news for Josh is he had a lot of great years during the CHASE from 2005-2013 winning 4 of his 8 titles during that span.

This will be Josh's 22nd Season and he continues to pad his records across the board. Now he will look to set new records in the new format this year. The GOAT will be chasing a 9th Championship in 2026.

Patrick Pauley Had A Down Year Trying To Defend His 2024 Title. Ready To Rebound in '26

Coming off his 1st Championship, Patrick had little luck trying to defend it in 2025. He only scored 1 win last season and finished 5th overall. This year will be a year to rebound and put a full season together. Patrick has finished Top 5 in the last 3 seasons and this year will be a great competition as we grow to 11 participants for the 1st time since 2023.

This is Patrick's 18th Season as he races to chase his 2nd title.

Justin Caruthers Ready For A Fresh Start After A Downfall In The Playoffs Last Year

Justin had a great year last year to begin and was looking like a Championship contender but it all fell apart in the playoffs and he fell to 6th overall. This is the 3rd straight year he finished 6th and he wants to turn it around and get back up top and break is long drought without a title. No one has went longer without a Championship. Justin has't won a title in 16 years.

This is Justin's 22nd Season as he looks to chase title #2.

Fresh Start For Sean Sloat To Make Every Race in '26 & Contend For His 2nd Championship

Can Sean show up for all 36 races this year? Last year Sean won 2 races early which would have been a playoff berth but he later missed 2 races which took his eligibility away. Depspite missing races and losing a lot of points he had a impressive run at times. Under the new format consistency will be king and if he scores a lot of last place finishes early in the year his chances of making the CHASE will fade.

This is Sean's 13th Season, could it be lucky #13? He is chasing his 2nd Championship.

Maigan Sanders Ready For Her 3rd Season After A Sophomore Slump in 2025

Maigan shocked everyone in her rookie year and almost pulled a Jim but last year was not quite the same. She definitely suffered a sophomore slump and finished 8th overall. She was able to score 2 race wins in the final 10 races so momentum is definitely coming back for her.

Will her 3rd year be the turnaround to get back up top like her rookie year with 6 wins and 3rd overall?

Tyson Shoemaker Ready For New Format To Turn His Luck Around In His 6th Season

Tyson has had some great areas during his 5 years where he has really showed up but his final season results do not show it. While one year he made it all the way to the 3rd round of the playoffs but his total season points brought him back to the bottom of the standings. He has yet to finish better than 8th overall and the last couple years have been even worse but he avoided last place last year by winning 2 races in the final 10.

Will his 6th season be the breakout year for Tyson and will the new format help him out?

Stephanie Moore Joins NPRS in 2026

We have a new contender in 2026 and her husband is the best that has ever done it. If she can take any tips or knowledge from him she may surprise everyone as a rookie. Stephanie is the 15th person to join NPRS and helps make 2026 one of the biggest seasons we have ever had (Tied with 2023). Stephanie will create her own single person team Moore Odds Racing for the 2026 season. Good luck to the rookie in 2026. We have our 1st rookie battle in many many years.

Brady Williamson Joins NPRS in 2026

But wait there's more. We have another new contender in 2026 with Brady joining. Ironically the same season his dad Craig leaves NPRS he steps in to take his place. Brady becomes the 16th person to join NPRS and helps make this tied for the largest field we have ever had. Brady will join Sean on Part Time Garage and fill the spot that Craig left. Good luck to another rookie in 2026. Should be a good rookie of the year battle.

Stephanie Creates "Moore Odds Racing" as 5th Team In NPRS

We lost a team last season with Jim being taken from Hit The Pace Car Motorsports but we have a new team joining in this year.

Updated Track History Sheet

The track history stats have been updated for the 2026 schedule.

Click here to view

Track History 

Some interesting things to watch with the 2026 Schedule

• Someone will have the chance to win the 1st and probably only San Diego Street Race

• Someone will have the chance to win the 1st North Wilkesboro points race.

• Dover is no longer a points race so that is off the track history for now.

• Jim, Tyson, Lizzy & Maigan were not around the last time Chicagoland was on the schedule so they will get the chance to score a victory.

• Chicagoland was one of Craig's best tracks, he won 3 in a row there from 2012-2014.

• Josh won the last 2 races at Chicagoland.

• Justin, Tyson & Jim are the only 3 with Street Course wins, who will join them after the San Diego course?

• The Charlotte Roval has been going on for 8 years and all 8 years we have had a different winner. Justin is the only one who has been in it for all 8 years and never won it.

• Pocono & Talladega continue to haunt Sean who has never won a race at either track. His chances have decreased at Pocono now that we only go there once a year but Talladega he gets 2 shots each season.