The 2026 NASCAR season is nearly here, with a lot of excitement for the new playoff format and the increase in horsepower that should lead to better racing. While the stakes are plenty high for the best NASCAR drivers, there are a few behind the wheel in the Cup Series who are under pressure for another reason.
Let’s dive into the NASCAR hot seat for 2026.
Alex Bowman
It is never a great spot to be in when you are recognized as the fourth-best driver for the top team in NASCAR. That is the spot Alex Bowman has found himself in for several years now. To make matters worse for him, it is a contract year and there are plenty of great replacement options available. The new playoff format makes the path to clinching a spot even more difficult, as the equipment and crew that the No. 48 team and Hendrick offer position almost any above-average driver behind the wheel to earn one of the 16 playoff spots. If Bowman goes a second consecutive season without a win, giving him just one in the last three seasons, it will probably be time for a change to be made behind the wheel.
Related: NASCAR Predictions 2026, Projecting 16 Playoff Drivers
Riley Herbst
Everyone in NASCAR acknowledges the role Riley Herbst plays for 23XI Racing. He brings deep pockets, which were crucial last season when the team was unchartered in the second half of the year and locked into a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the sport. That saga is one of the reasons why Herbst landed a multi-year deal to drive the No. 35 despite having limited success in the Xfinity Series. Coming off a season where he recorded only eight top-20 finishes and ranked bottom-three in average finishing position, Herbst is effectively fighting for his career in the Cup Series entering the 2026 campaign.
Related: Winners, Losers of the New NASCAR Championship Format
Daniel Suarez
It is now or never for Daniel Suarez. After Trackhouse Racing announced during the 2025 season that it was moving on from him, he had to settle for a one-year deal with Spire Motorsports. No one would ever mistake Suarez for being one of the best drivers in the Cup Series, but he at least performed well in 2024 (209 laps led, nine top 10s and one win). After what happened in 2025, however, pushing him to just one Cup win in the last three seasons, he had minimal options on the open market. If Suarez cannot make the most of his last chance with Spire, he is destined to have his only full-time offers coming from the Xfinity Series next offseason.
Related: NASCAR Power Rankings 2026
Noah Gragson
Even with the new charter agreement, costs for the mid-tier NASCAR Cup Series teams are higher than ever before, and revenue margins can wind up being in the red. For Front Row Motorsports, this only gives the team a limited amount of patience. Noah Gragson joined FRM for the 2025 campaign, extending his winless streak to 111 races, and he has only 11 top 10s in his career. He also placed in the top 15 in just six races last season. If he cannot have far more success in his second season behind the wheel of the No. 4 car, it will be time for FRM to move on because there will be no shortage of better options or drivers with higher upside.
Todd Gilliland
Todd Gilliland is still one of the youngest full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers, turning 26 years old in May. With that said, the decision a few years ago to have him skip the Xfinity Series has not worked out. Across 144 career races at the Cup level, he has never finished higher than 22nd in points, and his average finishing position has been 20.8 or worse in each of the last four years. If he finishes another season with fewer than 50 laps led and five or fewer top-10s, Front Row Motorsports should move on and Gilliland should spend time in the Xfinity Series.
