- After Texas, Ford will be absent from the O’Reilly Auto Parts series at Dover.
- Ford has not raced in O’Reilly in past two weekends, and this will be the third.
- Brad Keselowski can save Ford’s O’Reilly programme.
As Toyota takes the edge in the NASCAR Cup Series and Chevrolet does the same in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Ford finds itself losing momentum across divisions.
In the Cup Series, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, and a few others have kept Ford in the fight, but in the Tier 2 series, Ford appears to have no one left to carry it to victory lane or even bring it to the finish line at this point.
After no Ford entries appeared in last weekend’s O’Reilly Series race at Texas, reports now indicate that Ford will not enter the NASCAR O’Reilly Series race at Dover Motor Speedway either.
Ford’s last NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts team withdraws.
On Monday evening, NASCAR released the O’Reilly Series entry list for Dover, and Hettinger Racing was not on it. The organization had stood as the only Ford entry since AM Racing withdrew Nick Sanchez’s No. 25 car in early April.
Hettinger Racing also missed the last two NASCAR weekends, leaving Ford with zero cars in the O’Reilly Series. AM Racing began the 2026 NASCAR season with Sanchez as its full-time driver, but the run ended early before the team stopped showing up at the track. Hettinger Racing, meanwhile, operated on a full schedule with part-time drivers.
It remains unclear when AM Racing or Hettinger Racing will return to the O’Reilly Series. As things stand, there is no timeline for Ford’s return to the O’Reilly Series during the 2026 NASCAR season. The situation stands as a big lapse, with Ford’s return to parity with Chevrolet and Toyota still an open question.
Ford’s reduced presence in the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series stems largely from manufacturing partners such as Haas Factory Team and RSS Racing shifting to Chevrolet, leaving Ford without full-time factory-supported entries. The manufacturer has redirected resources toward the Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series, pointing to cost pressures and a shift in marketing focus.
As it stands, Ford lacks a full-time top-tier entry in the O’Reilly Auto Parts series, leaving only part-time or underfunded participation, such as the No. 5 Hettinger Racing Ford.
Ford Performance is now prioritizing investment in the NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series, treating the middle tier as less central to promoting its current Mustang lineup.
Under current economic conditions and declining demand for passenger car models, Ford is directing its marketing budget toward trucks and SUVs rather than the passenger car platforms used in the second-tier series.
While Hettinger Racing still runs a Ford on occasion, the loss of partnerships has created a “zombie” situation, with Ford holding minimal, if any, presence on the starting grid in the 2026 season.
Can Brad Keselowski turn things around for Ford in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series presence?
Back in March 2026, Brad Keselowski had expressed interest in expanding into the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, provided it would not interfere with Cup Series performance.
The 2012 Cup champion has fielded teams in lower divisions before, with his former outfit, Brad Keselowski Racing, competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series before shutting down in 2017 due to financial constraints and long-term planning issues.
Just before the Las Vegas weekend, Keselowski stated that any move into the O’Reilly Series would depend on funding.
He said, “I have interest in the O’Reilly Series, but as long as it’s an addition to what we’re doing in Cup and not taking away from what we’re doing in Cup. That’s really code for we need to raise a lot of money. To do the O’Reilly Series in a way that would be additive to our Cup Series efforts and not subtract from it, we would need to raise about $15-20 million. That check hasn’t come across our desk. Maybe one day it will, but it hasn’t. Our focus right now is on the Cup cars because we don’t want to take away from it.”
Keselowski also pointed to the current structure within the series, where Ford-backed entries remain limited compared with rivals. “I don’t want to speak too much for Ford and where their place is in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, but certainly I think you’re right that there are only a handful of Fords in the series,” he continued.
Options to secure a third charter for 2027
However, the concerning bit is that Keselowski has not viewed the O’Reilly Series as the primary development ladder for Cup, and has previously directed development focus toward IMSA.
The idea has also surfaced in quite a few other podcast appearances. During a discussion on The Dale Jr. Download, Keselowski said what would be needed to launch a programme in the series: “If a Cup driver could run full-time, that’s about it,” he said.
As things stand, the team is currently working through options to secure a third charter for 2027, including leasing or purchasing, as it aims to maintain a three-car operation.
If expansion into the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series becomes a reality, it would help Ford develop several development drivers and maintain its presence in the Tier 2 series.
