Nick Sanchez released from Big Machine Racing in abrupt split

Rebecca French

4 months ago

Nick Sanchez made the surprise announcement Monday morning that he will not be returning to the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet in 2026.

“I was informed over the weekend that I would not be driving the No. 48 car for Big Machine Racing in 2026,” Sanchez said in a statement. “I thank Scott Borchetta, Patrick Donahue Donahue, everyone at Chevrolet and the entire team. I’m proud of everything we accomplished this year, including our wins. It’s strictly business and when one door closes, another door opens.”

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The news comes in the middle of the offseason, with a handful of unclaimed cars remaining for the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series season.

Nick Sanchez, Big Machine Racing

Sanchez is coming off a good year with Big Machine Racing, with the 24-year-old notching one win, seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in his first season in the series. He finished the season ranked 11th in the championship standings, and his win in Atlanta was the team’s first since Tyler Reddick’s win at Texas more than three years ago.

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It’s unclear what No. 48 plans to do in 2026, and we certainly have no indication of where Sanchez will land. He was also the 2024 NASCAR Truck Series champion with two wins and a fifth-place finish in the final standings at the end of the NCTS season. Sanchez also won the 2022 ARCA Menards Series Championship and has four wins as an ARCA driver.