The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns from its brief reset this weekend, and the timing couldn’t be better. After a week without on‑track action, the series rolls into Pocono Raceway with a deep Entry List that reflects exactly where the season stands: hungry young talent, seasoned veterans, and a few Cup Series regulars ready to stir the pot.
Saturday’s MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA at 4 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio marks the seventeenth points race of the 2026 campaign, and the energy around the garage feels like everyone is bracing for a mid‑summer turning point. The first thing that jumps off the Entry List is the presence of three Cup Series drivers. Cole Custer returns in the No. 0, Connor Zilisch climbs into the No. 1, and William Byron joins the field in the No. 88. Each brings a different storyline.
Custer has been steady all year and tends to elevate the teams he races with. Byron is always a threat, no matter the track. And Zilisch arrives with the kind of confidence only a defending winner can carry. His 2025 victory at Pocono, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. calling the shots, still echoes through the series. It was the kind of win that changes how a young driver walks into a garage. Now he returns with a chance to prove it wasn’t a one‑off.
The full Entry List features 38 cars, a strong number for a mid‑season race on a track that demands precision. Pocono is a place where drivers can’t hide. The three‑corner layout exposes weaknesses quickly, and teams know they need to unload close to perfect if they want to stay in the fight. That’s part of why this weekend feels heavier than usual. The off‑week gave organizations time to reset, rethink, and refine. Now, the results of that work will appear in real time.
Sheldon Creed leads the lineup in the No. 00 for Haas Factory Team with Vielight backing him. Creed has been one of the more aggressive drivers in the series this year, and Pocono tends to reward drivers who aren’t afraid to push the limits of the shifting zones. Behind him, JR Motorsports brings a stacked group with Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Carson Kvapil, and Zilisch. Allgaier’s experience, Smith’s raw speed, Kvapil’s steady progression, and Zilisch’s track history make JRM one of the most complete organizations heading into the weekend.
Joe Gibbs Racing counters with a four‑car lineup of its own: William Sawalich, Brent Crews, Brandon Jones, and Taylor Gray. Sawalich and Crews represent the next wave of Toyota development, while Jones and Gray bring the kind of veteran awareness that matters at Pocono. Richard Childress Racing enters Jesse Love and Austin Hill, both of whom have shown flashes of speed on flatter tracks. Love’s growth curve has been steep, and Hill’s racecraft tends to shine when strategy becomes a factor.
Further down the Entry List, teams like Sam Hunt Racing, Jordan Anderson Racing, Bommarito Autosport, and Alpha Prime Racing continue to build their programs with a mix of youth and experience. Harrison Burton and Dean Thompson anchor the Sam Hunt lineup. Jeb Burton, Blaine Perkins, and Rajah Caruth give Jordan Anderson Racing a trio capable of surprising people. Alpha Prime brings Brennan Poole and Lavar Scott, two drivers who have been grinding for every inch this season.
The variety of ages on the Entry List tells its own story. You have 18‑year‑old Brent Crews learning the craft in real time, and 41‑year‑old Jeremy Clements still fighting with the same edge he had a decade ago. That range is part of what makes this series compelling. Every race becomes a collision of different eras, different motivations, and different levels of urgency.
Pocono itself adds another layer. The track forces teams into uncomfortable decisions. Do you build for Turn 1 and sacrifice speed in Turn 3? Do you chase straightaway speed and hope the car rotates well enough to survive the corners? Do you prioritize track position or tire life? These are the questions that shape the weekend, and the answers vary wildly from team to team. That unpredictability is why Pocono often becomes a separator in the standings.
The off‑week also means teams had time to dig deeper into simulation work, aero balance, and long‑run strategy. Some organizations will come out swinging. Others may find themselves chasing the setup from the moment practice begins. That’s the beauty and the brutality of Pocono. It doesn’t care how your season has gone. It only cares how prepared you are when the green flag drops.
Saturday’s race sets the tone for the entire weekend. With Cup drivers in the field, a deep Entry List, and a track that punishes hesitation, the MillerTech Battery 250 has all the ingredients to become one of the defining races of the summer stretch. After a week away, the series returns with more storylines than it left with, and Pocono has a way of amplifying every single one of them.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Pocono Raceway
MillerTech Battery 250 Presented by KOA: Full Entry List
(i) indicates any driver ineligible for earning season and or playoff points.
- 1. Sheldon Creed — No. 00 — Haas Factory Team
- 2. Cole Custer (i) — No. 0 — SS GreenLight Racing
- 3. Connor Zilisch (i) — No. 1 — JR Motorsports
- 4. Jesse Love — No. 2 — Richard Childress Racing
- 5. Ryan Ellis — No. 02 — Young’s Motorsports
- 6. Justin Allgaier — No. 7 — JR Motorsports
- 7. Josh Bilicki — No. 07 — SS GreenLight Racing
- 8. Sammy Smith — No. 8 — JR Motorsports
- 9. Carson Kvapil — No. 9 — JR Motorsports
- 10. Corey Day — No. 17 — Hendrick Motorsports
- 11. William Sawalich — No. 18 — Joe Gibbs Racing
- 12. Brent Crews — No. 19 — Joe Gibbs Racing
- 13. Brandon Jones — No. 20 — Joe Gibbs Racing
- 14. Austin Hill — No. 21 — Richard Childress Racing
- 15. Harrison Burton — No. 24 — Sam Hunt Racing
- 16. Dean Thompson — No. 26 — Sam Hunt Racing
- 17. Jeb Burton — No. 27 — Jordan Anderson Racing
- 18. Kyle Sieg — No. 28 — RSS Racing
- 19. Blaine Perkins — No. 31 — Jordan Anderson Racing
- 20. Rajah Caruth — No. 32 — Jordan Anderson Racing
- 21. Carson Ware — No. 35 — Joey Gase Motorsports
- 22. Patrick Emerling (i) — No. 38 — RSS Racing
- 23. Ryan Sieg — No. 39 — RSS Racing
- 24. Sam Mayer — No. 41 — Haas Factory Team
- 25. Nathan Byrd — No. 42 — Young’s Motorsports
- 26. Brennan Poole — No. 44 — Alpha Prime Racing
- 27. Lavar Scott — No. 45 — Alpha Prime Racing
- 28. Patrick Staropoli — No. 48 — Big Machine Racing
- 29. Jeremy Clements — No. 51 — Jeremy Clements Racing
- 30. Natalie Decker (i) — No. 53 — Joe Gibbs Racing
- 31. Joey Gase — No.55 — Joey Gase Motorsports
- 32. Dawson Cram — No.74 — Mike Harmon Racing
- 33. Austin Green — No.87 — Peterson Racing Group
- 34. William Byron (i) — No. 88 — JR Motorsports
- 35. Dexter Bean — No. 91 — DGM Racing X JIM
- 36. Leland Honeyman (i) — No. 92 — DGM Racing X JIM
- 37. Anthony Alfredo — No. 96 — Viking Motorsports
- 38. Parker Retzlaff — No. 99 — Viking Motorsports
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