Eckes is a free agent: Here are The Top 4 Teams He Could Go To
With Kaulig shutting down its Xfinity team, Eckes is left without a team for 2026. But I’m sure many teams will be smacking their lips over the prospect of a promising young driver being available on the market. But which teams deserve such a talent? That’s precisely what this is all about!
Alpha Prime Racing
1st with a pick that seems out there, but upon closer inspection makes some sense. In comparison, APR can only make headlines for its team owners getting into fights after the race, as they haven’t won a race or made the playoffs.
But things could be about to change for the Tommy Joe Martins-owned team. While it’s only a rumor right now, they say APR will go to Ford for 2026. With Haas leaving for Chevy, Ford faces a massive hole to fill. That leaves one of the two remaining Ford teams out.
So if Ford wants to develop talent, then they need a new factory team and more teams in general. So if APR comes in to fill that hole, that means either they’ll get Ford support or an alliance with elite Cup teams, Penske or RFK, or both.
This makes it perfect for Eckes, who has shown he’s historically elite in Trucks and Xfinity. Eckes was the best driver in Kaulig’s last Xfinity season for now, in what was a bygone year for the once-title contenders.He deserves a race-winning team, and if APR makes the switch, they deserve an elite talent to build around. So in other words, they’re perfect for each other.
Richard Childress Racing
The last time RCR had three full-time Xfinity rides was in 2018, and since then it’s been either one or two cars. But if RCR, who was aligned to Kaulig values, thinks Eckes and his talent are good, or at least Chevy does.
Putting him on the defense, undeserved but still defending champions, would be the smart move. With his elite form in trucks and a great rookie year in Xfinity with less competitive cars, he shows that he deserves a shot in race-winning equipment.
Sigma Performance Services
This is fresh off the rumor mill, but apparently, Sigma Performance Services has bought out AM Racing. AM recently made the playoffs for the 1st time ever with ex-Cup driver Harrison Burton behind the wheel.
But he recently left for Sam Hunt Racing, and it looks like AM Racing is leaving the series altogether. As for why Eckes should join Sigma, Joe Farré owns Sigma, and Sigma is more than a racing team.
It’s also a very successful construction business that provides numerous services across the country, including bridge design, land development, transportation planning, and engineered demolition.
Meaning that Sigma, now in Xfinity, should have the resources to take over as the top Xfinity Ford team now that Haas is Chevy. Especially if they do use this to start an alliance with RFK or Penske, while the rumor is that they won’t have a full-time driver, they may take on some Cup guys.
But if they decide to have a full-time guy, they can’t do much better than Eckes. As if they have cars that can win, then Eckes, who had a historic 2024 in trucks and almost won a few times with a struggling Kaulig, could win with Ford’s latest top dogs.Eckes could even take on a part-time role as an audition for Ford to secure a Cup seat.
Big Machine Racing
Another rumor is that BMR will open a second car for 2026. Since 2023, when they started having full-time drivers, they’ve made the playoffs every season, first with talented vet Parker Kligerman.
Then, in 2025, with highly rated Chevy prospect Nick Sanchez, who won the team’s second-ever race at Atlanta. With the form Eckes showed in trucks and Xfinity over the past two years, there’s zero doubt he’ll match Kligerman and Sanchez and keep them as a borderline top-ten team.
And finding funding shouldn’t be a problem either. Not only are Spiked coolers a loyal sponsor who sponsored both cars the last time BMR had two cars, but Scott Borchetta also funds the team.
Final Thoughts
The owner of Big Machine Records is a pop, country, and rock music label. It was Taylor Swift’s first record label and is currently home to Daughtry, Mötley Crüe, and Tim McGraw. So he definitely has the connections to fund Eckes’s second car. Thanks a bunch for reading!
