Kevin Harvick Slams NASACR Over “Lack of Identity” of the Xfinity series

Kevin Harvick isn't too happy with the NASCAR Xfinity Series bringing in a new title sponsor, O'Reilly Auto Parts for the 2026 season onwards.

Kevin Harvick Slams NASACR Over “Lack of Identity” of the Xfinity series

NASCAR Xfinity Series' new sponsor in O'Reilly Auto Parts (via NASCAR), Kevin Harvick (via USA Today)

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NASCAR’s secondary series, currently the Xfinity Series, has had the same title since 2015, as Xfinity sponsored the series. However, now, the sport has raked in a lucrative new sponsor as the title of the series will change in the 2026 season. Because of the name change for the second tier series, the two-time NASCAR Xfinity champion, Kevin Harvick, has fired some shots.

NASCAR’s Xfinity Series will be renamed to NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in the 2026 season. Xfinity had signed a deal to sponsor the sport for over ten years, matching the longest such deal in any NASCAR national series. The new deal with O’Reilly Auto Parts is deemed to be multi-year, as the exact length is unknown for now.

Kevin Harvick isn’t too happy with NASCAR’s second tier series’ name being heavily based on the sponsors. Harvick asserted that the series needed its own identity and not just the name of the company that paid for them to be showcased in the title. The 49-year-old asserted that the Cup Series and the Bill France Cup were true just to the primary series.

Moreover, the Truck Series was pretty straightforward as they were currently named the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Even if Craftsman were to leave as the sponsor, the series would still be titled Truck Series. As such, the two-time Xfinity Champion again questioned what the second series really was.

I think we need to work on is we need some identity for this series. We have the NASCAR Cup Series, and we have the Bill France Cup, and we have all these things that are true to the Cup Series. The trucks are the easy one, right? They’re just trucks. Even if Craftsman is not there, it’s still the Truck Series, and then you have the Cup Series. So, what is the Xfinity Series?

Kevin Harvick said on his show Happy Hour.

Kevin Harvick questioned if in 2026 the NASCAR Xfinity Series would be renamed to the O’Reilly Series, based on their brand new sponsor. Even then, the fans would be confused, with the new ones questioning what the second series even meant, as not many might be aware of O’Reilly Auto Parts. As such, Harvick called for a consistent identity for the Xfinity Series in the coming future, one that wasn’t entirely dependent on the sponsors.

 So, what is the Xfinity Series? So, next year, are we going to be O’Reilly Series? And then everybody’s going to be like ‘What the hell is the O’Reilly Series?’ I don’t know. I just think that we need some consistent identity for the Xfinity Series as to what is it.

Kevin Harvick added.

Kevin Harvick ‘really happy’ for the NASCAR Xfinity Series to have a new sponsor for 2026

NASCAR’s new deal with O’Reilly Auto Parts is considered to be great for the sport and more successful than Xfinity. The auto parts giant is already operating over 6400 stores across the U.S, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada.

Kevin Harvick (via Getty)
Kevin Harvick (via Getty)

As such, this deal will help the sport get popular in the untouched areas, with brand deals in the auto parts segment being more prominent now. Hence, Kevin Harvick isn’t completely against the new sponsorship idea.

Kevin Harvick noted that he was really delighted to hear that NASCAR Xfinity is bringing in a new sponsorship with O’Reilly Auto Parts. Still, Harvick had a lot of questions in his mind. Primarily, the 49-year-old questioned if O’Reilly was the same as Advance Auto Parts, which was the title sponsor of the NASCAR Weekly Series. If they weren’t the same, the two-time Xfinity champion wondered what would happen to the previous sponsor with the new one coming in in 2026.

I’m really happy for what is the Xfinity Series now to have O’Reilly come in and sponsor the series, but I have a lot of questions. Are they the same company as Advance Auto Parts? So, what happens to the Advance Auto Parts weekly sponsorship?

Kevin Harvick noted

NASCAR’s deal with O’Reilly Auto Parts appears to be a smart move for now, despite the mixed opinions on it. The deal is likely going to boost engagement on track and even off the track. This deal can also help propel the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ popularity and open it up for even bigger sponsorships in the coming years. As such, time will tell about just how effective the new deal is and if the people accept it openly.

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