Alex Bowman will miss his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series race as he continues to recover from vertigo.

While excited about the opportunity, he's not excited about the reason why he’s behind the wheel of the No. 48.

As the first road course race of the Cup Series season looms this weekend at COTA, 19-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch is being looked to as the driver who can potentially go toe-to-toe with his Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane van Gisbergen.

There is a lot of intrigue about what’s to come in 2026, from a return to Chicagoland to additional horsepower and the re-introduction of the Chase format. Kelly Crandall makes some educated guesses about what's in store.