Joe Gibbs Racing said it will close its ARCA Menards Series program at the end of 2026, a move that ends a nine-year run and creates a new question for Toyota’s development pipeline. One reported answer, according to an unofficial account cited by Freddie Kraft, is that 13-year-old Keelan Harvick could drive part-time for Nitro Motorsports in ARCA next season.
The development matters because Joe Gibbs Racing has been a major part of Toyota’s path for young drivers trying to build toward bigger opportunities. With that program going away, Toyota-backed prospects will need another place to continue their progression in ARCA and related series.
What Joe Gibbs Racing’s shutdown means
Joe Gibbs Racing’s ARCA operation has long functioned as one of the clearest stepping stones in Toyota’s ladder. Its closure at the end of 2026 would not just remove a team from the series; it would also force Toyota to redirect how it develops young talent.
That is where the Keelan Harvick report comes in. Harvick signed a long-term development deal with Toyota in February 2026 and has already been used carefully inside the manufacturer’s Late Model and development structure rather than being rushed into NASCAR’s national ranks.
He has shown why that approach makes sense. Harvick won the INEX Young Lions National Championship in 2024, then followed with four CARS Tour Pro Late Model victories in 2025 and two CARS Tour West wins in 2025. In 2026, Toyota placed him with Rackley W.A.R. and Kevin Harvick, Inc. for dozens of Late Model races, and he also won multiple CARS Tour West races in Toyota machinery at the Las Vegas Bullring and Kern Raceway.
Why Nitro Motorsports is the next name to watch
Nitro Motorsports already operates in ARCA with Toyota-backed drivers, which makes it a logical landing spot if Harvick is indeed moving into the series part-time. Freddie Kraft said on Door Bumper Clear that he believes Joe Gibbs Racing is shutting down the ARCA program and suggested it would not be hard to see Toyota keep an ARCA presence with “maybe an up-and-coming driver’s son” in the seat.
Kraft added a direct nod to Harvick’s situation, saying, “Keelan Harvick’s got to go somewhere, right?”
If the report proves accurate, the next step would give Harvick more variety in his growth path. He would still be developing inside Toyota’s ecosystem, but with Joe Gibbs Racing out of the picture, Nitro Motorsports could become the team that helps bridge his Late Model success to ARCA competition.
For Toyota, the broader takeaway is simple: the pipeline is changing, but the need to keep prospects moving forward is not. For Harvick, the reported Nitro Motorsports opportunity would be another sign that Toyota sees a long-term role for him, even as the series landscape around him shifts.
