2025 NASCAR race winner Nick Sanchez recently revealed that he had been informed he would not be returning to Big Machine Racing next season.
Now, the Miami, Florida native has gone further, offering an explanation behind the abrupt split between himself and his former team.
Sanchez drove full-time for Big Machine during the 2025 Xfinity Series (now O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) season, qualifying for the playoffs and finishing the campaign 11th overall in his first full-time season at the level.
The 24-year-old's finest moment came at Atlanta in June, winning the Focused Health 250 ahead of Carson Kvapil, Sam Mayer and Connor Zilisch.
Sanchez's exit statement
It had been expected that Sanchez would remain with Big Machine heading into 2026. Indeed, Sanchez himself said as much not so long ago.
However, on Monday, the now free agent driver issued the following statement: "Over the weekend, I was informed that I will not be driving the No.48 for Big Machine Racing in 2026.
"I’m grateful to Scott Borchetta, Patrick Donahue, everyone at Chevrolet and the whole team. I am proud of all we have accomplished this year including our win.
"Unfortunate timing and circumstances, but it’s strictly business. When one door closes another one opens. Excited about what is ahead!"
Why has Big Machine Racing let Nick Sanchez go?
Now, speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Sanchez has explicitly stated that his exit is due to financial reasons, although he remained vague on the specifics of what he was discussing.
“In my post, I said strictly business, right? So you could only guess what that means from a financial standpoint,” Sanchez said.
"The business revolves around the finances of race teams, and obviously this team was a little different in that regard the past couple of years.
"But sounds like something may have changed in a financial way that affected the we did business for this coming year.”
Sanchez is now left seeking opportunities ahead of the 2026 season, open to both the O'Reilly Auto Parts and Truck Series.
"It's not the ideal situation to be in, in terms of options," he admitted. "But I think everything happens for a reason, and I could see this working out better for me in a weird way."
