Callum Ilott did not announce a new team, unveil a sponsor or point to a confirmed race programme when he made his NASCAR intentions public. He simply put the question to his followers on Thursday: “Can someone get me in a nascar race next year?”
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The 27-year-old British driver’s post on X was direct, but the responses arrived quickly enough to turn it into more than an offseason thought. Conor Daly offered to help make calls, while SS-GreenLight Racing replied: “DMs are open!”
That is not a seat offer, and Ilott has not been signed to a NASCAR team. Still, the response gives his request two useful things: a potential route into the paddock and a driver willing to put his name forward. SS-GreenLight’s reply points towards a possible first step in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series rather than an immediate jump to the Cup Series.
Owned by Bobby Dotter, SS-GreenLight Racing fields two Chevrolet entries in NASCAR’s second-tier national series. Garrett Smithley has primarily driven the No. 0 car in 2026, while Josh Bilicki has handled the No. 07 full-time. The team has also used drivers such as Cole Custer and Alex Labbé in the No. 0.
Its response does not establish that a car is available, much less that an agreement is close, but it is a concrete invitation for Ilott to start a conversation with an established NASCAR outfit.
Daly’s involvement adds another layer. The IndyCar veteran made three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts for Kaulig Racing in 2026 through Ram’s rotating Free Agent Driver Program, and replied to Ilott: “Highly recommend! Let’s make some calls.” His best finish was 16th at Kansas, giving him a recent taste of the NASCAR environment. More importantly, he is offering to connect Ilott with people who could make a one-off appearance happen.
For Ilott, this would be a new category rather than a return to familiar territory. His 2026 campaign has been spent in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, sharing the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R with Wright Motorsports. A NASCAR appearance would put him in a very different kind of race car and competition, even if the first outing were limited to a single event.
There is a substantial racing résumé behind the short social media post. Ilott came through the European single-seater ranks as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and finished second to Mick Schumacher in the 2020 Formula 2 championship, winning three races.
He made his IndyCar debut in 2021 and went on to spend two full seasons with Juncos Hollinger Racing. Fifth-place finishes at St. Petersburg and Laguna Seca in 2023 showed what he could do when the opportunity and equipment came together.
He then took on select IndyCar appearances with Arrow McLaren in 2024 before returning full-time with PREMA Racing for the 2025 season. PREMA’s first IndyCar campaign had a difficult start, but Ilott closed strongly: he scored four top-10 finishes across the final five races, including sixth-place results at Laguna Seca and Portland.
That late-season progress made the loss of his seat all the more frustrating. PREMA did not return to the IndyCar grid for 2026, leaving Ilott without the full-time programme he had worked towards.
Wright Motorsports provided a way to keep racing. Ilott joined the team for a full IMSA GTD season, and the move was not intended to close the IndyCar door. In an August interview, he said he still believed there was a good chance of returning to IndyCar in 2027, while also expressing interest in continuing in IMSA. “I still think there’s a really good chance you’ll see me in IndyCar next year but I can’t say for sure right now and I don’t know,” he said.
That context matters when reading his NASCAR request. It should not be treated as confirmation that Ilott has abandoned IndyCar or is changing direction permanently. He has been open about keeping options available, and his experience across Formula 2, IndyCar and sports cars gives him more than one possible route to a competitive seat.
A NASCAR start could become another strand in that search, whether as a one-off opportunity or the beginning of a longer relationship.
There would still be work to do. Moving into stock cars means learning a different machine, adapting to close-quarters racing in a large field and getting comfortable with NASCAR’s tracks and race formats.
Ilott’s experience in high-level championships is an asset, but it does not make the transition automatic. Any team considering him would need to assess the practicalities of putting him in a car, while Ilott would need the right preparation to make the most of a first start.
For now, the headline development is that he asked publicly and received a response from a team that competes in NASCAR’s national series. Daly’s willingness to make calls gives the request another useful connection, but neither response amounts to a confirmed deal.
Whether the exchange leads to a race in 2027 remains to be seen. Ilott has at least moved the possibility out of speculation and given NASCAR teams a clear invitation to talk.