The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 68th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 45th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Sprint Unlimited, the Can-Am Duel and the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won his seventh drivers' championship, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most all-time. Toyota won the manufacturer's championship, becoming the first manufacturer to win the manufacturer's championship other than Chevrolet since 2002.
The season also marked the second season of a new television contract. During the season, races were broadcast in the United States by Fox Sports and NBC Sports.
2016 marked the final full season for three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, 2000 season champion Bobby Labonte (at the time he was a restrictor plate ringer), 28-time race winner Carl Edwards, and 19-time race winner Greg Biffle, and the final Cup race starts for Brian Scott, Josh Wise, Brian Vickers, Michael Annett, Patrick Carpentier, Eddie MacDonald, Robert Richardson Jr., and Alex Kennedy. Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon also came out of retirement mid-season as a relief driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who sat out the second half of the season with a concussion. Gordon shared relief driving duties on the Hendrick No. 88 car with Alex Bowman and made his final Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway in October. 2016 also marked the first season that Joe Nemechek did not start a Cup race since his career began in 1993, as well as Sam Hornish Jr., who did not make any starts for the first time since 2006.
The season also marked the final season with Sprint as the series sponsor, as Monster Energy took over the title sponsorship starting in 2017.
Teams and drivers
Chartered teams There were 37 full-time teams in 2016.
ManufacturerTeamRace driverCrew chief Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing1 Jamie McMurray Matt McCall42 Kyle LarsonChad Johnston Phil Surgen Germain Racing13 Casey Mears Bootie BarkerHendrick Motorsports5 Kasey Kahne Keith Rodden24 Chase Elliott (R) Alan Gustafson48 Jimmie Johnson Chad Knaus88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Greg Ives Alex Bowman Jeff Gordon HScott Motorsports15Clint BowyerSteve Addington Jay Guy 46Michael Annett Jay Guy Mike Hillman Justin Allgaier JTG Daugherty Racing47A. J. AllmendingerRandall Burnett Ernie Cope Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing95 Ty Dillon Todd Parrott Dave Winston Matt Borland Michael McDowell Richard Childress Racing3Austin DillonSlugger Labbe27Paul MenardJustin Alexander Danny Stockman Jr. 31Ryan NewmanLuke LambertStewart–Haas Racing4 Kevin Harvick Rodney Childers Dax Gerringer 10 Danica Patrick Billy Scott14 Brian Vickers Mike BugarewiczTy Dillon Tony Stewart 41Kurt BuschTony Gibson Johnny Klausmeier Tommy Baldwin Racing 7Regan Smith Tommy Baldwin Jr.Ty Dillon FordFront Row Motorsports34Chris Buescher (R)Bob Osborne38Landon CassillDonnie WingoGo Fas Racing32 Bobby Labonte Wally Rogers Clinton Cram Jeffrey Earnhardt (R) Joey Gase Jeb Burton Patrick Carpentier Eddie MacDonald Boris Said Dylan Lupton Richard Petty Motorsports43Aric AlmirolaTrent Owens Drew Blickensderfer 44Brian Scott (R)Chris HeroyRoush Fenway Racing6Trevor BayneMatt Puccia16Greg BiffleBrian Pattie Robbie Reiser 17Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Nick Sandler Mike Kelley Team Penske2Brad KeselowskiPaul Wolfe22Joey LoganoTodd Gordon ToyotaBK Racing23David RaganPatrick Donahue83Michael Waltrip Doug Richert Gene Nead Mike Ford Matt DiBenedetto Dylan Lupton Jeffrey Earnhardt (R) Furniture Row Racing78Martin Truex Jr.Cole Pearn Todd Berrier Joe Gibbs Racing11Denny HamlinMike WheelerKyle BuschAdam Stevens Todd Berrier 19Carl EdwardsDave Rogers20Matt KensethJason Ratcliff
Non-chartered teams
Complete schedule ManufacturerTeamRace driverCrew chief FordWood Brothers Racing21Ryan Blaney (R)Jeremy Bullins
Limited schedule ManufacturerTeamRace driverCrew chiefRound(s) ChevroletCircle Sport – Leavine Family Racing59 Michael McDowell Dave Winston Hillman Racing40 Reed Sorenson Pat Tryson The Motorsports Group30Josh Wise Dave Fuge Wayne Carroll Gray Gaulding FordFront Row Motorsports35 David Gilliland Joe Lax Todd Anderson Roush Fenway Racing99 Ryan Reed Phil Gould ToyotaBK Racing26 Robert Richardson Jr. Mike Ford 49 Matt DiBenedetto Gene Nead 93 Ryan Ellis Mike Ford Dylan Lupton Chevrolet Toyota Premium Motorsports55 Reed Sorenson Pat Tryson Maurice Hester Michael Waltrip Cole Whitt Cody Ware Alex Kennedy D. J. Kennington Chevrolet Toyota 98Cole Whitt Mark Hillman Ben Leslie Pat Tryson Reed SorensonRyan EllisTimmy Hill
Changes
Teams Michael Waltrip Racing ceased its operations after 2015, shutting down the No. 15 and No. 55 teams. Waltrip made plans to run the Daytona 500 with sponsor Maxwell House. Waltrip ran the No. 83 for BK Racing in the Daytona 500 with DiBenedetto moving to the No. 93 in a third BK Racing car for the race. Waltrip also ran the Talladega race in May in his old No. 55 now running under the Premium Motorsports banner. This car had been the No. 62 in 2015. Wood Brothers Racing returned to full-time racing in 2016 for the first time since 2008. Ryan Blaney remained as driver, marking the first time the team would full-time with one driver since 2006. The team ran 19 races in 2015. Front Row Motorsports downsized to two full-time teams in 2016, shutting down the No. 35 team. The team also received technical support as part of an alliance with Roush Fenway Racing. The team fielded the No. 35 car for David Gilliland in the Daytona 500 and the other 3 plate races. He failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 and the Talladega October events (but made Talladega in May and Daytona in July). BK Racing downsized to two full-time teams in 2016, shutting down the No. 26 team. The team fielded the No. 26 car for Robert Richardson Jr. in the Daytona 500. Circle Sport and Leavine Family Racing merged to form Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing. The team ran the full 36-race schedule with the No. 95 in a Chevrolet, forming a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. The No. 33 team was shut down. Ty Dillon ran five races with crew chief Todd Parrott, including the Daytona 500 with Michael McDowell driving the other 31 with crew chief Dave Winston. The team fielded a second car, the No. 59, in the Daytona 500 and Ford EcoBoost 400 for McDowell. Premium Motorsports hired Mike Hillman to head up its operations in 2016, bringing over Mark Hillman – who served as the No. 40's crew chief – and most of the staff from the No. 40 team, therefore shutting that team down on a full-time basis. Premium Motorsports ran only one full-time team with Cole Whitt in the No. 98 in 2016, shutting down the No. 62. Whitt drove for Front Row Motorsports in the now defunct No. 35 in 2015. Hillman still ran the No. 40 with Reed Sorenson in the Daytona 500. The second Premium team was reactivated at Martinsville as the No. 55, with Sorenson driving. Premium Motorsports leased their charter to HScott Motorsports No. 46 for the 2016 season.
Drivers Chase Elliott moved up from the Xfinity Series to the Sprint Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, replacing Jeff Gordon in the No. 24, who retired after the 2015 season. Clint Bowyer replaced Justin Allgaier in the HScott Motorsports No. 15 (renumbered from No. 51) for 2016, before replacing the retiring Tony Stewart in the No. 14 for Stewart–Haas Racing in 2017. Bowyer ran the No. 15 for the now closed Michael Waltrip Racing team in 2015. Brian Scott replaced Sam Hornish Jr. in the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 44 (renumbered from No. 9). Scott ran for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2015. Chris Buescher moved up from the Xfinity Series to the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports, replacing Brett Moffitt and other various drivers in the No. 34. Buescher ran six races in the No. 34 in 2015 and won the 2015 Xfinity Series Championship with Roush Fenway Racing in the No. 60. He is on loan from Roush Fenway Racing, with Roush providing additional technical support for him in 2016. Landon Cassill replaced David Gilliland in the Front Row Motorsports No. 38. Cassill ran for Hillman Racing in the No. 40 in 2015. Jeffrey Earnhardt ran at least 20 races in the No. 32 for Go FAS Racing. Bobby Labonte continued to run the four restrictor plate races. The team had multiple drivers in 2015. David Ragan replaced J. J. Yeley and Jeb Burton in the BK Racing No. 23. Ragan drove full-time for various teams – mostly in a substitute role due to injuries – in 2015, mostly for the now defunct Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55. Regan Smith replaced Alex Bowman in the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 7. Smith ran for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2015. On February 1, 2016, Tony Stewart was sent to the hospital after he injured his back in a non-racing accident in the desert. Stewart–Haas Racing announced on February 4 that Stewart would miss the beginning of the season. Nine days later, former Michael Waltrip Racing driver Brian Vickers was hired to take Stewart's place for the Daytona 500. Vickers and Ty Dillon shared the car until Bristol. Stewart returned to the 14 car at Richmond. For Talladega, Stewart practiced and qualified the car, and then switched with Ty Dillon in the first opportunity during the race. Afterwards, Stewart returned full-time at Kansas. Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered from concussion like symptoms following the race in Kentucky and was replaced by Alex Bowman at New Hampshire and Michigan. Jeff Gordon came out of retirement to replace Dale Jr. at Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, and Bristol. It was announced on August 30, 2016, that Earnhardt would miss the rest of the season and that Bowman and Gordon would share the car for the final 12 races of the season. Gordon drove at Darlington, Richmond, Dover, and Martinsville while Bowman drove at Chicagoland, New Hampshire, Charlotte, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead.
Crew chiefs Brian Pattie took over crew chief duties on the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford with Greg Biffle, replacing Matt Puccia. Pattie was the crew chief for the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 15 and No. 55 cars in 2015. Matt Puccia took over crew chief duties on the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford with Trevor Bayne, replacing Bob Osborne. Puccia was the crew chief on the No. 16, driven by Greg Biffle in 2015. Bob Osborne took over crew chief duties on the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford with Chris Buescher, replacing Derek Finley. Osborne was the crew chief for Trevor Bayne in 2015. Chad Johnston took over crew chief duties on the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with Kyle Larson, replacing Chris Heroy. Johnston was the crew chief for Tony Stewart in 2015. Mike Bugarewicz took over crew chief duties on the No. 14 Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet with Tony Stewart, replacing Chad Johnston. Bugarewicz was the race engineer on the No. 4, driven by Kevin Harvick, the previous two years. Billy Scott took over crew chief duties on the No. 10 Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet with Danica Patrick, replacing Daniel Knost. Scott was the crew chief for the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 15 and No. 55 cars in 2015. Randall Burnett took over crew chief duties on the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet with A. J. Allmendinger, replacing Brian Burns. Burnett was the team engineer on the No. 42, driven by Kyle Larson, in 2015. Mike Wheeler took over crew chief duties on the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Denny Hamlin, replacing Dave Rogers. Wheeler was the crew chief for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015. Dave Rogers took over crew chief duties on the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Carl Edwards, replacing Darian Grubb. Rogers was the crew chief on the No. 11, driven by Denny Hamlin, in 2015.