Naida Signs with Ed Neumeister to Fill Remaining 2026 Schedule

Adrian, MI - One of, if not the most popular driver coming out of January's Chili Bowl Nationals was Adrian, Michigan's Darin Naida. The 19-year-old made a historic "Soup Run", racing in nine Qualifying Mains before coming up one spot short of a transfer spot to the next event. In that run, Naida mentioned during an interview on FloRacing that he wondered what more it would take to earn a full-time 410 Sprint Car ride. Since that day, things have been falling into place.

On the Horsepower Happenings Podcast back on January 20th, Naida made a small correction to his call for a ride. He noted that he already had a partial deal put together for the 2026 season.

"Obviously, having a full-time sprint car ride is every driver's goal," Naida said on the podcast. "I do need to clarify my plans a little bit. I am committed to Marc Dailey and Dailey Racing for 15-20 races this year. We haven't really sat down and decided what those 15-20 races are."

Today, Monday, February 9th, the next piece of the "full-time" schedule fell into place. Naida announced on his social media channels that he and longtime Ohio-based car owner, Ed Neumeister, have struck a deal for the upcoming season. Neumeister's No.11N gained notable attention over the last few seasons with LaGrange, Ohio's, Kasey Jedrzejek behind the wheel. This season, Jedrzejek moved on from that ride to compete full-time on the World of Outlaws circuit with Bill Rose Racing.

"[The deal with Dailey and] the No.2MD is still going to happen," Naida explained. We will run 10-15 races [with Marc] around the schedule of the No.11N."

Naida says they don't have all of the details worked out just yet, so he couldn't comment on where they would race in 2026. In years past, the No.11N could show up anywhere, including with the 360s and Great Lakes Super Sprints, and various 410 sanctions like the World of Outlaws, All-Star Circuit of Champions, and FAST.

Naida says this may bring an end to the family operation, something they were working toward.

"I don't think so," Naida said when asked if they would fill the schedule in with the family car. "I think between the No.11N, the No.2MD, and any Midget opportunities that come along, I'll have a fuller schedule."

As the details of the 2026 schedule come together, Naida remains thankful for the chances that he's getting.

"I'm extremely grateful and thankful for the opportunities from both Ed and Marc," Naida concluded.

This is a developing story. We'll have more details as they become available at MARCNews.org.