Viking Motorsports has decided to expand to two cars and bring in Anthony Alfredo for the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series program.This year, the team ran the No. 99 Chevrolet with veteran driver Matt DiBenedetto. That campaign began after the team switched from Ford to Chevrolet and decided to stand on its own rather than partner with an outside outfit. For the next season, Viking has put its faith in Alfredo, who will join the No. 96 team with crew chief Josh Graham returning to work with him.Viking Motorsports owner Don Sackett explained why the team signed Alfredo, who has over four years of experience working with small independent teams in the series, for the team's second season."Anthony brings experience, professionalism, and a tremendous work ethic that aligns perfectly with where Viking Motorsports is heading," Sackett said in a team release [via Jayski].The team announced the move on Thursday, December 4, with a video on X.Anthony Alfredo raced full-time for Young's Motorsports and scored one top-10 finish, led one lap, and logged an average finishing position of 24.1 this year in the O'Reilly Series."Be competive and make the playoffs, that's our ultimate goal. We're gonna have to win races and run up front to do that and I'm looking forward to that challenge," Alfredo said in the video.Meanwhile, DiBenedetto, who piloted the team's flagship No. 99 Chevrolet, saw his strongest result at Talladega in April, where he delivered a fifth-place finish. That remained the team's only top-10 result in its debut season.In October 2025, Viking announced it would replace DiBenedetto with Connor Mosack for the final three races. The team has also signed Parker Retzlaff for the No. 99 team in 2026."I knew this was my shot" - Anthony Alfredo after Viking 'reached out' to himAnthony Alfredo also revealed how the opportunity with Viking Motorsports came to be on social media.The 26-year-old made his debut in the Cup Series for a full-time season with Front Row Motorsports in 2021 and returned to the O'Reilly Series with Our Motorsports the following year. In 2024, he collected seven top-10 finishes and two top-5s, including winning the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus at Dover. The Connecticut native ended that year 15th in the driver standings.He also made five Cup starts in the past two years with Beard Motorsports and tried to qualify for the Daytona 500 earlier this season.Anthony Alfredo replied to the team's post on X, writing:"As soon as Viking reached out, I knew this was my shot. They are doing all the right things to build a competitive program. I'm thrilled to have Josh back on the box for me too. Time to capitalize on this opportunity 🏁"Viking has said it will name primary and associate partners for the No. 96 in the weeks ahead. The upcoming NASCAR O'Reilly season is scheduled to start on February 14, 2026.