Instead of naming a single full-time replacement for Connor Zilisch, who was promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing, for the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season, JR Motorsports opted to name one primary driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet and divided up the remaining 10 races between the four Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers.
It actually ended up being just three Hendrick Cup drivers, as Alex Bowman's starts were both given to Kyle Larson, who spent five races behind the wheel of the No. 88 car. William Byron drove it in three races, and Chase Elliott made his second start of the year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway two weekends ago, following his runner-up finish at Chicagoland Speedway three weekends prior.
When Elliott crossed the finish line fourth at Indy, he and JR Motorsports made history by becoming the first team to finish 1-2-3-4 in any O'Reilly Series race. Carson Kvapil earned his first career victory, ahead of points leader Justin Allgaier in second and Ross Chastain, another Trackhouse Cup driver, in third.
On just five occasions in NASCAR national series history had a team finished a race with a sweep of the top four. It hadn't happened since ThorSport Racing pulled it off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the 2021 Craftsman Truck Series season. That same year, Elliott was a part of a Hendrick 1-2-3-4 at Dover Motor Speedway in the Cup Series.
Chase Elliott replacement confirmed for Iowa
But after making history at Indy, Elliott's O'Reilly Series schedule for 2026 has come to a close. In fact, there are no more races on the No. 88 car's schedule for any of the Hendrick Cup drivers in 2026.
This weekend at Iowa Speedway, Rajah Caruth is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet, and it's set to mark the beginning of an 11-race stretch in the car for Caruth to conclude the 2026 season.
He has driven the car 12 times so far this season, while he spent the other 10 races behind the wheel of the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing. His move back to the No. 88 car is set to mark the 12th time he has changed teams this year.
Despite having hopped around between the No. 88 car and the No. 32 car all year, without ever spending more than three races in a row in a single entry, Caruth remains alive and well in the playoff picture, sitting just 20 points below the top 12 cut line with two races remaining on the regular season schedule at Iowa and Daytona International Speedway.
Should he manage to qualify, he should benefit greatly from the fact that he is set to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet throughout the entire nine-race postseason, as the No. 88 team is third in the owner standings. Five of Caruth's seven top 10 finishes have come in the No. 88 car this season, including his season-best fourth place effort at Rockingham Speedway in April.
Live coverage of the Hy-VEE PERKS 250 is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. ET on the CW Network this Saturday, August 8. Take advantage of FuboTV's free trial offer and catch all of the action from Iowa Speedway!
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