Connor Zilisch, who competes full-time for Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, made his first Craftsman Truck Series start of the 2026 season in the road course race at Watkins Glen International two weekends ago, and he placed second behind first-time winner Kaden Honeycutt.
He notably finished one position ahead of road course ace Shane van Gisbergen, his Cup Series teammate who went on to win the Cup Series race at the track.
Zilisch's start marked just the second appearance of the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet this season. Spire Motorsports also entered the No. 71 truck for Daniel Suarez at Bristol Motor Speedway in April.
The No. 71 entry is set to return this weekend after it was not featured in this past weekend's race at Dover Motor Speedway, but it won't be Zilisch behind the wheel.
Connor Zilisch replacement confirmed for Charlotte
Van Gisbergen, whose third place finish at Watkins Glen came in the No. 4 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, is set to drive the No. 71 Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in what is set to be his first Truck Series oval race since he made his series debut at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park short track back in 2023.
Beyond this weekend, Spire Motorsports currently have no additional plans for the No. 71 Chevrolet. They run the No. 7 Chevrolet and the No. 77 Chevrolet full-time, and both are shared entries. They are set both set to be driven by full-time Cup drivers this weekend, with eight-time Charlotte Truck Series winner Kyle Busch in the former and Zilisch in the latter.
Carson Hocevar was initially slated to drive the No. 77 truck, but Spire Motorsports opted to have him keep his full focus on Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 instead.
Because Hocevar does not yet have three full seasons of Cup Series experience under his belt, he is not subject to the eight-race Truck Series limitation. He is lined up to run a total of 12 races in the series this year, with four more on the schedule after this weekend.
As for Busch, who has won twice in four starts so far this year, he plans to take full advantage of those relaxed restrictions and run three more races after this weekend.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled to host the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 this Friday, May 22, with live coverage set to be provided by Fox Sports 1 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!
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