Connor Zilisch has moved up from the Xfinity Series (now O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) to the Cup Series for the 2026 NASCAR season, joining Trackhouse Racing as the replacement for Daniel Suarez alongside Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain.
Zilisch is set to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, not the No. 99 Chevrolet. Van Gisbergen, who drove the No. 88 car in 2025, is set to use the No. 97 in 2026. Chastain is set to remain in the No. 1 Chevrolet, while the No. 99 is set to be used by RFK Racing as their fourth Daytona 500 entry for Corey LaJoie.
Zilisch is still set to run a partial schedule in the O'Reilly Series with JR Motorsports, the team with which he won 10 races in 2025, but he won't be back behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet.
He is set to share the No. 1 Chevrolet with Carson Kvapil, who drove the entry full-time in 2025. Kvapil is still set to run full-time in 2026, with his other starts coming in the No. 9 Chevrolet that the team plan to field part-time.
Up until now, Rajah Caruth had been the only driver tabbed to replace Zilisch in the No. 88 car, and he was only announced as a part-time driver. Now his exactly schedule has been confirmed, and four other drivers have been confirmed as replacements for Zilisch.
4 more Connor Zilisch replacements confirmed for 2026
Hendrick Motorsports' four Cup Series drivers, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman, are set to combine for 10 starts in the No. 88 car this coming season, while Caruth is responsible for driving it in the other 23 events.
Larson is set to drive the car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Saturday, March 14), Bristol Motor Speedway (Saturday, April 11), and Texas Motor Speedway (Saturday, May 22). Elliott is set to drive it at Chicagoland Speedway (Saturday, July 4) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Saturday, July 25).
Byron is set to drive it at Phoenix Raceway (Saturday, March 7), Kansas Speedway (Saturday, April 18), and Pocono Raceway (Saturday, June 13). Alex Bowman is set to drive it at Darlington Raceway (Saturday, March 21) and Nashville Superspeedway (Saturday, May 30).
Caruth is set to drive it in the rest of the races, including the final four races on the 26-race regular season schedule as well as the entire seven-race postseason.
Notably, Rick Hendrick has his own full-time team in the series this year, something he hasn't had since 2006. Corey Day is set to drive the No. 17 Chevrolet full-time in 2026. The team's 2022 return to the series marked their first action at NASCAR's second-highest national level since 2009.
Caruth is set to open up the season in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 14. The United Rentals 300 is set to be shown live on the CW Network starting at 5:00 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!