Rajah Caruth was confirmed as the primary replacement for Connor Zilisch, who is now a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver for Trackhouse Racing, behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet at JR Motorsports for the majority of the 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity Series) season.
Caruth opened up the year behind the wheel of the No. 88 car for three straight races at Daytona International Speedway, EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway), and Circuit of the Americas (COTA), but this weekend marks the first in which one of the four full-time Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers is set to take over.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott, are set to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet at some point this year, with Byron set to do so this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Byron and Larson are both set to run three races in the car, while Bowman and Elliott are each set to run two.
Rajah Caruth joins new team to keep full-time status
But Caruth is still a championship contender, as he landed another part-time deal over the offseason to give him a full 33-race schedule for the 2026 season.
Caruth is set to drive the No. 32 Chevrolet in 10 races this season, beginning with Saturday's race at Phoenix. He made two starts in the No. 32 car during the 2025 season, placing 22nd at Dover Motor Speedway and 29th at Daytona International Speedway.
Caruth finds himself sitting sixth place in the point standings through the 2026 season's first three races after placing 10th at Daytona, eighth at Atlanta, and 31st at COTA. He is set to spend the next three races, including those at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, in the No. 32 car, marking his longest scheduled stretch away from JR Motorsports this year.
Saturday night's live coverage of the GOVX 200 from Phoenix Raceway is set to begin on the CW Network at 7:30 p.m. ET, following Fox's live coverage of the track's first NTT IndyCar Series race since 2018. Start a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action from the desert this weekend!